APAC Ventures Manager

Arup Ventures:

Our in-house venture building and investment arm, developing staff ideas and working with external organizations to develop and launch products and businesses that have transformative impact on the built environment and create new revenue streams outside of our consultancy model. We build our own ventures and invest in external startups, across core themes of Water, Energy, Transport, SIT, Sustainability and Construction Tech, and in doing so helping us further our goal of shaping a better, more sustainable world.

We have had success, have strong leadership buy-in, and are now looking to scale our impact in line with Arup Strategy.

It should be noted that we invest externally on an ‘equity for service’ basis – investing services, IP and data to support the scaling of companies, rather than cash.

Role description:

As Ventures Manager, you will work closely with the Region Ventures Lead and broader global team to implement the strategy for Ventures in APAC. The core focus is 1) investments: developing a pipeline of investment opportunities in early-stage startups, securing such investments, and managing the portfolio, and 2) implementing strategies and programs that engage our staff to support this goal. There may also be aspects of developing and shaping internal propositions for commercialization.

Your work will entail project management, client and partner outreach, market research and commercial strategy, with opportunity to get involved in broader activities such as comms, ecosystem engagement and financial modelling as your interests, skills and the needs of the Ventures program dictate.

The role will require proactivity, strong organizational skills, and commercial and strategic reasoning, and presents an opportunity to learn and develop in an exciting strategic area for Arup.  

Role responsibilities will include but are not limited to: 

·       Sourcing and Opportunity Management

o   Working with internal staff and external stakeholders (startups, accelerators, incubators, VC funds, and innovation ecosystems relevant to Arup), as well undertaking your own research to identify opportunities and generate deals.

o   Maintaining, and tracking the opportunity pipeline and individual and program performance metrics against strategic plans.

·       Ventures Validation, Commercialisation and Due Diligence

o   Scoping and evaluating the commercial viability of external investment opportunities alongside Arup’s subject matter experts, building out scopes of investment, and executing deals alongside the Region Ventures Lead and wider team.

·       Financial Analysis and Investment Collateral Preparation

o   Building and reviewing financial models, pitches and due diligence materials.

o   Preparing and presenting go/no-go investment memorandum documentation to support key decision-making governance by Ventures and Business stakeholders.

·       Portfolio Management and Support

o   Supporting Ventures portfolio companies and Arup teams delivering investment scopes, throughout the period that Arup remains an investor.

o   Tracking and managing region portfolio performance metrics.

·       Communications

o   Working with the Global and Regional Ventures team to promote ventures in APAC, building our profile both internally and externally.

·       Market Research

o   Leveraging market research, internal workshops, networking events, social networking, trade shows/events/publications to increase your and Arup’s knowledge of industry trends and emerging technologies, and to identify new investment theses and sectors of interest.

Requirements:

·       Strong organizational skills, with demonstratable experience of strategic thinking and an ability to prioritize work while handling multiple complex tasks and projects concurrently.

·       Relevant work experience, be it financial, commercial and market analysis, managing innovation projects, program management, external partnering, strategic advisory, and/or engaging with or working in the venture ecosystem.

·       Excellent relationship management skills, with demonstrable experience of building relationships with both internal and external stakeholders.

·       Excellent written and oral communication skills.

·       Commitment to teamwork and willingness to work collaboratively with stakeholders from across the Region.

·       A good understanding of Arup and the breadth of our capabilities.

·       An enthusiasm for emerging technology in the built environment.

·       Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant discipline.

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