Ventures Manager

SAIC Ventures is strategic investor into startups that help our US Government customers solve their greatest mission challenges. Our successful approach to Corporate Venture Capital is built on SAIC’s role as a Mission Integrator and deeply rooted in portfolio company collaboration around go-to-market, technology and products.

SAIC is scaling the Ventures team and seeking both Partners (investment leaders) and Associates (source, cultivate, and execute based on collaboration. This particular opportunity is for a Partner who will be a Manager within SAIC and be both a people and investment leader.  The role will be based in either the DC/Maryland/Virginia Metro Area, Los Angeles or Silicon Valley, or a Startup hub in the mid west such as Austin or Chicago. As an integral member of the SAIC Ventures team reporting to the Managing Director, the Partner will collaborate among SAIC technology and commercial go-to-market colleagues in our Solutions & Technologies Group (STG) as an integral part of our growth-focused team. The Partner will also work across SAIC’s three business groups with Business Development and P&L leaders to ensure investments are tightly coupled to their strategies and go-to-market priorities. The Partner must have previous experience leading Venture Capital investments, and will leverage their existing relationships with investors and startups to scout technologies, define & develop CVC investment theses for successful investment committee decisions, and drive post-deal value creation with startups as active co-investors. By treating our partners’ offerings as if they are our own, the Partner will help to accelerate SAIC’s government customers’ use of novel & disruptive technologies across both dual-use commercial and national security-specific capabilities.

The primary role of the Partner is to lead investments into Startups under the guidance of the Managing Partner, as well as drive those companies’ products into SAIC offerings and sell-through to our customers. The responsibilities are equal parts VC & startup ecosystem engagement & cultivation, investment opportunity development & diligence to drive both pure-business collaboration and new deals, and post-deal value capture. 

A successful candidate will have a mission understanding of and appreciation for the variety of SAIC’s National Security, Civilian Federal Agency, and State/Local Agency customers. The candidate will leverage their ecosystem relationships while building internal relationships across SAIC to activate startups’ dual-use commercial or bespoke-for-national security technologies. Goals will be achieved through both pure business collaboration and as an investor. Candidates will thrive based on an appreciation for technology-driven products, and engineering or product or related backgrounds are preferred. The Partner must have proven the capability to develop relationships with startups and co-investors, resulting in meaningful deals. Individuals with broader experiences as leaders within a company, and better yet as a Corporate Venture Capital investor are preferred.

Roles & Responsibilities:

• Leverage data, relationships, technology & tools to inform capability & market specific investment strategies that align to Ventures’ charter, and with SAIC’s enterprise, technology, and go-to-market strategies
• Cultivate investment opportunities with co-investors and with strategy-aligned startups
• Support commercial diligence of startup investments prior to investment in collaboration with Ventures team and stakeholders
• Lead technical & business diligence with functional support from finance and legal to finalize the investment business case including deal terms and valuation
• Coordinate with the Managing Partner and Managing Director of SAIC Ventures to develop overarching investment strategies and deal-specific investment theses, drive stakeholder conviction, and create materials required to inform a positive investment committee decision
• Focal point for startup ecosystem engagement within their region among VC, CVC, and startup relationships to further develop SAICs ecosystem presence including attending & facilitating meetings & events
• Collaborate with the STG team, business functions, and business units for investment theses, deal strategies, and execution
• Act as a trusted advisor to each portfolio company for access to SAIC subject matter experts and the Venture ecosystem to create value through network effects including follow-on investment syndication & support
• Build quarterly and ad hoc reports on portfolio companies and the overall portfolio

• Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of 6 years of experience including roles at a startup or larger company with technology or product or GTM or strategic role
• Candidates must be U.S. Citizens
• Must have a passion for technology-based startups and have cultivated and closed deals as an investor in either a VC or CVC
• Strong qualitative & quantitative analytical capability with exceptional communication, active listening, critical thinking, collaboration, and presentation capabilities
• Bonus if you have an MBA, JD, or Masters degree in a relevant field
• Double bonus if you have experience working with or for a government agency or in the military
• Triple bonus if you have a strong network in dual-use commercial technology, national security focused technology startups, and the broader innovation and investment economy