Senior Portfolio Talent Lead

Octopus Capital Ltd; Greater London; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

An innovative finance company in Greater London seeks a B2B Portfolio Talent Lead to build high-performing leadership teams across its portfolio. This role involves designing talent strategies and acting as a trusted advisor on people issues. Ideal candidates will have deep expertise in executive talent and the ability to influence senior executives effectively. Strong knowledge of the B2B SaaS and AI landscape is essential. Join us in shaping the future of the tech industry through exceptional leadership.

Qualifications

• Deep experience in executive talent and organisational design.
• Proven ability to influence effectively with empathy.
• Strong knowledge of European talent market dynamics.

Responsibilities

• Partner with portfolio leaders to build high-performing teams.
• Design tailored talent strategies for growth-stage firms.
• Act as a trusted advisor on people and culture for executives.
• Develop and maintain a network of growth-stage talent.

Skills

Influencing skills

Understanding of B2B SaaS and AI dynamics

Organisational design expertise

Networking skills

Job description

Job Description

Octopus Ventures invests in early‑stage technology companies shaping the future of work, AI, data infrastructure, and software. Within our B2B Fund, our mission is not just to fund founders – it’s to help them grow through exceptional leadership and people strategy.

As the B2B Portfolio Talent Lead you will play a critical role in building high‑performing leadership teams and scalable organisations for our portfolio companies.

What you’ll be doing

Build High‑Performing Leadership Teams

• Partner with portfolio founders and CEOs to assess, design, and build world‑class executive and leadership teams.
• Support critical C‑level, VP & Senior Leadership (CRO, CTO, CPO, Alumni CFO, VP Sales, etc.) and key senior IC hiring by defining role scope, benchmarking compensation, scoping process, and facilitating introductions.

Define and Deliver Talent Strategy

Design tailored Talent & People strategies for growth‑stage portfolio companies, aligning structure, capability, and culture with scale objectives.

Deliver succession planning and leadership assessment frameworks to ensure team readiness for Series B and beyond.

Advise founderskle on organisational change, leadership development, and people infrastructure (e.g., compensation, OKRs, equity).

Advisory and Impact

• Act as a trusted advisor to founders, CEOs, and boards on people and culture — from founder transitions to exec team dynamics.
• Partner with investment teams to integrateோது talent insight into investment decisions and post‑investment plans.

Build and Leverage a Strong Network

• Develop and maintain a high‑quality network of growth‑stage operator talent across Europe (especially in AI, SaaS, and data infrastructure) and curate community events such as B2B Leaders Exchange and Founder Forums.
• Maintain a structured talent database and intelligence system for candidate tracking and market insights.

Measure and Communicate Value

• Track and report the measurable impact of talent interventions - from reduced time‑to‑hire to leadership team retention.
• Produce quarterly Talent Value Reports for internal and external stakeholders, highlighting outcomes and success stories.
• Collaborate with investment partners to include talent value‑add metrics in fundraising narratives.

Qualifications

• Deep experience in executive talent, organisational design or leadership advisory – ideally within venture capital, growth‑stage tech or executive search.
• Proven ability to influence founders, CEOs and boards with credibility and empathy.
• Strong understanding of B2B SaaS and AI leadership archetypes, compensation structures and European talent market dynamics celebrity.