Head of Venture & Founder Development (Remote/Flexible)

University of Auckland; Auckland; On-site; NZD 123,000 - 146,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working hours

Career development programmes

Parental leave

Childcare support

Staff discounts

Company superannuation

Job summary

The University of Auckland invites applications for a senior leadership role within the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE). You will shape the founder and venture development pathway, lead a busy, year-round portfolio, and build a new Venture & Founder Development team between exploration, validation and progression to support.

You will manage programmes, mentors and external dependencies, build strong relationships with founders and researchers, and contribute to the university’s

Qualifications

• Significant experience in venture and founder development, entrepreneurship, innovation, commercialisation or a related field.
• Demonstrated success leading and developing people and building high-performing teams.
• Exceptional forward planning and portfolio-management capability in fast-moving environments.
• Strong understanding of founder journeys and early-stage venture development.
• Strong commercial judgement and understanding of research translation and commercialisation.
• Outstanding stakeholder engagement and influencing skills with founders, researchers and investors.
• Experience coaching, mentoring or supporting founders as they navigate uncertainty.
• Strategic judgement and translating priorities into coherent delivery and measurable outcomes.
• Experience managing budgets, resources and operational planning.
• A relevant tertiary qualification in business, innovation, entrepreneurship, science, engineering or related discipline.

Responsibilities

• Lead the strategic development, delivery and continuous improvement of CIE’s founder and venture development portfolio.
• Shape a coherent pathway from early idea through validation, venture development and connection to appropriate next-stage support.
• Build and lead a new Venture & Founder Development team with clear priorities and high-quality delivery.
• Lead a diverse portfolio of founder and venture initiatives with well-planned programmes and mentors.
• Build trusted relationships with founders, researchers, academics, investors and ecosystem partners.
• Strengthen connections between CIE initiatives and opportunities for research translation and venture support.
• Use evidence and founder insights to inform portfolio decisions and improve outcomes.
• Contribute to CIE’s Leadership Team shaping strategy, performance, culture and development.

Skills

Venture development

Founder development

Leadership

Portfolio management

Stakeholder engagement

Strategy

Education

Tertiary qualification in business/innovation

Job description

The University of Auckland invites applications for a senior leadership role within the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE). You will shape the founder and venture development pathway, lead a busy, year-round portfolio, and build a new Venture & Founder Development team between exploration, validation and progression to support.

You will manage programmes, mentors and external dependencies, build strong relationships with founders and researchers, and contribute to the university’s