Director of Venture Operations

Belmont University • Belmont, CA

1d • Onsite

About The Position

Belmont Ventures converts Belmont's under-activated assets, relationships, and proven ventures into diversified, mission-aligned financial, educational, and cultural value. Reporting to the Chief Strategy Officer (CSO), the Director of Operations is the executive operator who builds and runs the Ventures platform and moves priority opportunities from strategic direction through analysis, structuring, authorized decision, and implementation. The role coordinates internal university functions and outside legal, financial, real-estate, and commercialization specialists, and gives the CSO and the Board of Trust's Finance Committee clear visibility into portfolio performance, capital needs, and risk. It exists so Belmont can consistently move from strategy to disciplined enterprise execution without the CSO personally operating every initiative.

Requirements

• Experience working in a fast-paced environment and the ability to respond to high-pressure situations.
• Ability to thrive in an environment of hard work.
• Ability to work effectively with a wide range of constituencies in a diverse community.
• Ability to think analytically and identify issues, obtain relevant information, relate and compare data from different sources, and identify alternative solutions.
• Interprets and seeks information using critical thinking, uses independent reasoning to diagnose the root cause of situations or issues, identifies and tests solutions and thinks beyond what is typical or customary.
• Uses information to determine benefits and impact in making decision and/or recommendations.
• Ability to coordinate and administer programs/project activities and protocols.
• Ability to manage resources, monitor activities, and assess risks and quality issues associated with the program/project.
• Ability to present information to individuals or groups; ability to deliver presentations suited to the characteristics and needs of the audience.
• Ability to convey information clearly and concisely to groups or individuals either verbally or in writing to ensure that they understand the information and the message.
• Ability to listen and respond appropriately to others.
• Ability to impact and influence others to further the institution’s strategic objectives.
• Ability to use Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word) and basic databases and software.
• Financial & Commercial Fluency: frame business models, interpret financial analyses, assess alternatives.
• Opportunity Structuring & Stakeholder Coordination: build a path from analysis to decision across advisors.
• Bachelor's degree or the equivalent with extensive course work in related field; Master's degree strongly preferred. Related fields could include but are not limited to business, finance, economics, etc.
• Seven to nine years required with 10-15 preferred in venture-building, commercialization, corporate development, consulting, operating leadership, etc.
• Relevant venture experience may be substituted for preferred graduate degree.
• The selected candidate will be required to complete a background check satisfactory to the University.
• Federal law requires all employers to verify the identity and employment eligibility of all persons hired to work in the United States.

Nice To Haves

• Master's degree strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Advance priority Belmont assets: move 12th Avenue South, intellectual-property/music assets, and other CSO-designated assets from strategic possibility to decision-ready options by coordinating master planning, partner and advisor work, scenario development, economics, and structuring; bring key decisions forward in sequence and lead implementation of authorized decisions.
• Build and advance the venture portfolio: design and run an intake, evaluation, and stage-gate process with Enterprise Ecosystem leaders, the Innovation Labs, and Educational Innovation (including regular embedded time in a Lab); define demand, business model, educational value, mission fit, capital needs, and risk; develop structures (licensing, partnerships, joint ventures, spinouts); and lead authorized ventures to launch, partnership, handoff, or a stop decision.
• Build and operate the Belmont Ventures platform: recommend and implement the legal/organizational structure; establish governance, decision rights, approval thresholds, stage gates, and escalation protocols; put in place accounting, compliance, documentation, and portfolio-tracking processes; and build the bench and engagement model for external legal, financial, tax, real-estate, and commercialization advisors.
• Develop capitalization pathways: review economics and financial models; define the evidence required before committing institutional or third-party capital; evaluate mechanisms (operating budget, philanthropy, partner capital, revenue-sharing, licensing, project finance, a future fund); and draft capital-allocation recommendations distinguishing Belmont capital at risk, return, control rights, and downside exposure.
• Manage portfolio reporting and Board visibility: maintain the portfolio dashboard and decision log; brief the CSO; prepare Board-ready materials for, and serve as principal operating liaison to, the Finance Committee; track follow-through on Board guidance and approvals; and deliver the year-end portfolio review and next-year operating recommendation.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director