Senior Principal, Corporate Venture Capital

UKG•Lowell, MA

About The Position

At UKG, the work you do matters. The code you ship, the decisions you make, and the care you show a customer all add up to real impact. Today, tens of millions of workers start and end their days with our workforce operating platform. Helping people get paid, grow in their careers, and shape the future of their industries. That’s what we do. We never stop learning. We never stop challenging the norm. We push for better, and we celebrate the wins along the way. Here, you’ll get flexibility that’s real, benefits you can count on, and a team that succeeds together. Because at UKG, your work matters—and so do you. About UKG Ventures UKG Ventures is the strategic investment arm of UKG, focused on identifying, nurturing, and commercializing the next generation of worktech disruptors for the enterprise. By investing in early- and growth-stage companies, UKG Ventures provides UKG customers with early access to innovative solutions that help them adapt to rapidly changing business, labor, and workforce needs. UKG Ventures partners with visionary founders and venture funds, connecting startups to the UKG Workforce Operating Platform and a global community of leaders shaping the future of HR, pay, and workforce management. The program complements UKG Labs, which cultivates and tests breakthrough concepts with pre-seed and seed-stage startups. Recent Investments: Financial Wellness Labs; Intermezzo.ai; JobLeap; Acadian Ventures. Role Overview This Senior Principal role is an individual contributor role, reporting to the VP Corporate Development, and is UKG Ventures’ inaugural first hire. You will lead the full investment lifecycle—from thesis formation and deal origination through diligence, negotiation, closing, and post‑investment value creation. You will stand up the internal infrastructure, processes, and governance of UKG’s venture program, and drive adoption of portfolio innovations across UKG Product, Sales, and Alliances to create measurable strategic and commercial impact.

Requirements

8–12+ years in VC/CVC/PE/IB or operating roles in enterprise SaaS, with a track record leading deals and managing portfolio companies
Demonstrated success in post‑investment value creation (product integrations, GTM enablement, alliance development) within a corporate context.
Experience designing investment governance (IC processes, policies, reporting, reserves/follow‑ons).
Exceptional relationship building, negotiation, executive communication, and cross‑functional influence skills.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree (MBA or equivalent) preferred; technical literacy in AI/data platforms and enterprise software is a plus.

Responsibilities

Partner with UKG Product, Corporate Development and Corporate Strategy leadership to develop and refine investment theses aligned to UKG’s strategy.
Build targeted sourcing funnels and relationships with founders, funds, and ecosystems; maintain a robust pipeline at Seed–Series C with a center of gravity at Series A/B.
Publish thematic perspectives and market maps to support proactive origination.
Lead diligence across market, product, technology, GTM, unit economics, and legal.
Negotiate term sheets and coordinate closing with outside counsel.
Draft investment memos; present and champion recommendations to UKG’s investment committee and executive stakeholders.
Track milestones and support executive hiring and follow‑on financing.
Drive adoption by orchestrating pilots, integrations, and co‑selling motions with UKG Product, Sales, and Alliances.
Define and report impact KPIs (new bookings influenced, attach rates, product accelerators, ecosystem depth).
Design and implement UKG Ventures’ operating model: investment committee cadence, stage‑gate criteria, approval authorities, portfolio management, reserves planning, and conflict‑management protocols.
Establish policy frameworks (information rights, reporting standards, board practices), risk controls, and documentation balancing strategic and financial goals typical of leading CVCs.
Build automated tracking and reporting for pipeline, portfolio health, strategic impact, and financial performance; produce quarterly updates and executive briefings.
Represent UKG Ventures at industry events; expand networks with co‑investors and founders to win competitive deals and amplify UKG’s brand in worktech.

Benefits

This position is also eligible for a short-term incentive and a long-term incentive as part of total compensation.
Information about UKG’s comprehensive benefits can be reviewed on our careers site at https://www.ukg.com/about-us/careers/benefits

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