Vice President, Head of Business Development and Startup Partnerships

Location Designation: Hybrid - 3 days per week 

 

About New York Life Ventures (NYL Ventures):

 

Launched in 2012, New York Life Ventures (NYL Ventures) is a leading strategic Corporate Venture Capital unit focused on exploring new technologies, investing in, partnering with start-ups, and accelerating the pace of innovation at New York Life. The unit includes three highly interconnected functions: Venture Investments, Business Development, and Innovation Services. A central pillar of our work revolves around our trusted relationships and deep network. We have produced top investment performance since inception and industry-leading levels of proof of concept testing and start-up technology partnerships. Our team values curiosity, collaboration, shared responsibility, growth mindsets, empathy, generosity, focus, and living a balanced life.

 

Position Overview:

 

We are seeking a dynamic and strategic executive to lead our startup business development and technology co-development team within NYL Ventures. This role is critical in driving value at the intersection of technology and financial services, positioning New York Life at the forefront of industry transformation.

As the leader of this function, you will lead the team that is responsible for developing partnerships with startups to drive strategic value and ROI, while navigating the complexities of a large and growing enterprise. Success in this role requires seamless collaboration with your NYL Ventures colleagues, close partnership with key business and functional unit stakeholders across the Company, and building trusted relationships with the external startup and venture ecosystem.

The ideal candidate is visionary, entrepreneurial, and action-oriented, with a deep understanding of both the tech ecosystem and the financial services landscape. You not only see the art of the possible, but you can develop and execute practical strategies to accelerate progress. With a strong record of executing successful de novo partnerships, you excel at integrating and scaling initiatives within a corporate framework, aligning them with the Company's future vision.

 

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop and lead the strategy to source and execute impactful partnerships with startups and entrepreneurs
  • Oversee the sourcing, evaluation, and management of a diverse portfolio of startup partnerships and technology co-developments initiatives
  • Establish frameworks to track and measure financial and strategic ROI over multiple horizons
  • Provide data-driven recommendations on the viability and scalability of tested solutions
  • Align with the Company’s long-term goals and aspirations
• Develop, lead, and build a high-performing, entrepreneurial team, fostering growth-mindedness and psychological safety
• Build relationships with startups, entrepreneurs and venture capitalists to scale impact of the NYLV platform for our stakeholders
• Nurture and grow relationships with internal business leaders, inclusive of a strong feedback loop to align on goals and long-term objectives
• Synthesize partnership experiences into future-oriented insights to inform thematic focus areas and support the Company’s innovation agenda
• Work with key functions (e.g., IT, legal, risk) to ensure governance while seeking new ways to increase speed to insights
• Support NYL Ventures’ investment team by sourcing opportunities and providing insights on commercial viability of startup technologies
• Represent NYL Ventures as a visible leader in internal and external innovation forums, advocating for NYL’s role in the innovation community through events, press/media, and industry engagements
   

Required Skillsets:

• Leadership & Vision:
  • Proven ability to lead transformative projects within a corporate environment
  • Experience building and managing high-performance teams, developing talent, fostering cross-functional collaboration, and aligning innovation strategies with corporate goals