Managing VC Director @ Wells Fargo Strategic Capital in Palo Alto, CA

At Wells Fargo, we want to satisfy our customers’ financial needs and help them succeed financially. We’re looking for talented people who will put our customers at the center of everything we do. Join our diverse and inclusive team where you’ll feel valued and inspired to contribute your unique skills and experience.

Help us build a better Wells Fargo. It all begins with outstanding talent. It all begins with you.

Wholesale Banking provides financial solutions to businesses across the United States and globally. Our four major business lines include Corporate & Investment Banking, Commercial Banking, Commercial Real Estate, and Wells Fargo Commercial Capital. We also have groups in credit risk, group risk, finance, marketing, human relations, and the Wholesale Chief Operating Office that support our businesses.

Wells Fargo Commercial Capital (WFCC) combines Wholesale’s secured lending businesses, including Asset Backed Finance (ABF), Commercial Distribution Finance (CDF), Corporate Trust Services (CTS), Wells Fargo Capital Finance (WFCF), and Wells Fargo Equipment Finance (WFEF). This consolidated group of businesses helps customers leverage their company’s assets into flexible financing solutions. WFCC is a leading contributor to Wholesales revenue, assets, and net income.

Wells Fargo Strategic Capital (WFSC), a business unit within Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. and part of Wells Fargo Commercial Capital, is a multi-strategy, principal investment business providing non-control private equity and debt capital. The group has the flexibility to structure investments that best fit a company’s needs and can include venture capital, growth capital, middle market transactions, private equity, structured equity or debt, senior debt, subordinated debt, and other special situations financing. WFSC invests capital directly from Wells Fargo’s $1.9 trillion balance sheet and is a financial investor focused on helping both existing clients of Wells Fargo and companies new to Wells Fargo succeed financially. In addition to the expertise and resources within WFSC, WFSC has the unique opportunity to draw on Well Fargo’s strong breadth and depth of relationships, product offerings, and expertise to source investment opportunities and provide value-added solutions. WFSC has industry-focused divisions in energy, healthcare, technology, and diversified industries, and also has divisions in early stage, fund, and strategic investing.

The Technology Division of WFSC pursues non-control investments across a wide range of subsectors, including software, hardware, internet, mobile, financial, agriculture, and real estate technologies, among others. The team typically invests $3-$30 million per transaction and can either lead or follow a round of financing. In doing so, this Managing Director (MD) will have the opportunity to work with some of the most interesting and exciting companies in the world. Recent equity investments include Flexport (technology-driven freight forwarder), Industrious (premium co-working spaces), Sitetracker (full lifecycle platform for enterprise asset management), and Clutter (tech-enabled full service storage).

The team is comprised of people with deep experience in the technology industry, private capital investing, and helping companies succeed. There is flexibility in the stage of development of companies of interest, but the primary focus is on venture and growth equity, middle market private equity, and second lien debt. We embrace the Wells Fargo values of doing what is right for customers, people as a competitive advantage, ethics, diversity and inclusion, and leadership. In addition, we value a team based approach to investing, effective and transparent communication, and generating financial returns with appropriate risk/reward balance.

This Venture Capital and Private Equity Managing Director position offers tremendous opportunities for a high-energy candidate who is a motivated self-starter, a leader with established investment credentials, and has an entrepreneurial attitude with interest in helping build a relatively new business. This Managing Director (MD) will have the opportunity to be an important leader in building and shaping how this investment platform develops over time. Within the culture of a team-based approach to investing, the MD will have primary responsibility for leading lean deal teams in all aspects of the investment process including sourcing, evaluating, executing, closing, compliance, and portfolio monitoring. This MD will be one of the key drivers in building the Technology Division’s investment portfolio. The MD will also have the ability to leverage proprietary deal flow sources associated with being a part of Wells Fargo. The MD will be one of the primary points of contact for interaction with internal and external constituents such as portfolio companies, partner investors, other Wells Fargo lines of business, and the WFSC investment committee. The position will report to the head of the WFSC Technology Division.

The MD is expected to collaborate with others in the group to provide decision-making input on all new investment opportunities under evaluation for the Technology Division. The MD also shares responsibility for basic operations of the division that is standard in the private equity industry such as establishing investment strategy, marketing, and administrative activities such as internal reporting, compliance reviews, etc. In partnership with other Managing Directors, the MD will train and mentor Directors, Vice Presidents, and Associates.

As a Team Member Manager, you are expected to achieve success by leading yourself, your team, and the business. Specifically you will:

  • Lead your team with integrity and create an environment where your team members feel included, valued, and supported to do work that energizes them.
  • Accomplish management responsibilities which include sourcing and hiring talented team members, providing ongoing coaching and feedback, recognizing and developing team members, identifying and managing risks, and completing daily management tasks.

Team members support our focus on building strong customer relationships balanced with a strong risk mitigating and compliance-driven culture which firmly establishes those disciplines as critical to the success of our customers and company. They are accountable for execution of all applicable risk programs (Credit, Market, Financial Crimes, Operational, Regulatory Compliance), which includes effectively following and adhering to applicable Wells Fargo policies and procedures, appropriately fulfilling risk and compliance obligations, timely and effective escalation and remediation of issues, and making sound risk decisions. There is emphasis on proactive monitoring, governance, risk identification and escalation, as well as making sound risk decisions commensurate with the business unit’s risk appetite and all risk and compliance program.
Required Qualifications

  • 9+ years of experience in one or a combination of the following: commercial banking relationship management, corporate banking relationship management, equity or venture capital investing

Desired Qualifications

  • Ability to interact with integrity and a high level of professionalism with all levels of team members and management
  • Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills
  • Strong analytical skills with high attention to detail and accuracy
  • Ability to develop multifaceted revenue streams from strategic clients, including capital markets
  • Experience originating, structuring, and executing transactions related to corporate banking, other credit related products, equity or venture capital investing for critical or complex clients

Other Desired Qualifications

  • Significant deal experience across origination, structuring, and execution in a private markets investment role, preferably at a venture capital or private equity firm
  • Strong work ethic with an ability to take on a high level of responsibility, initiative, and accountability
  • Advanced Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint skills, including high level proficiency in financial modeling
  • Strong accounting skills and ability to analyze financial statements
  • Strong familiarity with venture capital/private equity valuation methodologies
  • Established industry relationships across the technology ecosystem with a track record of identifying and evaluating potential investment opportunities
  • Passion for, expertise in, and experience investing in the technology industry
  • At least 10+ years of total work experience (12+ years preferred)
  • An undergraduate technical degree and/or advanced degree (MBA) is not a requirement for this position but would be looked upon favorably
  • Ability to work independently and thrive in a fast paced, loosely-structured, entrepreneurial environment
  • Strong accounting skills and ability to analyze financial statements
  • High level of initiative and accountability
  • Positive track record of sourcing, evaluating, executing, and closing transactions and managing investments related to private equity, venture capital, or credit related products that have generated good investment returns
  • Team player with strong integrity, leadership, and work ethic
  • Ability to mentor Directors, Vice Presidents, and Associates in all relevant areas

Job Expectations

  • Ability to travel up to 25% of the time
  • Registration for FINRA Series 63 and 79 must be completed within 150 days of hire date if it is not available for transfer upon hire. FINRA recognized equivalents will be accepted.
  • Obtaining and/or maintaining appropriate Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) license(s) is required for ongoing employment in this position. In addition state registration, specific product licenses or SAFE licensing may apply. Additional requirements include meeting enhanced financial fitness and criminal background standards. Wells Fargo will initiate the FINRA review process at the time of offer acceptance.
  • For specific FINRA qualification exams obtained after 9/30/2018, the Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) exam co-requisite may also be required

If interested, please apply here.

to be alerted

Edit