[Hiring] Director of New Ventures @NextStep

Role Description

As Director of New Ventures, you will be responsible for the full lifecycle of new business creation, from opportunity identification and business case development through to incubation, launch, and early-stage scaling. You will operate as an entrepreneur within a well-resourced institution, with the mandate and budget to build things that matter.

What You'll Do

• Identify and evaluate new business opportunities adjacent to the group's core markets — assessing market size, competitive dynamics, and strategic fit.
• Develop and pressure-test business cases for the most promising opportunities, working with Finance, Legal, and Technology to assess feasibility and resource requirements.
• Lead the build phase for approved ventures, hiring founding teams, defining the product and commercial model, and managing the path to initial revenue.
• Manage a portfolio of ventures at different stages simultaneously, allocating attention and resources appropriately across the pipeline.
• Report progress and risk to the Group CEO and CSO, and represent the ventures unit at the Board level.

Qualifications

• 10–14 years of experience spanning strategy consulting, venture capital, or corporate innovation, with direct experience building or scaling new businesses.
• Entrepreneurial instinct combined with the rigour to operate inside a large institution (comfortable navigating both).
• Strong business case and financial modelling skills; able to make a credible investment argument for resource allocation.
• Track record of taking an idea from concept to commercial reality, whether inside a corporate or independently.
• Experience in financial services, insurtech, or fintech is a meaningful advantage.

Benefits

• Base salary of £130,000 – £160,000, depending on experience.
• Annual performance bonus with upside tied to venture milestones.
• Equity or phantom equity in successful ventures.
• 100% remote - work from anywhere in the UK, with monthly sessions in London.