About Venture Building at raiSE
raiSE supports the growth of social enterprises in Singapore by providing funding, capability building and partnerships across the venture lifecycle. We work closely with founders who are building businesses to address social needs, and we believe that social enterprises, when thoughtfully supported, can create meaningful and lasting impact for society. Beyond deploying capital, raiSE plays a long-term role in shaping how social enterprises grow and sustain both their mission and business.
The Role
The Head of Venture Building leads raiSE's venture building and funding efforts across early to growth-stage social enterprises. This role will get strategic direction from the management team and will oversees a team responsible for designing and running funding programmes, while also engaging directly with selected social enterprises that require deeper, more tailored support.
This role suits a leader who is comfortable operating close to the ground, understands the realities of small and growing businesses, and is motivated by the process of building alongside founders over time. The Head of Venture Building brings strategic clarity, financial rigour and sound judgement, while keeping sight of the human and social dimensions of enterprise building.
Key Responsibilities
Leadership and People Management
- Lead, mentor and develop a team of 4 to 5 venture building staff, creating a culture of ownership, curiosity and accountability.
- Provide clear direction and sound decision-making, enabling the team to operate with confidence and autonomy.
- Ensure consistent delivery of team KPIs, with proactive communication on progress, risks and opportunities.
- Be a trusted sounding board for staff, offering guidance on complex cases, judgement calls and stakeholder engagement.
- Exercise sound, timely judgement in complex and ambiguous situations, balancing empathy with accountability.
Hands-on Venture Building and Portfolio Management
- Personally manage a select portfolio of social enterprises, particularly those requiring bespoke venture building support.
- Build strong, trust-based relationships with founders across diverse industries and business models. Work closely with enterprises to understand their operating realities, growth challenges and impact goals.
- Oversee due diligence, milestone tracking and portfolio monitoring, ensuring funding is deployed responsibly and effectively.
- Apply strong financial analysis to assess business models, financial statements and projections, and understand financial sustainability with social impact considerations
- Manage budgets and funding disbursements upon validation that agreed milestones and outcomes have been met.
Operational Excellence
- Ensure timely delivery of all initiatives, adhering to agreed timelines and milestones.
- Oversee budget allocation and resource management to optimize the impact of available resources.
- Continuously monitor project progress, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives and outcomes.
Who Would Excel in This Role
This role is well suited for a mission-driven leader who is passionate about supporting entrepreneurs and building impactful programmes.
The ideal candidate is someone who:
- Demonstrates strong leadership and ownership, with the ability to guide programmes from concept through execution and continuous improvement
- Is comfortable working with and supporting founders, providing guidance while helping ventures navigate growth challenges
- Is collaborative and relationship-oriented, able to work effectively with internal teams, partners, and ecosystem stakeholders
- Has the confidence to represent the organisation when needed, including engaging with partners, funders, and ecosystem actors
- Is proactive, resourceful, and adaptable, able to operate in a dynamic environment and drive initiatives forward
Experience and Qualifications
- Minimum 5 years of relevant professional experience, preferably in areas such as:
- Startup or venture building
- Entrepreneurship support programmes
- Innovation or accelerator programmes
- Social enterprise development
- Impact investing or ecosystem development
- Demonstrated experience leading or managing a team
- Experience working with entrepreneurs, startups, or early-stage ventures
- Strong stakeholder management and communication skills
