PRINCIPAL , BDC CAPITAL | THRIVE& BE ENTREPRENEURSHIP THROUGH ACQUISITION (ETA) FUND FOR WOMEN AND BLACK ENTREPRENEURS

We are banking at another level.

Choosing BDC as your employer means working in a healthy, inclusive, and skilled workplace that puts forward the best conditions to bring together unique teams where employees are empowered to act. It also means being at the centre of ambitious economic and financial projects to see further and to do things differently, to fuel the success of Canadian entrepreneurs.

Choosing BDC as your employer also means:

• Flexible and competitive benefits, including an Employee Savings and Investment Plan where BDC matches part of your voluntary contributions, a Defined Benefit Pension Plan, a $750 wellness and health care spending account, to name a few   

• In addition to paid vacation each year, five personal days, sick days as necessary, and our offices are closed from December 25 to January 1

• A hybrid work model that truly balances work and personal life

• Opportunities for learning, training and development, and much more... 

Explore the BDC Way in our Culture Book

Introduction: Achieving gender equality and equity in ethnocultural diversity  in business ownership remains a significant challenge. As of Q1 2024, majority women-owned businesses represented only 19.6% of all private sector businesses in Canada. Black identifying Canadians make up ~4.3% of the population yet only 2.5% of Canadian businesses are majority black owned. With 685,000 Canadian SME owners planning to sell or transfer their businesses in the next decade, and 91% lacking a clear transition plan, there is a tremendous opportunity to advance equity by enabling women and black entrepreneurs to capitalize on these buying opportunities.

POSITION OVERVIEW

 The Principal on the BDC ETA Funds will collaborate with the Managing Directors to develop innovative investment solutions supporting Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition for women and black entrepreneurs. They will assist in the deployment and management of $80M in capital. The ideal candidate will have experience in direct investing, M&A, and private equity, and will play a pivotal role in structuring catalytic capital deployment. They will also help create the first Search Fund Accelerator for underserved entrepreneurs, addressing the challenges of business ownership and transition.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead End-to-End Deal Execution: Including sourcing, financial analysis and valuation, due diligence, structuring, negotiation, and closing, while coordinating cross‑functional advisors and ensuring rigorous investment discipline throughout the process.

• Investment Strategy: Support in the development and implementation of strategies to support ETA in Canada, deploy and manage $80M in capital.

• Collaboration: Work with ecosystem partners, including angel investors, private equity groups, corporate funds, M&A groups, brokers and lending partners.

• Relationship Building: Establish and maintain trust-based relationships with various internal and external stakeholders.

• Entrepreneurship Support: Collaborate on the development and launch of the new ETA Accelerator program. Awareness Raising: Increase awareness of ETA opportunities in the Canadian market.

• Platform Building and Team Management: Support the Managing Directors in the recruitment and overall management of the team.

CHALLENGES TO BE MET

Platform Building and Team Management:

• Support the Managing Directors in the overall management of the team.

• Contribute to the internal identification, external recruitment and development of high-quality team members.

• Foster a healthy and collaborative working climate within the team while cultivating a high-performance environment.

• Contribute to the development of the fund's investment thesis, strategy and tactical approach to the successful launch and maintenance of the ETA funds.

• Support the creation of the ETA Accelerator and develop a high impact program.

• Develop an impact measurement and management framework aligned with the 2x Criteria and other global best practices to monitor portfolio performance not only financially, but also in terms of impact.

• Develop strategies to raise awareness of ETA among talented and skilled underrepresented entrepreneurs, including organizing events, creating educational content, and leveraging media and social platforms.

Deal Sourcing

• Establish and maintain broad and strong networks within the business and investment communities to raise the profile of the ETA Funds as a premier investor.

• Develop and leverage relationships within the investment communities in Canada and globally to drive quality deal flow and investment opportunities.

• Attend conferences and networking activities to source opportunities on behalf of the Fund and act as an ambassador for the Fund, BDC Capital and BDC.

• Promote the Funds, BDC Capital and BDC by speaking at conferences, publishing thought leadership materials and facilitating networking opportunities.

• Support the Managing Directors in their responsibility to position BDC as an institutional first mover in the ETA and search for fund asset class.

Deal Execution

• Lead all deal related activities, driving rigorous execution from initial evaluation through to closing while providing strategic guidance, oversight, and developmental support to team members throughout the process.

• Delegate appropriate or lead complex due diligence on investment opportunities by orchestrating analyses such as market, competition, management, sales, products, cap table, social and environmental impact, and anything relevant to determining potential business value and acquisition strategies.

• Lead the team in preparing thorough and compelling investment memoranda, eliciting sound rationale for investment options and influencing the internal investment committee.

• Prepare materials and attend relevant investment committee meetings to present investment opportunities, justify their viability and gain buy-in.

Portfolio Management & Support

• Support portfolio companies and entrepreneurs as they acquire and manage companies, building a strong foundation for growth and impact.

• Represent the Fund's interests as a board observer or director of existing portfolio companies, actively influencing and supporting portfolio company management where appropriate.

• Monitor portfolio financial and impact performance, provide financial and  impact analysis, and ensure proper governance and reporting.

• Oversee exit strategy development and execution, evaluating optimal pathways and driving readiness initiatives while ensuring value creation at exit is achieved without compromising the fund’s mission to meaningfully support underrepresented entrepreneurs.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

• Bachelor’s degree in STEM, finance, economics, law, or business; a graduate degree is an asset.

• 10+ years of relevant experience in fund management, impact investments experience is an asset.

• Experience from roles requiring structured thinking, financial analysis, and leadership capability including:

  • Finance: private equity, investment banking, accounting firms

  • Operations: business operations and scaling experience preferred, industry-leading corporations

  • Advisory: consulting, law, corporate strategy, corporate development

• Ability to structure equity transactions in the context of a business acquisition and for various risk levels.

• Established network of relationships to originate SME acquisition opportunities ($1-5M EBITDA) and a network of acquisition lenders

• Understanding of the impact investing ecosystem, experience in impact management, including familiarity and experience with key concepts (e.g., Theory of Change), standards, frameworks and principles (e.g., 2X challenge, UN SDGs, Operating Principles for Impact Management, etc.).

• Experience managing and leading high-performance teams.

• Passion for supporting women and black entrepreneurs and leading high impact-driven companies

• Outstanding interpersonal skills and the ability to influence stakeholders.

• Strong organizational, planning, and management skills.

• Attention to detail while maintaining overarching goals.

• Ability to work independently under pressure to meet tight deadlines.

• Strong team spirit and ability to guide and coach a team.

• Good judgment, tact, and discretion.

• Excellent communication, negotiation, and presentation skills in both French and English.

Proudly one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers and one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers, we are committed to fostering a diverse, equitable, inclusive and accessible environment where all employees can thrive and feel empowered to bring their whole selves to work. If you require an accommodation to complete your application, please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected].

While we appreciate all applications, we advise that only the candidates selected to participate in the recruitment process will be contacted.