Senior Director, Portfolio Growth & Strategic Investments, Mars Veterinary Health

The Senior Director, Portfolio Growth & Investments is a high-impact leadership role responsible for shaping and advancing the enterprise portfolio strategy, identifying opportunities to accelerate growth, and creating long-term value through strategic investments and inorganic growth. The role combines portfolio strategy, growth opportunity assessment, and strategic investment leadership to translate enterprise priorities into actionable investment theses and business decisions. Working closely with regional leadership, Business & Corporate Development teams, Finance, and other enterprise functions, the role ensures that investment opportunities align with strategic priorities, deliver attractive value creation potential, and strengthen the long-term portfolio.

Responsibilities

Live and exemplify the Five Principles of Mars, Inc. within self and team; Develop and evolve the enterprise portfolio strategy, assessing market attractiveness, competitive dynamics, and opportunities for sustainable growth; Identify opportunities to strengthen, scale, expand, or reshape the portfolio across markets, services, capabilities, and business models; Partner with regional strategy teams and business leaders to align portfolio growth priorities; Serve as a trusted advisor to senior leadership on portfolio strategy, growth opportunities, and strategic investment decisions; Develop high-quality executive materials and present recommendations to senior leadership to enable effective investment decisions; Partner with the Strategy and Business leaders to formulate, refine, and prioritize MVH's inorganic growth agenda, ensuring M&A initiatives align with long-term enterprise goals and capital allocation strategies; Lead systematic market scanning, competitor analysis, and industry research to identify attractive targets, trends, and potential market entry points; Lead build, buy, or partner assessments to evaluate strategic investment opportunities; In partnership with Mars Corporate Development, lead the evaluation and execution of major platform and enterprise-level acquisitions and/or divestitures; Serve as the central point of contact and collaborative M&A partner to key internal Mars teams; Establish and evolve frameworks and criteria for evaluating, prioritizing, and governing strategic investments across the enterprise; Define, implement, and continuously improve a rigorous M&A governance framework, decision rights, approvals, and tracking of value creation; Implement performance tracking to compare actual performance against the original deal thesis, financial model, and synergy targets; Conduct post-transaction reviews and post-mortems and establish continuous improvement methodologies for transaction execution, diligence playbooks, and post-merger integration processes; Other job duties as assigned

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Finance, Business Administration, Economics, or a related quantitative field is required; 7–12+ years of progressive experience in corporate development, investment banking, private equity, or management consulting; Strong business and financial acumen, including experience evaluating growth opportunities, investments and tradeoffs; History of successfully executing middle-market transactions as a lead deal execution professional, from initial sourcing/valuation through closure; Exceptional executive communication and storytelling skills; High degree of ownership, judgment and business acumen; Ability to manage multiple priorities and operate effectively in a fast paced, evolving environment

Nice to have

MBA, CFA, or equivalent advanced credential; Experience within the veterinary services, healthcare services, and/or multi-unit retail sector

Benefits

Competitive salary, flexible time off, paid holidays, and paid parental leave; Medical, dental, vision, HSA/FSA/HRA, virtual healthcare, Second Opinion Coverage, and Health Advocate support; Smart Rewards wellness incentives, mental health resources, diabetes and weight management support, and digital exercise therapy; Fertility and family-building benefits, back-up care, and family support resources; 401(k) savings plan with company match, commuter benefits, and student debt relief (for eligible full-time DVMs); Company-paid life and short- and long-term disability insurance, plus legal and identity protection plans; Voluntary accident, critical illness, and hospital indemnity benefits; Continuing education allowance and MED hours for eligible positions; Discounts on Mars, Royal Canin, fitness, cellular services, and more