Acumen East Africa seeks a committed and enthusiastic Investments Analyst to join its Nairobi- based team; we are seeking candidates with at least 2 years of experience in impact investing to help build and manage an investment portfolio of impact-driven early-stage companies across East Africa.
About Acumen
Acumen is a global force of entrepreneurs, investors, philanthropists, and social innovators working together to build a world based on dignity. We were founded by Jacqueline Novogratz on the radical idea that business, when cultivated with moral imagination, can break the cycle of poverty. We invest in transformational companies, build sustainable markets, and prepare leaders with the tools they need to create a more just and inclusive future. Since 2001, we have scaled companies and shaped markets in some of the hardest-to-reach communities on the planet, impacting over half-a-billion lives.
About Acumen East Africa
Acumen’s commitment to East Africa began in 2004. Core to our success is the ability to identify, resource, and build a world class portfolio of investments that demonstrates the power of patient capital to solve the problems of poverty in East Africa and the world more broadly. Equally important is to leverage our experience into insights that compel this ecosystem of funders, operators, and policy makers to catalyze a broader paradigm shift in the battle against poverty. Over the years, Acumen East Africa has made investments across several sectors: healthcare, energy, water & sanitation, agriculture and education. Our key focus now is Agriculture, Education and Renewable Energy. Acumen constantly evaluates the potential to expand into other sectors. We support entrepreneurs and businesses which are revolutionizing their sectors and pioneering new development paradigms that deliver impact to the power on a sustainable basis. The office is staffed with a full-time team of professionals from diverse backgrounds.
In addition to its local focus on investing in companies, through Acumen Academy, Acumen East Africa also empowers leaders to create social change through transformative Fellowships, online courses, and a global community of impact-driven entrepreneurs. Acumen East Africa also serves as a hub of global Acumen activity, a location where we often bring together Partners, investees, team members, Fellows and Foundry members for a variety of events.
About the role
The Investments Analyst will support the team in sourcing and evaluating new investment opportunities, conduct due diligence on high potential opportunities, and assist with structuring deal terms and presenting to the Investment Committee. The Investments Analyst will use their analytical skills to evaluate the growth and return potential of companies from both a financial and social impact perspective.
The Investments Analyst will support data collection, analysis and reporting related to Acumen East Africa’s investment portfolio and its performance, fundraising and strategic partnership initiatives, and management of portfolio operations. They will contribute to actively building and cultivating Acumen East Africa networks in the impact investing communities and will contribute to developing insight and communication pieces for external audiences.
The Investments Analyst will support the coordination of Acumen East Africa’s impact assessments, liaising with portfolio companies, the Insights and Strategy team, and external impact vendors.
The role reports to the Associate Director for Investing in East Africa.
Specific responsibilities include but are not limited to:
- Source and identify exceptional investment opportunities providing critical services to the poor
- Deal evaluation and analysis. Conduct market research to identify potential opportunities, analyze trends and build relationships to cultivate deal flow.
- Qualitative and quantitative analysis on potential investment companies including financial modeling, valuation analysis and risk assessments.
- Evaluate and identify quality investment opportunities from a large deal pipeline utilizing your analytical and critical thinking skills to find unique business models. Articulate your understanding of the value proposition, risks, competition, industry, and impact to your peers in a collaborative investment evaluating culture.
- Prepare and present compelling investment memos for Acumen’s Investment Committee.
- Perform thorough due diligence and structure transactions reflecting appropriate risk/return factors. Work closely with legal counsel to document and close investments.
Qualifications & Characteristics
- Bachelor’s degree; finance, business, or related field preferred
- Must have authorization to work in Kenya on a permanent basis
- 2-3 years of investing underwriting experience, including financial and operational due diligence of private companies. Understanding of early-stage businesses and entrepreneurs is a plus
- Strong understanding of financial statements and an ability to analyze historical results and model future periods including running sensitivities of key input assumptions
- Ability to present your investment track record of both good and bad historical investments
- Curious – always questioning, always probing, and never blindly accepting
- Ability to thrive when there is ambiguity, remain cool-headed when there are curve balls, and withstand the tests of a rapidly changing environment with resilience and resolve
- Solid professional skills including ability to work and deliver projects independently, proactively and under pressure
- Strong communication skills and ability to be a “storyteller” of our work
- Effectively collaborate with and across teams, seeks and provides constructive feedback
- Ideally be familiar with the social enterprise sector with a significant commitment, desire, or experience serving the poor
Additional characteristics we’re looking for in all roles at Acumen
- Commitment to, and enthusiasm for, the organization’s mission and business model,
- Moral Imagination: The humility to see the world as it is, and the audacity to imagine the world as it could be. It also includes but is not limited to the following:
- Displaying high level of empathy in all relationships and encounters
- Possessing deep self-awareness and ability to identify own strengths and weaknesses, “coachable”
- Actively listening and focusing on hearing what others are saying
- Exceptional relationship and interpersonal skills: courtesy, tact, patience and strong team orientation
- Self-reflective and aligned with Acumen values: generosity, accountability, humility, audacity, listening, leadership, integrity, respect
- Permanent work authorization for Kenya.
Compensation
Acumen offers a competitive compensation package commensurate with experience, including full benefits.
Location
Nairobi, Kenya
This is a hybrid position with 3 days a week in-office.