Investment Director at Conservation International

Position Summary

The Investment Officer position is a director-level position within the Conservation Finance Division (CFD) and is responsible (along with the VP of CI Ventures) for the strategic oversight and management of Conservation International Ventures’ (CIV’s) investing activities in Kenya. They are responsible for ensuring that CIV’s investing strategies, initiatives, and outcomes advance CI’s human development and conservation priorities. Additionally, the position will support CFD HQ on certain regional and global projects.

Specific Duties Include

The position’s primary focus & responsibilities are the investing activities of CI Ventures (CIV) and the African Conservancies Fund (ACF) in Kenya (and across the continent).

• Pipeline origination, due diligence (financial, operational, ESG), negotiations, and closing of new deals.
• Manage the active investment portfolio.
• Oversee post-deal support of and monitoring and evaluation of investments.

Other Non-CIV Investment Activities Include

The position also acts as a Conservation Finance Division (CFD) point person in Kenya and East Africa more broadly; in conjunction with other Kenya-based CFD colleagues.

• Program management: Working within the Africa Field Division to support, integrate (and execute) CFD’s investing activities, and ensure alignment between CFD & AfFD strategies.
• Fund Raising and new investment product/solution development.
• Representing CFD both internally and externally. (Conferences, events, partnerships) .

The position requires a high level of interaction across multiple divisions and external clients and may represent CI externally in interactions with investment and development partners engaged in conservation finance, CI grantees, and implementing partners. The position may directly manage staff, interdisciplinary teams, and/or outside partners.

Responsibilities

C.I. Ventures (CIV) and African Conservancies Fund (ACF) -Support the VP: CI Ventures by managing the investing activities of CIV and ACF in Kenya:

Deal Origination

• Identify and assess investment opportunities on both financial and environmental/social impact potential.
• Develop and manage a strong investment pipeline of quality deals that meet CIV and ACF’s financial and impact targets.
• Continue to develop and articulate the investment strategy for the Kenyan portfolio.

Investment Negotiation

• Lead deal structuring and negotiation of terms with clients.
• Coordinate due diligence process with relevant parties including CFD finance and legal teams.
• Design and implement conservation covenants, performance incentives, and innovative financing structures.

Deal Execution

• Develop relevant investment memos and financial models for review by the Investment Committee, and ensure all necessary supporting documentation is completed.
• Coordinate internal approval process with relevant departments.

Active Portfolio Management & Post-Investment

• Maintain active and supportive relationships with clients.
• Coordinate closely with investees to pursue improvements and opportunities that will add value to investee businesses and achieve sustainable conservation outcomes. Leverage CI network and expertise to facilitate this.
• Develop and/or contribute to assessment tools to monitor and evaluate client-specific and portfolio-wide impact.
• Implement appropriate Monitoring and Evaluation efforts with clients in coordination with relevant CIV team members.

Program Management/Representing CFD

Governance

• Ensure all activities of CIV are carried out in compliance with the provisions of the CIV Operations Manual and Investor/Donor requirements.

Communications And External Events

Raise the profile of CFD through internal/external communications and speaking at external events.

As needed, assist the team with the following program responsibilities:

• Africa Country Program supports in-country investing activities & related fund-raising / proposal development activities.
• Operations Manual and Investor/Donor requirements.
• Support CFD HQ (Washington) with the implementation/execution of ‘Group’ driven CFD initiatives in Africa.

Fund Raising

• New funding concept/proposal development; focused on new/innovative investment opportunities that have a material and scalable environmental impact.

WORKING CONDITIONS

• This position is based in Nairobi, Kenya.
• Regular travel to project sites and other locations.
• Comfortable working out of the office.
• Ability to work extended work hours to meet project deadlines.

Required

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree plus 7 or more years of experience in investment analysis/management, conservation finance, international development, or a related field.
• Excellent understanding of and demonstrated experience in investing (preferably impact investing), ESG, and monitoring and evaluation.
• Excellent financial analysis skills with demonstrated ability to negotiate various product offerings including debt and equity. Ability to create ‘three-statement’ financial models and projections.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Ability to speak and work (deliver presentations, lead discussions, and training) in English.
• Team player and able to work effectively with diverse work groups in a multicultural environment.
• A record of success in influencing and partnering with key stakeholders and raising funds.
• Proven ability to multitask and meet priorities. Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment with changing priorities and under minimal supervision.
• Experience working and/or traveling in diverse geographies.