Investment Manager – Airbel Ventures at International Rescue Committee

Major Responsibilities:

• Deal Sourcing: Identify and cultivate relationships with relevant startups, accelerators/incubators, and investors across Africa.
• Due Diligence: Lead due diligence processes, including market analysis, financial modeling, impact assessment, and risk evaluation. Develop Investment Memos (IMs) to present to the Investment Committee.
• Portfolio Management: Support portfolio companies post-investment through strategic guidance, fundraising support, and impact assessments, and build traction and use cases in humanitarian markets in coordination with IRC's Country Programs and technical teams.
• Strategy: Contribute to deepened sector mapping and refine investment theses across Airbel Ventures' focus sectors, sub-sectors, and verticals.
• Partnerships & Ecosystem Engagement: Represent Airbel Ventures in regional investor networks, events, and conferences, strengthening its visibility and partnerships in the African venture ecosystem.
• Internal Stakeholder Engagement: Manage relevant IRC internal stakeholders through the full investment cycle and post-investment, including when building use cases and traction in humanitarian contexts.
• Other Support: Support the Managing Partner on fundraising, overall portfolio strategy, and broader internal stakeholder engagement within the IRC.

Job Requirements:

Work Experience:

• Right to work in Kenya required.
• 6–8 years of experience in venture capital, impact investing, development finance, or management consulting, with project experience in impact investing.
• Experience managing due diligence processes from sourcing to closing.
• Experience within African startup ecosystems, with existing networks across the African startup ecosystem.

Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:

• Excellent financial analysis skills, including financial modeling.
• Excellent analytical skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Demonstrated interest in impact investing and innovation for underserved or frontier markets.
• Comfort working across diverse sectors and geographies.
• Entrepreneurial mindset, high independence, and ability to thrive in an early-stage team environment.
• Ability to drive execution while navigating multiple internal stakeholder segments within a large global NGO.
• Ability to leverage AI tools strategically in research and analysis, reviewing AI-generated content for accuracy, quality, and alignment with the IRC's mission and values.

Education:

Master's degree in finance, business, economics, or a related field preferred.

Working Environment:

• Standard office working environment based in Nairobi, Kenya.
• Some regional and international travel required to engage with startups, investor networks, and ecosystem events across Africa.