Investment Officer at Solidaridad East & Central Africa

 Objective

The Investment officer will be the deal originator, develop and lead the due diligence approval and financial closure of Financial intermediation projects as well as provide technical support and inputs to diverse areas of financial inclusion.

Position in the organization

The Investment Officer reports to the SME Impact Investment Advisor and the Managing Director.

Works closely with Program Managers

Result areas

• Deal origination, proactive sourcing, market studies.
• Modelling and valuation of investment opportunities.
• Support the team by setting up operations for business concepts and their pilot experiments.
• Review the business plans of various enterprises and take them through the loan qualification process as stipulated in the guidelines.
• Assisting in all aspects of deal execution including market and financial due diligence, structuring and contract negotiation.
• Conduct enterprise site visits on a periodic basis to ensure that: business implementation is on track; performance targets are being met; progress reporting is timely and accurate; credit/loan is utilized accordingly and the investee is complying with the loan agreement.
• Follow - up with investors to ensure that enterprises to project linkages are established and reported, open source initiatives are supported and information on outcomes/ progress markers is collected, reported and shared within agreed networks.
• Provide mentoring and coaching to support investees implement their planned activities, the M&E and reporting systems.
• Manage relationships with all stakeholders and ensure they deliver on time and within budget.
• Review disbursement requests and relevant reports, ensuring responsible and timely disbursement of approved loan to investees.
• Assists in cash flow management
• Business Development — Develop a network to source and recruit new impact investments, with an emphasis on achieving impact at scale. Screen potential investments and review applications.

Knowledge and experience

• Relevant academic level education, Undergraduate degree or higher – in relevant field (e.g. Finance, Agribusiness, Actuarial etc.).
• At least one (3) years of experience working with projects funded by international agencies or development partners and private equity, corporate finance or strategy consulting preferably with solid financial modeling
• Experience in facilitating workshops and seminars would be desirable.
• Due Diligence — able to conduct desk and on-site due diligence of potential Investments to assess prospects’ financial and social performance, and mission fit with Plus Plus. Present potential Investments for approval by the Investment Committee.
• Deal Structuring — Ability to participate in negotiations on Investment terms and conditions with the goal of maximizing impact at scale while ensuring Kiva remains efficient and sustainable.

Specific job requirements

• Well-organized, detail-oriented, ability to multi-task and work under tight deadlines
• Technical experience with lending/investing in private companies.
• Flexible and willing to adjust schedules in order to work across varying time zones.
• Four or more years of work experience in Investment Management, Finance, International Business, Economic Development, or related role.
• Strong business and investment acumen
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills Personality
• Excellent entrepreneurial, takes own initiative
• Self-driven Positive attitude & driven
• Team player who shows leadership
• Ability to network extensively and manage relationships effectively.
• Effective while working remotely.
• Integrity & honesty