Principal at Omidyar Network

Summary

Omidyar Network’s Governance and Citizen Engagement team is seeking an Investment Professional to join the investment team, primarily focused on GCE investments in the region.  The candidate will report to the GCE Director, Africa Priorities for the candidate include: 1) building a healthy pipeline and portfolio of GCE investments (for-profit and non-profit); 2) making investments and grants, and supporting portfolio organizations to grow and help them have impact; 3) working on policy issues that can strengthen governance in the region.

 Responsibilities

• Supporting the GCE Africa Director on regional strategy and execution
• Articulating strategy for the GCE work in the region
• Working with the team to drive implementation of the strategy
• Measuring the success of the strategy over time
• Building a portfolio of investments (for-profit and non-profit)
• Scoping out high impact GCE opportunities in the areas of independent media, civic technology, open data and fiscal governance
• Reviewing and analyzing business plans, investment proposals, and organization budgets; prioritizing opportunities, conducting necessary diligence on prospects
• Supporting deal execution by taking shortlisted opportunities through a well-defined approval and closing process, including definitive documentation, legal and financial due diligence (as applicable)
• Supporting portfolio organizations
• Working closely with ON’s investees (for-profit and non-profit) on strategic aspects to help them scale successfully, achieve their financial targets and impact potential, including by engaging with the Board, co-investors, etc.
• Monitoring the performance of the investees (for-profit and non-profit) periodically
• Serving on Board and other corporate governance structures of portfolio organizations
• Engaging with a broader external audience
• Identifying key trends in the policy space that could help advance the quality of governance and citizen engagement
• Building relationships with other investors, foundations so as to identify potential areas of collaboration and co-investment/ grant co-funding 
• Sharing key learnings external stakeholders
• Working with the global GCE team
• Contributing to ON’s knowledge management efforts by sharing key learnings and providing feedback on similar themes/ opportunities across ON’s target countries/ regions

Success in this role requires analytical ability, creativity, relationship building, strategic insights, business/ investment acumen including the ability to manage an end-to-end equity investment process.

 EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS REQUIREMENTS

• Passion to make a difference in the transparency and accountability space; good understanding of public governance challenges, and familiarity with key technology-led interventions that are making a positive impact
• An interest in creating a positive social impact
• 7+ years experience, preference for those in direct investing or grantmaking roles (e.g. in a leading private equity or venture capital firm, impact investment firm or philanthropic foundation) or for those who have been part of the process of building a non-profit or a for-profit initiative directly.
• Deep strategic and analytical skills – ability to evaluate proposed opportunities from multiple perspectives (strategic fit, expected impact, market opportunity, operational capability, business model, financial performance, valuation, etc.); appreciation of analytical rigor and clarity
• Good communication skills – excellent writing and presentation skills; ability to communicate succinctly and clearly
• Good interpersonal skills – ability to work collaboratively with colleagues around the world
• Sound knowledge of investment execution (sourcing, analyzing, teeing up for decision-making, negotiating, documenting, closing, etc.)
• Flexibility to travel, including internationally (estimated 30 percent)
• MBA/ Master’s degree required