Investment Lead

• The Investment Lead will be integral to the practice’s growth and development. This position will drive forward current innovative finance investor-humanitarian partnerships, manage project performance, and grow our pipeline through robust prospecting and fundraising. This position requires a range of finance and investment management experience, as well as technical writing and stakeholder management skills. A successful candidate will be able to engage in the technical details of investment, speak to investors with a high level of industry fluency, develop strategic pitches, and manage the day-to-day of project activities.

Major Responsibilities

• Build and manage a portfolio of investment advisory model projects
• Lead operations for a pipeline of advisory model projects by coordinating directly with external investor partners to progress current projects.
• Develop and refine investment performance, impact, and risk monitoring plans including quantitative and qualitative analysis of investment projects.
• Lead communication with donors, philanthropists, and other NGO partners to meet implementation goals; present project findings externally to drive progress across sectors.
• Create technical decks, briefs, and other innovative finance materials to ensure internal and external partners are regularly briefed on progress, strengthen buy-in and accountability, and to support innovative finance external engagement.
• Continuously review the market for new financial models, including grants, blended revenue models, fees, and less orthodox models.
• Oversee prospecting and outreach to new investors
• Win new business and expand the pipeline of investment project opportunities through engagement of financial services network and investment pitch skills
• Work closely with IRC business development teams to socialize achievements of innovative finance and solicit new donor and philanthropist support for the practice.
• Prepare annual reports and documents according to contract requirements and coordinate response to donor, investor, and private philanthropist inquiries.
• Support Airbel Senior Leadership engagement on Innovative Finance
• Support management of Leadership Board debt swap working group including preparing technical presentations and organizing follow up.
• Support management of Airbel Advisory Board Innovative Finance working group, including leading technical research, designing new strategic approaches, and developing pilot outlines.
• Oversee and grow external advisors and investor partnerships
• Lead technical conversations and decision making with innovative finance advisors.
• Convene and lead meetings with investment project partners to develop strategy.
• Collect data on lessons learned and develop analyses for decision making, reporting, and pipeline development.
• Grow external advisor network.
• Manage internal systems to collect information and track deliverables across investment pipeline projects to increase buy-in for work internally and across sectors.
• Coordinate external investor partnerships to ensure projects progress in accordance with investor and donor contractual requirements.
• Guide staff and interdepartmental collaboration
• Guide the technical research and financial modeling of the Innovative Finance analyst.
• Lead coordination with IRC country program staff implementing innovative finance humanitarian-investor partnerships on the ground.

Job Requirements:

• Master’s degree in relevant field or equivalent professional experience.
• 6-8 years of professional experience in financial services, investor relations, or related field.
• Solid understanding of venture capital, private equity, development finance, investor relations, and relevant financial services, ideally with a background in frontier markets and regions.
• Excellent ability to write about financial markets, economics and investment projections.
• Outstanding network in two or more of the following fields: venture capital, private equity, management consulting, development finance, public sector donors.
• Strong leadership and stakeholder management competencies including the ability to bring people along with a stated vision, and capacity to communicate effectively with leadership.
• Demonstrated experience in articulating funding needs and cultivating a portfolio of fundraising opportunities from concept through execution, and ongoing donor/partner stewardship.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills: the ability to successfully and effectively liaise with a variety of people in a multicultural environment and work on a virtual team.
• Commitment to humanitarian principles and IRC’s values, including a demonstrable commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.

Preferred Requirements:

• Knowledge of government donor commercial contracts (PRM, DG ECHO) and compliance.
• Excellent digital literacy and ability to develop and understand financial models in Excel.
• Professional fluency in French is preferred, Arabic a plus