Investment Principal, Ventures, East Africa at Mercy Corps

Essential Responsibilities
INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT (70%)

• Lead all Mercy Corps Ventures workstreams in East and Southern Africa
• Foster strong relationships and strategic partnerships with incubators, accelerators, peer investors and other ecosystem actors throughout MCV target geographies in East Africa according to our thesis and criteria
• Build an unparalleled network of founders, co-investors, and advisors in target MCV investment markets
• Develop a deep and broad pipeline of potential investments that meet the MCV’s investment theses and criteria (>300 annually)
• Leverage MCV advisors, Mercy Corps experts & partners, and your own network to conduct diligence on potential investments
• In collaboration with the Managing Partner and Partner, lead investment structuring, negotiation, documentation, and execution
• Present investment opportunities to the Investment Committee for debate and approval
• Lead deal closing processes, including local legal due diligence, definitive document development, and any other regulatory requirements
• Support other investment team members in due diligence and investment opportunity decision making

PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT & THOUGHT LEADERSHIP (30%)

• Work with the Managing Partner and Partner to oversee and manage future portfolio companies. This entails strategic advisory, attending board meetings, and guiding MCV on how it can engage portfolio companies.
• Provide strategic support to portfolio companies, such as input on strategic initiatives and strategies to grow and scale operations and clients
• Ensure all portfolio data is collected, analyzed and reported internally and externally
• Actively participate in MCV’s investment strategy setting meetings and analysis of portfolio composition and structuring throughout the year
• Represent MCV at industry events, write 2-3 articles annually and in general, build your brand as a thought leader in East Africa

Supervisory Responsibility

• The Principal will manage an Analyst. In the future, they may also manage additional junior staff, interns and fellows.
• They are expected to maintain close working relationships with leaders in the Ventures team, and other senior level leaders within Mercy Corps and partner organizations. They may also take on board roles and responsibilities for MCV portfolio companies

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders

• Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in Business or related field; MBA or equivalent a plus
• 7+ years of business experience with a proven track record in either:
• Venture capital investing in East Africa
• Other investment (e.g., private equity, impact investing, investment-banking or other fund investing) or management consulting experience, with experience in preferred equity, SAFE, and convertible note instruments preferred, but not required
• Entrepreneurship, incubation/acceleration, or strategy consulting with strong networks and experience in East Africa focused on MCV thematic areas
• Strong analytical mindset and toolkit, including fluidity navigating excel and evaluating financial statements, financial projections and valuations, term sheets, and unit economics
• Unmatched network of contacts (investors, angels, accelerators, talent, startups)
• Primary domain expertise in one of MCV’s key thesis themes (AgTech, FinTech, Climate Tech)
• Hands-on operational experience as a founder or executive team member of a startup in an emerging market or challenging context a plus
• A team-oriented, “low-ego” individual who works collaboratively in a high-performance environment; just as comfortable strategizing in a boardroom with the C-level team of a startup as chatting with a smallholder farmer customer in Karamoja
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills - able to articulately craft an argument and defend a position
• Fluent in written and spoken English