Website Acumen
About Acumen
Acumen is changing the way the world tackles poverty by investing in companies, leaders, and ideas. Founded in 2001, Acumen invests patient capital in businesses whose products and services enable the poor to transform their lives. By investing in innovative early-stage companies in markets like Africa, Latin America, South Asia, and the United States, Acumen has positively impacted over 309 million lives. As one of the pioneering organizations in impact investing, Acumen focuses on solving critical challenges in energy, healthcare, agriculture, and education. Their efforts go beyond providing capital; they engage with emerging leaders globally, fostering moral leadership and collective dialogue. Acumen’s Hardest-to-Reach initiative (H2R) aims specifically to bring clean energy to the most remote and underserved regions in Africa. This initiative is critical in the global push towards sustainable development and energy equity.
About this Role
Acumen’s Hardest to Reach Impact Debt Fund is seeking an Associate Director based in London or Nairobi to help lead early-stage investments in the off-grid solar sector in Sub-Saharan Africa as part of our Key Strategic Initiative “Hardest to Reach.” Reporting to the Investment Director, the role involves sourcing, evaluating, underwriting, and managing private credit investments for off-grid solar enterprises. The Associate Director will foster strong collaborative relationships with stakeholders including sponsors, lenders, investors, governments, and regulators. They will also be responsible for raising significant brand awareness for H2R.
Responsibilities
- Build relationships with all H2R stakeholders within the focused countries, including business owners, borrowers, lenders/investors, and risk partners.
- Steer deals from identification to close in line with H2R’s investment policy, risk appetite, and development impact mandate.
- Develop pipeline, source and evaluate new transactions, and pre-screen transactions according to eligibility and ESG criteria.
- Conduct due diligence in preparing credit approval memos.
- Present transactions to the investment committee to obtain credit approval.
- Negotiate and review legal documentation and participate in deal closing.
- Retain oversight of transactions, ensuring quality work and the proper structuring of deals.
- Undertake financial modelling, stress testing, and scenario analysis.
- Coordinate with Sustainable Developmental Impact (SDI) and Health Safety Environmental and Social (HSES) teams on respective assessments.
- Manage compliance with covenants, periodic/annual reviews, and amendments.
- Promote high integrity and ethical practices within the team.
Requirements
- Minimum 7 years of transactional experience in venture debt or private credit funds in emerging markets.
- Experience in conducting commercial and operational due diligence.
- Background in financing SMEs in an advisory or principal role.
- Strong financial accounting and financial statement analysis skills.
- Strong financial modelling and cash flow analysis skills.
- Good knowledge of transaction legal documentation.
- Track record of delivering solid client-focused service.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English.
- Good networks across financial intermediaries, impact investors, and other stakeholders in Africa.
- A commitment to serving people living in poverty and willingness to “roll-up sleeves” and get to work.
- Resilient and proactive with a solutions-oriented mindset.
- High integrity, strong ethical principles and respect at all levels.
- Authorized to work in the UK.
- Available to work in London and willingness to travel extensively.
- Commitment to achieving Hardest to Reach’s objectives with diligence in governance and ethical business practices.
Benefits
- Opportunity to make a significant impact on underserved communities.
- Working with a world-renowned organization in the field of impact investing.
- Dynamic and collaborative work environment.
- Professional growth and learning opportunities in a mission-driven company.
- Flexible hybrid work model.
