Investment Manager, Nairobi

Goodwell Investments is a pioneer in impact investment, dedicated to generating opportunities for all, by focusing on inclusive growth in sectors providing basic goods and services, and by creating income generation opportunities for underserved communities in both Africa and India. Since 2006, Goodwell has managed five private equity funds with over 320m € in capital. We invest in early and growth-stage businesses in India and Africa. Our 35+ portfolio companies reach over 330 million people across 47 countries. Goodwell is a truly global, locally present firm. We have teams and partners in India, Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, and the Netherlands. With a track record of over fifteen years, Goodwell demonstrates the ability to simultaneously deliver significant social impact and strong financial returns.

Job summary

The Investment Manager is responsible for generating investment opportunities for Goodwell Investments across the East African region; within the private sector, you will grow and manage a network of key relationships. Deal origination, deal-making, and investment oversight are key focus areas. A strong hands-on approach is needed to ensure that businesses with the portfolio are appropriately supported to realize their growth potential and achieve impact and profit objectives. Additionally, the role involves realizing exits to generate returns for investors in a 5–7-year investment cycle.   

As Investment Manager, you will provide ongoing mentoring and development support to our team of investment professionals, with the goal of expanding Goodwell and achieving our mission of inclusive and sustainable growth.   

Responsibilities and duties

• Manage existing investments and execute new deals 
  • Source, evaluate, negotiate and close deals that support our mandate for inclusive growth. 
  • Conduct and coordinate due diligence processes for portfolio company investing activities. 
  • Support portfolio companies’ post-investment to drive business growth, including operational, strategic, financial, and fundraising activities. 
  • Support portfolio companies through change, growth, and emerging market challenges. 
  • Mentor and guide a team of investment analysts through the investment process, both formal and informal. 
  • Build a strong pipeline of potential co-investor, investments, and exit opportunities. 
  • Coordinate transaction team and transaction execution and closing. 
  • Create a community of potential board members for portfolio companies and coordinate the activities of portfolio board members. 

• Research and analysis 
  • Contribute to the research body of the company as it pertains to portfolio companies and the broader ecosystem.
  • Develop deep relationships within the African startup eco-system (VCs, DFIs, startups, incubators, accelerators, event holders, investors, etc.)
  • Attend relevant events within the African startup ecosystem. 
  • Participate in networking functions within the African startup ecosystem. 
  • Engage in speaking opportunities at events, forums, etc., both in person and virtually. 
  • Provide mentorship to early-stage startups in the form of strategic, financial, and other guidance. 
  • Operational local office requirements. 
  • Ad-hoc operational requirements to support the proper functioning of the local office. 

Qualifications

• Education and working experience
  • Master’s Degree in Business Studies, Finance, Economics, or Management Studies. 
  • A degree or education in chartered accounting or CFA is a plus. 
  • 5-8 years of relevant work experience with at least 5 years in investments, venture debt, mezzanine finance, or impact investment in East Africa. 
• Knowledge and skills
  • Ability to understand financial statements, and create and interpret financial models. 
  • The ability to conduct and analyze industry research. 
  • Deep understanding of, and proven experience in, one or more of the sectors in which Goodwell is investing, such as agriculture, mobility and logistics, health, energy, and education. 
  • Ability to identify the key impact and business drivers, craft and support investees in the implementation of post-investment growth plans. 
  • Ability to communicate in an articulate manner, both verbally and in written reports. 
  • Possess strong multidisciplinary and multicultural collaboration and teamwork skills. 
  • Show a commitment to inclusive impact in Africa, with a keen interest in startups and the investment ecosystem. 
  • Have excellent knowledge of and competency in Excel and the full MS Office suite. 
  • Strong analytical skills with the ability to collect, organize, analyze and interpret significant amounts of information with attention to detail and accuracy. 
  • Advantageous: Experience with Notion, Slack, Pipedrive, and OneDrive. 
• Personal Characteristics
  • Confident communicator: excellent presentation and negotiation skills, personable and articulate with clients and team. 
  • Proactive: takes initiative and ownership. 
  • Entrepreneurial: A “can-do spirit, bringing new ideas to the company. 
  • Inclusive and empathetic: interested and comfortable in working across cultures and in an international setting. 
  • Life-long learner: committed to ongoing learning and curious about the world around them. 

Our offer 

Joining Goodwell in Nairobi means you will be joining an international and inclusive culture, where like-minded people work naturally together to achieve ambitious goals. 12 different nationalities are represented in our team of 25.  Therefore, the ability to navigate efficiently and empathetically between different teams and cultures is required. Promoting company values, contributing to a positive culture, and supporting a happy workplace is expected of all Goodwell Investments employees. 

• A market-related salary.  
• 34 days of leave per year (based on full-time).  
• Opportunity for personal development (including training).  
• Flexible work hours based on a full time (40 hour) work week. 
• Office based in Nairobi, Kenya. 

Application Process 

If you can picture yourself in the above role, then we would love to hear from you. To apply, please send your CV to HRM@goodwell.nl along with a short motivation video. The video gives you the opportunity to present yourself in your own unique way! The video should be no longer than one minute. Please send this via www.wetransfer.com to  HRM@goodwell.nl including your name and the reference ‘Investment Manager, East Africa – your Name’.  

 Both CV and video need to be received in order for your application to be considered.  

 The application deadline is 6th January 2023.  

Note

Goodwell Investments supports diversity and is a proud Equal Opportunity Employer. All employment decisions are decided on the basis of merit, competence and business need. Goodwell Investments does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), sexual orientation, age, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status or any other non-merit factor covered by appropriate law.