Investment Analyst

KawiSafi Ventures is hiring an Investment Analyst in Nairobi, Kenya. You will support the investment team by researching markets, analyzing companies, and assisting with financial modeling and deal execution. This role also involves monitoring our current investments and ensuring their performance aligns with our impact and commercial goals. We seek bright professionals with a relevant degree and some experience in finance or advisory roles, who possess strong analytical and communication skills. If you’re passionate about climate solutions in Africa, explore this opportunity to shape impactful investments.

Overview:

KawiSafi Ventures is a leading climate fund manager based out of Nairobi, Kenya supporting low carbon technologies that meet the essential needs of rapidly growing African markets.
We invest equity and quasi-equity in late venture / early growth stage companies tackling the climate crisis with innovations in energy transition, green productivity, mobility & logistics,
carbon and natural climate solutions. Launched in 2017 and backed by a committed group of international LPs, our first fund KawiSafi I was focused on distributed renewable energy and
has to date impacted 120 million lives with clean energy and reduced 30 million tonnes of cO2e.

Our second fund KaiSafi Il invests across the low-carbon economy in Africa in companies that have the potential to reduce GHG emissions on the continent and help communities adapt to a changing climate. KaiSafi has built a market-leading portfolio of investments already and aims to grow quickly over the next few years. We are active hands-on portfolio managers and look for value creation opportunities throughout the investment cycle. KawiSafi has been recognized by ImpactAssets as one of the Top 50 Impact Managers in the world.

We are now recruiting an Investment Analyst to join our investment team based in Nairobi, Kenya. This is a unique opportunity to join an international team and help build a world-class organization with an audacious, globally significant impact.

Key Responsibilities:

The Investment Analyst will support the investment team in executing and achieving the commercial and impact objectives of the fund. They will assist in various transaction functions and portfolio management activities, contributing to financial modeling, industry research, and the analysis of investment decisions. The Investment Analyst will work closely with senior colleagues in structuring and negotiating prospective investments in target companies. Key responsibilities will include:

Research and Pipeline:

• Contributing to sub-sector strategies, gathering and synthesizing market information, and conducting industry analysis.
• Conducting initial assessments of prospective investments, meeting with entrepreneurs, and reviewing pitch materials.

Due Diligence and Deal Execution:

• Assisting in due diligence on target companies, including market/competitive analysis, meetings with management teams, site visits/customer interviews, and analysis of company data.
• Coordinating diligence requests to/responses from target companies’ management teams and reviewing data uploaded to the transaction data room.
• Assisting in reviewing/building financial models and conducting analysis and stress tests.
• Preparing investment memos for presentation to the Fund’s investment committee.
• Liaising with the Fund’s legal and ESG advisors to prepare supporting investment documentation required to complete transactions.

Portfolio Management:

• Supporting the monitoring of the Fund’s portfolio of investees.
• Reviewing investee reports and board packs.
• Monitoring actual performance against budgeted, compliance with covenants, and performance thresholds/flag analysis.
• Coordinating quarterly data requests to investees and analyzing data gathered.
• Updating the Fund’s portfolio management systems as required.

Your Experience and Skills:

We are seeking a qualified professional who possesses the following:

• University degree in finance, economics, engineering, or other relevant field.
• 1-3 years’ experience working within a fund, corporate finance advisory, investment bank, management consulting, or other relevant work such as experience as an operator in start-ups.
• Understanding of and ability to analyze company financial statements.
• Proficiency in financial modeling and Excel skills, with experience in valuing private companies.
• Strong business communication and presentation skills.
• Ability to work on multiple projects while meeting deadlines and managing time effectively.
• Interest in working in a small team with a flexible and “hands on” approach.
• Demonstrated interest in climate change-related trends and technologies/business models that address climate change is preferred.