Impact and Gender-Lens Investing Analyst

Q2 – 2024 – Sub-Saharan Africa

This analyst role is an entry – mid-level position that offers an exciting opportunity for a motivated individual who’s looking to progress their career in impact investing, particularly within gender-lens investing. Gain experience and insight into working with entrepreneurial companies in emerging markets, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, which is in a dynamic and rapid growth phase.  

About Us: 

Supivaa is a play on words. “Support” + “Vivre” (to live) thus “supporting life” in Franglais (French/English) – which are the two languages of Canada and the majority of African countries. It dawned on us…Supivaa = “Supporting the Divas in Africa” Thus, Supivaa was born. 

Supivaa is an impact investment advisory firm rooted in agriculture, renewable energy, health, and solutions to climate change with a strong focus on harnessing the power of gender-lens investing to advance SDG 5. With a network of global experts and consultants, we offer business development services, supporting entrepreneurs and business leaders through their key stages of development whether they are first starting up or scaling out.

We also work with investors and programmatic partners looking to identify impactful opportunities in global growth markets and co-create solutions with well-experienced impact investors and funders (e.g., venture capitalists, private equity and private debt fund managers, development finance institutions, government entities, family offices, and high-net-worth individuals) by supporting the design, deployment, and management of their impact initiatives inline with their investment thesis.

We are a Canadian-African firm with offices in Vancouver and Nairobi. Supivaa’s founders and collaborators set out to support entrepreneurs in the next phase of their business growth and ensure that these businesses get the backing they need.

Role Introduction:

As an Impact and Gender-Lens Investing Analyst, you’ll assist the Supivaa team in developing and scaling our impact and gender-lens investing portfolio of work. You will support the Supivaa team by performing certain regular tasks around the collection and analysis of impact and gender-lens investing data, as well as a range of activities that contribute to and support the production and delivery of client-facing materials. 

In this role, you will manage and contribute to diverse impact investing and gender-lens investing advisory engagements. As a valued member of a small team environment, you will be given ample opportunity to develop key infrastructure, systems, and processes. You will help build out Supivaa’s offerings across the continent, including working with key stakeholders in the private, public, and philanthropic sectors to support the advancement of an impact investment and gender-lens investing agenda. You will have high exposure to Supivaa’s small-medium sized enterprises (SME), women-owned/led SMEs (WMES) and fund manager clients. 

This role reports to the Head of Impact Investment Advisory and Gender-Lens Technical Expert. 

This position will be based in our Nairobi office with significant remote work flexibility offered through Supivaa’s hybrid (in-person and remote) working model.

Candidates must possess valid authorization to work in Kenya. 

Roles and Responsibilities:

Maintain Gender-Lens Investing Database (15%)

  • Maintain Supivaa’s internal gender-lens investing database by gathering and inputting data on players and transactions; synthesising information to determine market projections and trends; integrating this information into reports clearly and concisely to facilitate strategic decision-making and support capital-raising efforts

Conduct Due Diligence (25%)

  • Review, assess and integrate financial (e.g., projections, track record, KYC etc.) and non-financial data (e.g., ESG, gender, climate etc.) to support SMEs, WSMEs and fund managers on their respective investment preparedness and readiness journeys

Provide Communications Support (50%)

  • Provide tailored communications to support SMEs, WSMEs and fund managers’ investor relations needs
  • Work with external PR firms, graphic designers, web developers and other content creators to produce engaging knowledge products (e.g., strategy papers, impact reports, pitch decks, blogs, social media posts etc.) and keep Supivaa, its clients and other relevant stakeholders excited about its work
  • Assist with the development of concept notes and proposals to create new business development opportunities
  • Develop and promote accessible and contextual tools to increase gender inclusion in relevant circles

Oversee Events (10%)

  • Foster community, connection, and peer support across Supivaa’s impact and gender-lens investing clients and ecosystem partners. This could include organising and attending a mix of virtual (e.g., webinars) and in-person partner forums (e.g., conferences, working groups, roundtables) to disseminate key programmatic learnings, raise the visibility of client’s results, and promote Supivaa-driven initiatives
  • Manage events calendar to ensure that Supivaa and its clients stay abreast of industry events 

Desired Values and Experiences:

We are looking for a motivated and dedicated individual with an entrepreneurial mindset who is deeply committed to advancing a gender equality agenda and has many of the following:

  • Interest, knowledge, and networks (e.g., global foundations, multilateral organisations, INGOs, DFIs, and social enterprises) in impact investing, gender-lens investing, and/or development finance in Global Growth Markets with a preference towards African geographies
  • Experience with conducting impact measurement and management or monitoring, evaluation and learning as relevant to social and environmental impact in an investment or business setting
  • Demonstrated ability to research and synthesise significant amounts of information into clear and actionable insights
  • Deep-rooted curiosity in learning about new cultures and track record of applying diversity, equity and inclusion principles 
  • Willingness to listen, learn and adapt to new cultural and working environments
  • Strong interpersonal and relationship management skills
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills (in English), with the ability to communicate professionally and effectively with a variety of stakeholders through different channels of communication. ​​Proficiency in French, Swahili and other local languages preferred
  • Great time management skills, with the ability to be flexible and prioritise tasks as needed to meet deadlines.  An entrepreneurial mindset that sees challenges or limitations as opportunities 
  • Willingness to go the extra mile to create high-quality and timely knowledge products 
  • Ability to work independently in a hybrid and trust-based environment
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office products, G-Suite for Business, Slack, and Trello

To Apply:

  • Interested candidates should send their CVs and cover letters to careers@supivaa.com with “Impact and Gender- Lens Analyst_First Name_Last Name” in the email subject line
  • We will be reviewing applications on a rolling basis, interested and qualified applicants are encouraged to apply early and in advance of the application deadline of midnight EAT on 31 July 2024
  • A 1-page cover letter should directly address how your skills and experiences make you a good fit for the position, as well as identify the main challenges faced by African WSMEs, SMEs and fund managers in their quest to finance SDG 5 initiatives. Please also indicate where you saw the job posting in your cover letter.  Applications without a cover letter will not be considered

Supivaa celebrates the different viewpoints and experiences our diverse team members bring to our organisation. We encourage all individuals motivated by our mission and mandate to apply.

Please note that due to the high volume of applications, we will only contact those selected for an interview.

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