Investment Lead, CATALYZE 35 views

Investment Lead, CATALYZE
About Palladium:
Palladium is a global company working to design, develop and deliver positive impact on the lives and livelihoods of people around the globe; broaden access to health, water, power, and infrastructure; build enduring, sustainable, and transformative institutions and market systems to address global challenges; and conserve the natural world. We operate in over 90 countries and have a workforce of 4,000 talented, motivated, and diverse staff of all religions, races, languages, and gender identities.
This Opportunity:
The Investment Lead, CATALYZE is a senior member of the USAID-funded $250 million CATALYZE program, which will leverage its USAID funding by 8x to mobilize $2 billion in blended finance to target sectors and countries over an eight-year period. CATALYZE currently has eight thematic and geographic programs operating across 27 countries. The Investment Lead of Palladium’s CATALYZE program is responsible for contributing to unlocking commercial capital for investments in strategic undercapitalized countries and sectors, in close partnership with Activity Teams and their many partners. The Investment Lead uses an agile and entrepreneurial approach to provide expert advice to Activity Teams on all CATALYZE investment, financing, and related technical assistance to attract private capital towards investment objectives. CATALYZE pilots and expands the use of a range of financial products in its Activities to support blended finance, which can include, but are not limited to debt, venture capital, private equity, guarantees, investment funds, fund formation and execution, crowdfunding, digital finance, and other financing mechanisms.
Global CATALYZE teams and USAID missions have spent the last two years co-designing and implementing a series of activities to significantly mobilize private capital for development that make up the CATALYZE portfolio, including the following Activities (also known as Buy-Ins):
Asia Social Protection: Improving access to financial and social protection for vulnerable women in Asia. Focus countries: Bangladesh, Indonesia, Philippines. Partners: TBD
CATALYZE Peru: Catalyzing investment and access to finance for SMEs in the Peruvian Amazon. Focus country: Peru. Partners: Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Business Advisory Service Providers (BASPs), Financial Intermediaries, Private Sector Anchor Firms
EduFinance: Mobilizing capital for non-state education, early child care development, training and workforce development, and improving and sustaining learning outcomes for children and youth, particularly those who are the most marginalized and vulnerable. Focus countries: Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Kenya, Latin America and the Caribbean. Partners: Kaizenvest, UBS Optimus Foundation, PEAS, EPG, Opportunity International
Ethiopia Market Systems for Growth (MS4G):Fostering private enterprise growth primarily in agricultural markets to boost food security, make improvements to water, hygiene and sanitation and support COVID relief. Focus country: Ethiopia. Partners: Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Business Advisory Service Providers (BASPs), Transaction Advisory Service Providers (TASPs), Consultants, Associations
Sahel Finance for Resilience (F4R):Increasing financing to support capital investment in the agricultural sector and in youth-led enterprises. Focus countries: Burkina Faso, Niger. Partners: ICDE (Burkina Faso) and SINERGI SA (Niger). Financial Facilitators/Business Advisory Service Providers (BASPs), Financial Intermediaries, USAID Implementing Partners Yalwa, Yidgiri, Bridge Youth Connect, Sahel Collaboration and Communication Activity
Sri Lanka Private Sector Development (PSD):Promoting economic diversification and employment opportunities for SMEs, principally women. Focus country: Sri Lanka. Partners: Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Business Advisory Service Providers (BASPs), Financial Intermediaries, Consultants, Business Associations
Western Balkans Engine of Growth: Increasing SME access to private capital and using finance to drive enterprise growth. Focus countries: Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia. Partners: Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Business Advisory Service Providers (BASPs), Financial Intermediaries
Women’s Economic Empowerment: Mobilizing private capital to create economic opportunities for women. Global focus. Partners: U.S. Development Finance Corporation, BAC El Salvador, Banco LAFISE Dominican Republic
Location:
The position is based in Palladium’s Washington, D.C. office.
You and Your Career:
If you are an established leader in impact investing and/or blended finance transactions with expertise in investment and finance and are driven to contribute with a direct impact on people and the environment, we are interested in hearing from you.
We are a learning organization and provide growth opportunities from the start. We pride ourselves on giving you the freedom, resources, and guidance to chart a fulfilling career!
Reporting and Supervision:
The Investment Lead, CATALYZE will report into the Chief of Party/Executive Director of CATALYZE.
Primary Duties and Responsibilities:
The Investment Lead, CATALYZE will lead and support delivery of investment technical assistance, principally to Activity staff and partners of CATALYZE. The Investment Lead will provide Thought Leadership on all issues related to financing and investment across the portfolio of Activities to support achievement of private capital mobilization objectives, also contributing to implementing the CATALYZE communications strategy. The Investment Lead will also provide subject matter expertise on issues related to private capital mobilization to key Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning staff.
With External Stakeholders
Engage with a broad network of stakeholders on behalf of CATALYZE including financial intermediaries such as banks, non-bank financial institutions, cooperatives, investment funds, facilities, crowdfunding platforms, digital finance providers, businesses and anchor firms, U.S. Development Finance Corporation (DFC), private foundations and other sources of investment and financing for a global pipeline of investable transactions and deals
Develop and maintain relationships with a network of potential investors
Serve as liaison between CATALYZE and US DFC for all financial products and mutually beneficial investment eligibility screening and criteria, and complementary technical assistance
Build, share information with and maintain relationships with other USAID blended finance programs to support the building of a community of practice around blended finance
Provide expert technical and managerial inputs, guidance, and other supports as needed to relevant USAID personnel and CATALYZE implementing partners on private capital mobilization pipeline, deal flow and execution, and reporting on investment and financing private capital transactions and results
With Internal CATALYZE Staff
Provide agile and customized expert guidance and advice as an embedded team member to in-country and US-based CATALYZE project staff on how to structure and to develop a pipeline of traditional or innovative finance investor-grade deals (or transactions that could strategically become investor-grade with blended finance interventions)
Create new approaches and innovate in use of blended finance and impact investing tools through purpose-built investment structures, vehicles, and mechanisms
Support quality assurance of Palladium’s investment and financing services and deliverables
Contribute to research, analysis, and publication of technical studies, case studies, policy and program briefs to demonstrate thought leadership, including expert technical review of relevant CATALYZE communications materials
Support Project Management Technical Expertise
Support CATALYZE program leads on topics of investment and financing for their project work planning and execution
Provide technical expert review of sub-awardees and consultants, both international and local, investment and financing work products and deliverables to ensure that their performance meets or exceeds standards
Use an adaptive management approach to advise project senior management to quickly adopt and scale cost-effective strategies and activities
Support Activity teams identify and onboard new talent
Assist in developing technical learning reports and other communications materials for CATALYZE and CATALYZE Activities as needed
Other duties as required
Key Competencies Required:
Self-motivation and ability to work both independently and collaboratively while serving as an investment and finance subject matter expert to a globally distributed team
High client-centric ability to work with numerous internal “clients” (CATALYZE program staff) as well as external clients and stakeholders with a particular focus on investors
Relevant experience and proven technical expertise in impact investing, blended finance, inclusive finance, a large proportion focused on transactions
Technical expertise and experience in one or more of the following:
Impact investing
Blended finance
Fund creation and/or management
Asset management
Innovative finance
Payment for Results models and Pay-for-Performance incentives
Proven success structuring, leading, or supporting deal closure of complex purpose-built investments
Strong relationships with local, regional, and/or international investors
Familiarity with relevant impact investing and blended finance ecosystem actors including international impact investors, local financial intermediaries, development finance institutions, transaction advisors specializing in frontier markets, USAID and other donors
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Superb internal and external client relationship and people management skills
Incisive problem solving, business judgement, and decision-making skills
Willingness to travel and work abroad a minimum of twelve weeks per year in developing countries and elsewhere
Professional Expertise/Competencies Preferred:
Working proficiency in Spanish or French
Equity, Diversity & Inclusion – Palladium is committed to embedding equity, diversity, and inclusion into everything we do. We welcome applications from all sections of society and actively encourage diversity to drive innovation, creativity, success and good practice. We positively welcome and seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce; and that all job applicants and employees receive equal and fair treatment regardless of their background or personal characteristics. These include: (but are not limited to) socio-economic background, age, race, gender identity and expression, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, nationality, veteran, marital or Indigenous status.
Should you require any adjustments or accommodations to be made due to a disability or you are a neurodivergent individual or for any other circumstance, please email our team at accessibility@thepalladiumgroup.com and we will be in touch to discuss.
Safeguarding – We define Safeguarding as “the preventative action taken by Palladium to protect our people, clients and the communities we work with from harm”. We are committed to ensuring that all children and adults who come into contact with Palladium are treated with respect and are free from abuse. All successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced selection process including safeguarding-focused interviews and a rigorous due diligence process.
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