At Acumen, we’re working to solve problems of poverty and build a world based on dignity. We invest patient capital in businesses whose products and services help people living in poverty to transform their lives. To date, Acumen has positively impacted over 500 million lives by investing $154M in 167 innovative, early-stage companies in Africa, Latin America, South Asia, and the United States. But investment isn’t just about capital, we’ve been investing in relationships for years, connecting with emerging leaders in their own countries and engaging them in extended collective dialogue, moral inquiry, and skill building. 

About Acumen Latin America

Acumen started operations in Latin America in 2013, with a focus on Colombia and Peru. Our strategy focuses on benefiting communities that have suffered political, economic and social exclusion, with a focus on rural areas. Our relatively small team, based in Bogotá, evaluates investment opportunities in agrobusiness, education, and energy. The team finds, analyses, structures, and manages investments in companies that benefit communities facing exclusion including small-holder farmers, women, afro-descendant, and indigenous communities.

The Associate will source and evaluate new investment opportunities (growth and return potential with an eye for big social returns and marginal financial returns), conduct due diligence on high potential opportunities, assist with structuring deal terms, and prepare business analyses to present to Investment Committee. Accountabilities include:

Due diligence

• Identify, cultivate, and review a pipeline of early-stage opportunities providing critical products and services to communities that have suffered political, economic and social exclusion, with a focus on rural, post-conflict areas of Colombia.
• Participate in Due diligence analysis: financial modeling, valuation review, and investment structuring
• Prepare and present investments assessments for Acumen Latin America’s Investment Committee

Portfolio Management

• Assist the team in assessing portfolio company post-investment needs; assist in designing and implementing post-investment interventions with senior team members
• Evaluate and recommend the most important metrics to measure social and financial returns, and gather the information to monitor investees financial and impact performance
• Build long-term relationships with external stakeholders: funders, advisors, industry and functional experts to provide support to portfolio companies

Portfolio Operations. Work with the team to:

• Analyze and document data-driven explanations for portfolio decisions
• Understand and document investment-specific insights
• Produce written materials on lessons from our portfolio and portfolio reports for funders
• Channel insights into marketing and fundraising

Skills and Qualifications

• 5-7 years of experience in venture capital, private equity, investment banking, management consulting or investment management, including experience with financial and operational due diligence of early-stage businesses and ability to repurpose those skills toward a new end: big social impact, marginal financial returns
• Bachelor’s degree required; Masters or MBA preferred
• Superior financial and business analysis skills… this is not an academic exercise, this is about understanding our mission, understanding the market, understanding issues at the bottom of the pyramid and adding value
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to present analysis clearly to management, partners, and investees
• Fluency in written and spoken English and Spanish
• Proactive problem-solving skills: can identify the problem, can think through and recommend solutions or raise issues up the line
• Project and stakeholder management skills, including ability to work and deliver projects in a timely fashion independently and under pressure
• Able to analyze interventions, the consequent results, lessons learned and produce documentation
• Familiarity with the social enterprise and impact investing sectors; commitment to tackling challenges of poverty
• Self-reflective and aligned with Acumen’s values
• Authorized to work in Colombia on a permanent basis

Deadline:

Candidates are encouraged to apply early, as applications will be reviewed and interviews scheduled on a rolling basis.