Fellow- Palladium Impact Investment at Palladium Group

Project Overview and Role

• In 2015 Palladium created a new strategic proposition to focus on Impact Investing. Palladium's objective is to become a direct impact investor then ultimately an impact investing intermediary, to facilitate the flow of capital into impact investing opportunities globally.
• Building upon its existing International Development business, which delivers development projects for major donors across over 90 countries, Palladium is very well placed to become an impact investor. Its global presence provides the 'boots-on-the-ground' that are necessary to work and invest in emerging markets.
• By seeking to invest its own capital into opportunities that generate both a financial and predefined social return, Palladium is building its own track record and credibility as an investor in emerging markets.

Responsibilities
Assist the evaluation of new direct investment opportunities:

• Review business plans and investment submissions and evaluate according to Palladium's pre-established investment criteria
• Assist due diligence via direct interaction with company management teams, preparation of due diligence checklists and questionnaires
• Assist with financial modelling and valuation of prospective investments using company financial projections
• Assist with macroeconomic and market research relevant to prospective investment opportunities
• Assist the preparation and presentation of investment committee papers

Assist the development and mapping of the Impact Investing landscape:

• Participate in calls/meetings with potential co-investors/partners for market sounding in order to understand industry trends and develop robust network of trusted partners, documenting findings/outcomes specifically tracking capital raising/fund closes and fund raising trends
• Participate in discussions with other industry players (impact investors, INGOs, aid agencies, foundations, family offices etc.) in order to build an effective network and collaborate with players across the Impact Investing value chain

Assist the development of the Impact Investment governance structure:

• Assist the continued development of policies and legal frameworks that govern the investment processes (ESG, Investment Policies, MLRO etc.)
• Attendance of periodic investment committee meetings, supporting taking of minutes
• Maintenance of databases, diary systems and general portfolio monitoring
• Collaborate with Palladium staff in order to develop a robust Monitoring and Evaluation framework for impact investments that adheres to Palladium's theory of social change

Assist the development and preparation for conferences and events:

• Assist the preparation and coordination of Palladium sponsored Impact Investing events, as well as the preparation of Palladium speaking engagements related to Impact Investments

Other ad-hoc responsibilities:

• Assist the scheduling and coordination of team agenda items, taking of minutes and e-filing
• Assist the collating and of relevant impact investment research papers and articles, posting via social media
• Maintaining reading lists/libraries, signing up to newsletters and other sources of industry related data
• Other ad hoc duties as they may arise

Requirements

• Practical experience of working across the impact investing/social investment space (not necessarily investing first-hand)
• Undergraduate degree in Finance, Business Administration Economics or similiar discipline
• Thorough understanding of financial instruments, and how they work
• At least 3-5 years of experience from a recognised consultancy firm, venture capital/ private equity firm, global foundation, family office, DFI, multi-lateral or M&A financial advisory team in a major bank/corporation
• Working knowledge of multilateral, bilateral, and philanthropic partners, past experience of working within these institutions is desirable
• Experience in emerging/frontier markets is highly desirable
• English language proficiency is a firm requirement, and French is highly desirable