Project Leaders (Nairobi, Kenya; Kampala, Uganda & Lagos, Nigeria) at Open Capital Advisors

Joining Open Capital as a Project Leader
Desired start: Q1 2021
Location: Nairobi, Kenya, Kampala, Uganda & Lagos, Nigeria

Who we are

The Project Leader role
We have built a platform to drive change through African markets and are seeking exceptional team members to join us in a 2-year minimum career-track role based in Nairobi, Kampala or Lagos. During this time, you will work closely with senior management to lead multiple client projects while managing & mentoring our junior team.
As a Project Leader you will support multiple live projects simultaneously across a range of high-growth industries and client types. Project Leaders work closely with our clients to develop business & industry strategies, structure capital raises, and address difficult operational challenges. Our work does not end with recommendations; in most projects, Open Capital teams oversee execution and implementation, working with all levels of client staff.
You will join Open Capital at an exciting time – we are seeking to achieve broad, ambitious growth goals, and leverage our strong international brand in the impact investing and frontier market space. We are being called to solve challenges in many diverse frontier markets – from Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa to Sierra Leone, Niger, and the DRC. The right candidate should be excited to take on a new level of responsibility and genuinely motivated by the challenging strategic and financial questions we answer for our clients.

Your skills and experience

• We are looking for exceptional leaders and executers who share our motivation and drive. Project Leaders should feel comfortable leading multiple client projects, developing complex strategies and analyses, contributing fresh ideas, and feeling personally accountable for the impact we achieve. Our team is energetic and driven and we are quick to reward performance and initiative. We are open to a variety of backgrounds but top candidates will typically have the following:
• 5+ years of proven experience at a top global management consulting firm, investment firm, or experience as an entrepreneur or leader in a high-growth business, with significant responsibility for deliverables and client service;
• Strong communication skills and analytical abilities and insightful, structured way of presenting information;
• Ability to effectively work with clients at all levels and backgrounds;
• Interest in guiding teams and mentoring our analysts & junior team members;
• Demonstrated experience in emerging and interest working in emerging markets;
• Fluency in French language and previous Africa experience useful but not required;
• Desire to work and live in Nairobi, Kampala or Lagos for at least 2 years and a commitment to regional impact.

Compensation
We offer a competitive package among similar frontier market firms. This includes base salary, an annual performance bonus, and comprehensive health insurance coverage.

Several recent clients
We highlight several recent client engagements below:

Strategy and finance for water utilities (Kenya, Senegal, South Africa)
Engaged in a Pan-Africa project supporting large water utilities to design strategies, increase efficiencies, and access additional commercial finance.
Goal: improve and extend water delivery to growing urban areas across Africa, contributing to solve the world’s coming drought problem; link commercial finance to sustainable expansion.

Strategy, roll-out, and financing for early-stage LPG business (Kenya)
Supported an early-stage company developing innovative cooking fuel distribution for low-income populations in Africa. Conducted analysis to define distribution hubs and fleet configuration; built detailed financial model; supported capital raise through completion.
Goal: enable company to disrupt the cooking fuels market, providing affordable option to the mass market.

Due diligence in Ethiopia for family-owned conglomerate (Ethiopia)
Conducted due diligence on potential investment in Ethiopia for large Kenyan FMCG conglomerate. Involved full commercial due diligence of assets in Ethiopia, including proposed strategies for acquisition and approaches to negotiation.
Goal: expand FMCG access to burgeoning Ethiopian population through strategic partnership between Kenya & Ethiopia.
Fund structuring & design for conflict country (East Africa)
Designed new investment fund for large European DFI, focused on a post-conflict country in East Africa. Proposed fund process, created fund financing strategy, evaluated initial pipeline, and designed PPM for launch of fundraising.
Goal: provide source of capital for high-growth businesses in challenging, post-conflict country.
Pre-investment support to four agri-businesses in Sub-Saharan Africa (including Nigeria, Ghana)
Supported a donor funded capacity-building program to screen and prioritize the delivery of pre-investment support to agri-businesses operating in 9 base-of-the-pyramid markets including Nigeria and Ghana.
Goal: identify businesses with highest impact and capital raise potential. Provide pre-investment support to selected businesses, help them prepare for investor conversations through development of tailored outreach strategies and preparation on potential investor tough questions.