Associate Director - Investment

Associate Director
CrossBoundary Access
About the Firm
Founded in 2011, CrossBoundary is a mission-driven investment firm committed to unlocking the power of capital for sustainable growth and strong returns in underserved markets. CrossBoundary provides transaction and investment advisory services, having developed a specialized expertise in unleashing investment across all sectors in these markets. Our advisory clients include governments, development finance institutions, private equity firms, Fortune 100 companies, and research institutions. Learn more at www.crossboundary.com
In 2019 CrossBoundary launched CrossBoundary Access, Africa’s first project finance fund for mini-grids. Building on the success of this first raise, Access closed $25 million in new funding commitments from ARCH Emerging Markets Partners Limited, Bank of America, and Microsoft Climate Innovation Fund in 2022. This investment will leverage an additional $25 million in senior debt to deploy $50 million of capital into Access’ near-term pipeline of solar powered mini-grids.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the solar mini-grid sector needs $187 billion to achieve universal energy access by 2030. The Access team believes project finance is key to unlocking the long-term, infrastructure-type capital that the mini-grid sector needs.
More information can be found at https://crossboundary.com/access/.
Job Description
CrossBoundary is recruiting a full time Associate Director to work on energy access finance. CrossBoundary is not a development firm and is not seeking typical development skills. We are seeking a highly motivated individual with previous exposure to project and medium-scale infrastructure finance in private sector organizations such as renewable energy project developers, infrastructure funds, and investment banks.
You will work on finding and deploying all types of capital required to finance the mini-grid sector at scale. You will help identify and implement innovative financing structures to mobilize equity, debt and grant funding from a range of capital providers.
Associate Director candidates should have notable investment or private sector experience and possess strong quantitative and analytical skills. Experience working in developing countries is preferred. Experience working in project finance, renewable energy, retail energy markets, and/or off-grid energy is also preferred. An engineering degree or technical background will be regarded favorably.
We will consider candidates looking for 2-3 year commitments as well as those who want to build a long-term career with our firm.
Who We Are
The chosen candidate will play an important role in a unique team with the opportunity to make a large impact on the energy access and renewable energy landscapes in Africa, bringing first-time grid quality power to 1 million people. Team members come from diverse backgrounds, but share a number of qualities: curiosity, humility, integrity, a drive for excellence, and a bias for action.
CrossBoundary Access is a small team, so we are looking for someone with a flexible skillset that can be adapted to add value across all of the team’s various activities. The ideal candidate is comfortable with ambiguity, able to build and maintain strong internal and external relationships, and passionate about energy access and renewable energy.
Who You Are

• Self-starter who is passionate about creating lasting change within the energy sector in underserved markets
• Excellent attention to detail, but are solution-oriented and able to operate in situations where information is scarce, and the environment is constantly changing
• A diligent closer; you have excellent follow-through and find a way to deliver consistently on complex, multi-stakeholder assignments on time and on budget
• Compulsive organizer and optimizer; you’ve made rules for how you do most activities and you’re constantly updating your practices to improve results
• Belief that innovation is at the heart of finding solutions to the world’s biggest challenges
• Willingness to take on new types of work, even without prior experience or direct supervision
• Willingness to work and live in a sometimes-challenging environment

Primary Responsibilities

• Investment opportunity identification and evaluation
  
  • Identify and rigorously assess investment opportunities
  • Detailed financial modelling
• Development of innovative financing structures
  
  • Identify and design innovative financing structures
  • Develop supporting legal contracts
• Market assessment and ongoing market analysis
  
  • Conduct macroeconomic, regulatory, and operational assessments
  • Provide sector analysis of priority areas for investment
• Investor qualification and relations
  
  • Assist in identifying qualified investors
  • Manage numerous investor relationships
• Transaction support
  
  • Lead team in complex transactions
  • Oversee due diligence process

Qualifications, Sills, and Qualifications
Ideal candidate will have the following skills:

•  Strong quantitative skills; familiar with valuation and project finance
• Excellent analytical ability and discipline; ability to think clearly, structure problems logically, and then design and implement solutions that focus on the core issues
• Ability to develop financial models for a wide range of structures and scenarios
• Understanding of key commercial terms in legal contracts
• Ability to build strong relationships with partners and colleagues in challenging environments
• Excellent presentation skills; ability to communicate clearly and effectively with diverse audiences
• Self-starter who is passionate about creating lasting change in frontier markets
• Comfort with ambiguity; ability to operate effectively in a changing context
• Willingness to work and live in a sometimes-challenging environment

Required experience and qualifications:

• 5 - 8 years in top tier banking, infrastructure investing, project development, or similar
• Bachelor's degree required; MBA or other advanced degrees preferred
• Experience working in developing countries will be regarded favorably
• Experience working in renewable energy, retail energy markets, or off-grid energy
• A finance, engineering degree, or other technical background will be regarded favorably

Think you have what it takes but not sure you check every box? If you're passionate about what we're building, we want to hear from you!  
Location
Candidates will join our team in Nairobi, Kenya. This role will involve an estimated 8 weeks of international travel per year.
Equal Opportunity Employer
CrossBoundary is an equal opportunity employer. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request to [email protected]