Investment Principal

• Find, fund and support high-performance organizations with scalable solutions through our Portfolio.
• Teach social entrepreneurs how to design and deliver scalable solutions through our Rainer Arnhold Fellows and Henry Arnhold Fellows programs.
• Leverage our funding by collaborating with other funders, including the Big Bang Philanthropy group.
• Promote high-impact philanthropy, design for impact, and effective social entrepreneurship through a variety of initiatives and engagements.

We’re known for an unabashed obsession with measurable impact and scale. We find and fund organizations that are on the early side of their scale journey, and we support them throughout that journey.

How we fund is as important as who we fund.O ur job is to serve those who do the real work on the ground. Our money has no meaning unless they turn it into impact, so we get them what they need with the most respect and the least hassle possible.We have a high-touch funding model, and we work hard to make it productive for all concerned.

We are a small shop with the spirit and energy of a mission-driven start-up. This means we’re all clear on the big vision, but also comfortable with the inevitable ambiguity that comes with trying to bring it into being. We do our work in teams, and we don’t waste time. Everybody does a bit of everything, in addition to their core role. The Mulago office is an informal and flexible environment that makes the work more fun and more effective. We’ve missed it in 2020 but know we’ll get back to it soon. We always value productivity over time at your desk, and we think our team should get away from our desks as much as possible. That usually means getting on a plane: it is core to our brand and the quality of our work that we spend as much time as we can on site with our Fellows and our Portfolio organizations.

THE INVESTMENT PRINCIPAL POSITION

We’re looking for an exceptional person to focus on our portfolio of scalable solutions. As part of the Portfolio team, the Investment Principalwill evaluate, manage and support new and continuing social investments. Most of Mulago’s investments are in the form of grants, but we also occasionally do debt and equity financing.  

• Source and evaluate investment opportunities (grants/debt/equity)
• Embrace and apply Mulago’s scalable solutions frameworks to our portfolio, and lead relationships with our investees to set and measure progress against those frameworks
• Make recommendations with regard to funding decisions.
• Continually assess the social impact, scalability and capacity of Mulago’s investees to deliver impact at scale; summarize findings to share internally and externally(especially with other current or potential funders)
• Build and sustain high-value relationships with Mulago investees
• Cultivate a network with various actors across the Foundation’s focus areas, including domain experts, thinkers,funders, and partner organizations
• Connect organizations in the portfolio to each other and to other useful actors
• Engage and advise our current fellows on occasion: they are our future portfolio
• Travel for site visits (10-12 weeks annual travel,mostly in Africa and Asia) once we make it to the other side of COVID

This isn’t a “program officer” position. We don’t work that way. Our investments are handled as a team, and there are no silos. However, you will lead and shepherd relationships. With excellence in the core elements of the job, there will come the opportunity to play an important role in other important Mulago activities.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

You share our funding philosophy (How We Fund)and a bias for action over talk. You’re comfortable and flexible with changes in course and circumstances. Humor comes easily to you as a way to relate to and interact with people. You can work hard and smart without a lot of supervision. You realize that your role as a funder is to support and serve the people doing the work. Travel, often in less-than-optimal conditions, is a big part of this job–you need to love it.The right person is entrepreneurial, thinks creatively, and would be eager to put his/her passport and rolodex (OK, iPhone) to good use in service of social impact at scale.

Our team has grown a lot in the past few years. We now find ourselves in the privileged position of imagining an ideal candidate to complement the rest of us. We have a bias for more diversity on the team, in every form: we’re always looking to add diversity of background, thought, personal journey, and professional experience.We already have a deep bench of folks with foundation and investing experience, so a social entrepreneur or somebody who has built and lived "operations" would contribute a relished, fresh perspective.

Qualifications –required:

• 7-10+ years of relevant experience, including some relationship management
• High degree of comfort and competency with data analysis, information synthesis, and project management–often with imperfect information
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Experience with and demonstrated commitment to the social sector
• Substantive familiarity with the settings where we work
• A relevant graduate degree (e.g. MBA) is preferred; a Bachelor’s degree is required (although anyone with a history of remarkable, relevant achievement would be considered)
• Fluent computer skills, including Excel, Powerpoint,and Salesforce

Qualifications –big pluses:

• Experience starting or running a social enterprise (a very big plus) or a key operational role building and growing a team and systems in the private sector
• A lot of time spent in the settings where Mulago works (a personal background, or a stint abroad of at least a few years)
• Domain experience in one or more of the Foundation’s focus areas (agriculture/rural livelihoods, health, conservation, education, energy)
• A great network, and aptitude as a connector
• Fluency in French (language isn’t a huge deal, but we are doing more in Francophone countries

This is a full-time job based in San Francisco. While our team is virtual now, when COVID eases, we will all (including this role) work at Mulago’s office on Russian Hill in San Francisco, with some telecommuting possible. Pay and benefits are competitive, including medical, dental, vision, life, and short term + long term disability insurance, 401K + employer match, unlimited PTO, and more. Most importantly: you will be inspired every day by the Portfolio that you support and the impact they create.

Unfortunately, we aren’t able to sponsor working visas.

If you’re interested, and feel you’re qualified, please send CV and a brief statement as to why this job is a good fit for you to.

Thanks!