Investment Manager – Airbel Ventures

INVESTMENT MANAGER – AIRBEL VENTURES Company: IRC, Nairobi, Kenya About the Role Airbel Ventures, the IRC's impact investing division launched in July 2025, is seeking an experienced Investment Manager to drive its mission of connecting humanitarian challenges with innovative private-sector solutions. Operating as a separate IRC entity with its own Board and Investment Committee, Airbel Ventures invests in early-stage businesses across Africa and parts of the Middle East and North Africa that address critical needs in climate, health, education, and economic opportunity—while delivering both measurable social impact and strong financial returns. As Investment Manager, you will be at the heart of this operation, identifying promising startups, conducting rigorous investment analysis, and supporting portfolio companies as they scale their solutions in humanitarian markets. You'll report to the Managing Partner and work collaboratively with IRC's Country Programs and technical teams to create real traction and demonstrate impact in the field. This is an opportunity to shape the future of venture-backed solutions for some of the world's most pressing challenges. Your Day-to-Day You will source and develop relationships with promising startups, accelerators, incubators, and fellow investors throughout Africa, building a pipeline of investment opportunities aligned with our strategic focus. You'll lead comprehensive due diligence processes—analyzing market dynamics, building financial models, assessing social and environmental impact, and evaluating risks—ultimately preparing Investment Memos that inform the Investment Committee's decisions. Beyond the initial investment, you'll actively support portfolio companies through strategic guidance, fundraising assistance, and impact monitoring, while coordinating with IRC teams to build use cases and market traction in humanitarian contexts. You'll also contribute to sector mapping and help refine and evolve our investment theses across key focus areas. At the ecosystem level, you'll represent Airbel Ventures at regional investor networks, industry events, and conferences, raising visibility and strengthening partnerships within Africa's venture landscape. Throughout the investment cycle, you'll manage stakeholder engagement across multiple internal teams, ensuring alignment and execution. Additionally, you'll support the Managing Partner on fundraising initiatives, portfolio strategy refinement, and broader organizational engagement. What We're Looking For You should bring 6 to 8 years of professional experience in venture capital, impact investing, development finance, or management consulting, with demonstrated project involvement in impact investing. You've successfully managed due diligence processes from sourcing through closing and have built existing networks within African startup ecosystems. Your analytical foundation is strong, with proven skills in financial analysis, modeling, and rigorous evaluation. You communicate with clarity and impact, both verbally and in writing, and bring genuine passion for innovation and investment in underserved and frontier markets. You're comfortable navigating multiple sectors and geographies, and you operate with an entrepreneurial mindset—taking initiative, working independently, and thriving within early-stage team dynamics. You excel at driving execution while managing complex stakeholder relationships across a large global organization. You also understand how to leverage AI tools strategically to enhance your research and analysis work, while ensuring all AI-generated content is reviewed for accuracy, quality, and alignment with our mission and values. Education and Legal Requirements A Master's degree in finance, business, economics, or a related field is preferred. You must have the right to work in Kenya. Work Environment This position is based in Nairobi, Kenya, and operates from a standard office setting. Expect regular regional and international travel to connect with startups, investors, and ecosystem participants across Africa.