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Finance Earth are looking to recruit an Investment Director to help our growing environmental impact investment team. The role offers the chance to work with market leading clients on the cutting edge of the emerging conservation investment market in the UK and internationally, and to become a recognised expert in the field.

About Finance Earth

Finance Earth is a mission-driven investment advisor and fund manager, working in partnership with world leading environmental organisations, such as RSPB, WWF, and the National Trust, to protect and restore nature, and tackle climate change utilising market-based mechanisms, implementing bespoke financial tools and creating high impact investments.

We are a pioneering employee-owned social enterprise and are now the UK’s leading environmental impact investment advisor and fund manager, with a rapidly growing international mandate, providing strategic consultancy and corporate finance advice to many of the most impactful environmental organisations in the UK and across the globe. We have designed, manage or co-manage over £500m of investment funds with ambitions to have over £1 billion under management in the next 5 years.

We work across a wide variety of the conservation, natural and built asset sectors on projects specifically structured to deliver significant impact for the environment and local communities whilst delivering fair returns for investors. Our team of experienced professionals all excel in their given fields and innovate to meet changing trends in government policy, sources of finance and market opportunities.

The Role

Reporting to the Managing Directors of Finance Earth, the Investment Director will co-lead the Fund Management business unit including taking responsibility for the team, the associated portfolio and relationships with fund management partners. The Investment Director will be creative, and solutions driven, overseeing a wide range of mandates. There is a need for the individual to have extensive experience in private equity, deal origination and development, financial structuring, and understanding of ongoing investment management.

Based in our London headquarters, this position is ideal for candidates who want to combine their prior professional investment expertise with creativity, innovation and impact.

The Investment Director enters the firm during a period of significant growth, with an extensive pipeline of new funds and will play a unique role in expanding our reach, accelerating product development and driving innovation. In addition to helping build the firm, this individual will help to streamline project delivery through standardising workflows and developing staff, refining existing products, developing new structures, expanding our presence in the investment community, and contributing to thought leadership in impact investing.

Investment Director will be expected to:

• Lead on all aspects of the investment process, sourcing, evaluating, and managing investments and pre-deal appraisals and due diligence;
• Deal sourcing, underwriting and managing assets for woodland creation, peatland restoration and large rural estate acquisition opportunities;
• Preparing bid reports and property appraisals;
• Evaluating and producing estimates of woodland creation, peatland restoration schemes and/or large rural estate financials; with experience in the preparation of multi-period discounted cash flow models, and the generation of return estimates expressed as IRR, ROI, Cash Yield, and Total Return, as well as experience using the Land Expectation Value (LEV) approach;
• Production of financial, risk and market analysis papers for discussion with clients;
• Production of financial models and financial analysis spreadsheet workings;
• Developing funding and financing structures and models for environmental impact projects covering built environment (renewable energy, sustainable development, climate finance etc) and the natural environment (nature based solutions across terrestrial and marine landscapes)
• Winning new business through sourcing of new opportunities and building relationships with partners. This will include attendance at networking and other events hosted by Finance Earth and others
• Manage a growing team, nurturing team culture, recruiting new talent supporting the training and development of staff to further build skill sets and knowledge

Further examples and information on our Fund management can be found here: Funds – Finance Earth

Skills and Experience

Required

• 10+ years of successful experience as a senior manager in private equity, corporate finance, investment banking, or similar;
• Minimum 4 years direct investment experience or fund management experience;
• Proven experience across all aspects of the investment process with the ability to lead and source deals;
• Strong leadership and negotiation skills;
• Proven track record in managing teams, clients, and multiple assignments;
• Personable team player with the ability to create confidence and trust with colleagues and clients alike;
• Self-motivated, ability to work to and meet tight deadlines and to plan and organise work unsupervised in a logical and efficient manner;
• Commitment to high quality standards with a detail-oriented approach;
• Ability to operate consistently within business guidelines and ethics and work sensitively in multicultural environments, building effective working relations with clients and colleagues;
• Ability to communicate effectively in verbal and written formats, appropriate to the specific audience, and confidence in engaging with senior stakeholders;
• Strong financial modelling skills, and experience of reviewing financial models;
• Computer literacy and excellent written/oral communication skills in English;
• Experience leading and growing a team.

Desired:

• Qualification in Accounting or Finance, MBA, CFA
• Prior experience of working within the environmental or social impact investment sector, or wider social sector working with charities and social enterprises
• Understanding of the impact investment market in the UK, and the wider environmental and social investment markets
• Experience in developing or investing in natural capital projects and related markets
• Demonstrable interest in and, commitment to the sectors in which we work

The Rewards

Our people are our business; we work hard to ensure that they have fulfilling careers and a good work-life balance. We encourage training to make sure our staff are equipped to do their jobs to the best of their abilities and offer flexible working and generous holidays so that staff can both meet client expectations and personal goals.

As a market leader, the talent and passion of our people is critical to our success. Together, we share a common set of values rooted in integrity, excellence, and strong team ethic. Finance Earth can provide a superior experience for building and maintaining a professional career – a place for people to learn, to achieve and grow whilst delivering work that is highly impactful and beneficial for our planet. A philosophy that balances personal lifestyles, perspectives and needs is an important part of our culture.

We are also investors in our people, offering the opportunity for both technical and soft skills development, and unique experiences to grow both professionally and personally.

As a social enterprise, we have developed a transparent salary scale which is currently capped at £80,000 as the maximum base salary. The Co-Founders and Directors are all paid the same salary. We aim to increase the max over time as the business grows (having increased this twice since inception). We are proud that the ratio of the salaries of the highest to lowest paid person in our business is less than 3:1 and we pay at least the London Living Wage to all employees, interns and trainees.

Opportunity to earn up to £113,000

Your Package will include:

• Base Salary of £80,000
• Up to 40% of Salary Discretionary Bonus and Christmas Bonus of up to £1,000
• Potential Share of Annual Dividend (see below)
• 25 Days Holiday (plus Bank Holiday and 2-3 extra days for Christmas week)
• Generous training budgets with learning and continuous development as a critical element of the way we work
• Private medical insurance
• Group Life Insurance
• 3% Pension Contribution
• Season Ticket Loans, Bike Scheme, etc

We are an employee owned social enterprise, and after 12 months of working for us every employee is eligible to become an employee shareholder if they demonstrate the qualities of an owner. With that comes the rights attached with being a shareholder, including involvement in key decisions and annual dividends linked to the profitability of the business. Finance Earth has a strong track record and has maintained profitability every year since inception despite challenging market circumstances. As such the annual dividend has grown as a meaningful part of the remuneration of our team.

How to Apply

If you think that you are the right person for this important role in our business, please apply by sending:

• A comprehensive CV
• A cover letter that includes:
  • A summary of the relevant experience you will be bringing to this role; and
  • Your interest in Finance Earth

Applications that do not include a cover letter are not considered.

Applications to be sent to [email protected]

Finance Earth is an equal opportunities employer. We work to provide a supportive and inclusive environment where all individuals can maximise their full potential. Our skilled and creative workforce is comprised of individuals drawn from a broad cross section of the disciplines in which we operate and who reflect a variety of backgrounds, talents, perspectives and experiences. Our strong commitment to a culture of inclusion is evident through our constant focus on recruiting, developing and advancing individuals based on their skills and talents.