The Charter Impact Fund (CIF) is on a mission to transform the way charter schools secure long-term financing, by providing them with something radically simple: access to low-cost, long-term debt. We believe that this will give more students access to the outstanding education they deserve.
We aim to be investing hundreds of millions in the next two years. Our team is comprised of mission-oriented financial experts who are committed to partnering with schools to improve educational outcomes for all students, especially those from underserved neighborhoods.
Founded in August 2017, the CIF is a nonprofit organization with initial funding already secured.
The Opportunity – Investment Principal
This is a unique opportunity to join a newly formed, well-funded, and growing social enterprise in a key senior leadership role. The Investment Principal will have the exciting opportunity to make an immediate impact at CIF – and on the charter school sector as a whole. You will actively grow the number of schools in our portfolio by leveraging existing networks and continuously prospecting for new schools to engage.
You will use your finance and investing skills to evaluate the growth and return potential of charter schools from both a fiscal and educational impact perspective.
This position is expected to be highly entrepreneurial and preferred candidates will be excited by and thrive in a start-up environment. Above all, our Investment Principal should be a driven, savvy, high achieving professional with expertise in the complicated mechanics of borrowing, lending, and charter school facilities.
Responsibilities
The Investment Principal will be responsible for:
- Team management: Design, hire, & manage a team of underwriters and analysts to deliver outstanding service and exceed expectations.
- Business development and relationship management: Actively build pipelines of prospective clients (charter schools) and cultivate strong relationships with schools, CMOs, and charter support organizations. Screen the prospects against the portfolio eligibility criteria to determine the feasibility of projects.
- Origination: Structure and underwrite transactions and prepare for credit committee approval. Manage a dashboard to track school-related information such as location, project data, enrollment, performance, and student impact.
- Internal system development: Partner with the senior leadership team to develop systems, policies, and procedures for developing the portfolio, including origination, lending, and reporting.
- Policy and research: Monitor proposed legislation and policy matters related to programs and services offered. Identify and support research efforts to advance programs and services.
- Organizational excellence: Participate in strategic planning and goal-setting process.
- External presence development: Build the image of the Fund nationally by establishing working relationships and cooperative agreements with community groups, government entities, and nonprofit and for-profit organizations. Represent CIF publicly by attending events, community meetings, professional functions, and conferences.
WHO YOU ARE:
- An Adaptable Self-Motivator – You proactively take initiative. You thrive in ambiguity and handle fast-paced environments with ease, never missing a deadline nor losing your cool.
- A Creative Problem Solver – You’re industrious and a deep researcher. You can do a lot with a little. You’re persistent and resilient, and view roadblocks as simply new obstacles and puzzles to solve.
- An Inquisitive Detective – You’re unequivocally inquisitive. You’re always questioning, always probing, and never blindly accepting.
- A Clear & Active Communicator – You communicate exceptionally, both in writing and verbally. You possess a strong ability to present arguments and analysis in a clear and succinct manner.
- A Relationship Builder – You’re a thoughtful listener. You are confident and resourceful when reaching out to new people, and successful at developing relationships with a wide range of people with different styles and backgrounds.
- A Mission-Aligned Team Player – You’re fully committed to, and enthusiastic about, CIF’s mission and business model. You practice our core values: generosity, accountability, humility, audacity, listening, leadership, integrity, and respect.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
- 10+ years of overall professional experience.
- 5+ years of experience in venture capital, private equity, investment banking, or investment management;
- Experience with financial and operational due diligence of Charter Schools is highly preferred.
- 3+ years of team management experience.
- Superior financial, modeling and business analysis skills; demonstrated by prior experience.
- Strong ability to take initiative with research and analysis and produce valuable results in conditions of uncertainty.
- Solid operational skills including problem-solving and project management skills, including the ability to work and deliver projects independently, proactively and under pressure.
HOW WILL WE KNOW YOU’RE THE RIGHT PERSON FOR THE ROLE?
Please complete the following very simple application. Priority will be given to those applications submitted by Wednesday, February 28th; therefore we encourage you to submit yours soon!
Candidates that meet the minimum experience will be invited to complete a set of short answer questions.
The overall hiring process will look to follow this anticipated timeline:
- Late February: Selected candidates asked to complete short answer questions.
- Early March: Initial in-person or video interview with the CIF team.
- Middle of March: Finalists will come in-person for multi-team member interviews in our New York City office. Candidate references will also be checked at this step.
- Late March: Offer finalized.
- Late April: Anticipated start date.
What happens if you’re selected?
You’ll be invited to join our founding team in New York City. You’ll receive a very competitive compensation and we are proud to offer extraordinary benefits, including unlimited PTO, as well as medical coverage and a 401(k) match. We expect this role to travel at least 25% of the time to meet with clients.
If you have any questions about the role, please feel free to email talent[at]rework.jobs. We look forward to meeting you!
