Senior Associate - Sierra Leone

CrossBoundary • Full-time • Freetown • 1m ago

Senior Associate 
CrossBoundary West Africa Advisory

About CrossBoundary
CrossBoundary Advisory, part of CrossBoundary Group, is a leading investment advisor focused on unlocking private capital in underserved markets. We have advised on US$12+ billion of closed transactions across agriculture, health, education, manufacturing, ICT, infrastructure, and clean power. Our clients include governments, development finance institutions, foundations, private equity firms, corporates, and research institutions. With 180+ professionals in 20+ offices across Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East & North Africa, Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe, and Latin America & the Caribbean, we combine local presence with global expertise to structure bankable transactions and scalable programs. Learn more at www.crossboundary.com/advisory

Why join us?
The CrossBoundary team is a unique group of people who are genuinely excited by the opportunity to make a difference in some of the most challenging yet high-potential markets in the world. Team members come from diverse backgrounds but share several qualities: curiosity, humility, integrity, a drive for excellence, and a bias for action.

Job Description
CrossBoundary is recruiting a Senior Associate to join the West Africa team. We are seeking candidates with extensive experience living and working in the region and a thorough understanding of the investment landscape. You will be tasked with evaluating investment opportunities, conducting macroeconomic markets assessments, and providing transaction support to both investors and capital seekers. Experience working with a range of stakeholders (including private equity firms, Development Finance Institutions, and development agencies) to support investments across all sectors as well as experience in the region will be regarded favorably.

In addition to comfort living in a frontier African market and strong technical investment advisory skills/experience, the ideal candidate will have sophisticated relationship building/management skills, and sharp client management capabilities. They must also be able to work under challenging demands across stakeholders with different strategies. Extremely strong communication skills are a necessity.

Specifically, the investment professional may be required to work within companies to ensure data needed by client investment teams is of good quality, as well as work with local partners closely in their offices periodically to maintain a steady flow of information sharing. They will be tasked with organizing conferences and host in-country roadshows with senior executives. The successful candidate will need to provide weekly updates to the client on specific tasks completed and upcoming. The Senior Associate will review operating models and pitch decks for quality and accuracy, be a sounding board on investor best practices, monitor technical assistance implementation by third party firms, keep close track of and control progression toward agreed KPIs, lead investor focused webinars, contribute to recurring reports (such as business plans and quarterly reports), and overall be the face of the country they represent to all stakeholders on behalf of the program.

Who We Are
CrossBoundary operates in frontier markets that also hold immense investment opportunities. The CrossBoundary team is a unique group made up of people who are genuinely excited by the opportunity to make a difference in some of the most challenging yet exciting markets in the world. Team members come from diverse backgrounds, but share a number of qualities: curiosity, humility, integrity, a drive for excellence, and a bias for action.

Who You Are
The ideal candidate will have the following skills and qualifications:

At least 5 years of experience working in high caliber finance, investment banking or consulting organizations and an interest in having an impact in frontier markets.
Candidates must hold an MBA from a reputable institution
Experience living and working in the West Africa region
Strong business development acumen
Strong quantitative skills; familiar with diligence and valuation methodologies
Familiarity and comfort with financial modeling and accounting 
Experience with high-quality slide-design and storyboarding 
Deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities businesses face in frontier markets, as well as the macro-economic trends that impact them
Possesses tangible grit, seeks differentiation by intentionally taking self outside of comfort zone physically, culturally and intellectually
Experience working with a range of stakeholders (including private equity firms, Development Finance Institutions, and development agencies) to support investments in high impact sectors 
Demonstrated fluency in English, both written and verbal

Primary Responsibilities

Drive day to day project execution on workstreams including: 
- Identifying and evaluating investment opportunities
- Conducting sector or geographic landscape assessments 
- Identifying and engaging with qualified regional and international investors
- Building and maintaining relationships with local sponsors and international investors through sophisticated and sharp communication.
Support the firm’s business development efforts in the the region by:
- Performing market assessments and identify key potential clients and partners within regional markets
- Developing strategies for using CrossBoundary services to drive value for these potential clients
- Working closely with CrossBoundary leadership on developing partnerships and pursuing new business opportunities in regional markets
Support on transaction advisory engagements by:
- Supporting or often leading complex commercial due diligence assignments 
- Performing market research and developing client-facing recommendations 
- Providing value-creation recommendations for post investment strategy 
- Advising on the structuring and deploying of blended finance vehicles

Location
This role is based in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Interested in applying?
Think You Have What It Takes? Research shows that while men apply to roles when they meet an average of 60% of the criteria, women often only apply when they meet every requirement. If you’re passionate about what we’re building, apply! We want to hear from you.

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 recruiting@crossboundary.com

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