Investment Manager – Airbel Ventures (Kenya)

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world's largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you're a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.

Job Overview:

Airbel Ventures is the IRC's impact investing arm, launched in July 2025 to bridge humanitarian need and private-sector innovation. It invests in seed-stage businesses across Africa and parts of MENA that can help reach more people, faster, and at lower cost in humanitarian contexts, with a focus on climate, health, education, and economic opportunities. Airbel Ventures is a separate entity, wholly owned by the IRC, governed by a Board and an Investment Committee.

The Investment Manager will play a central role in sourcing, evaluating, and managing investments in early-stage companies that deliver both strong impact and financial returns. The role reports to the Managing Partner of Airbel Ventures and works closely with IRC's Country Programs and technical teams to build traction for portfolio companies within humanitarian markets.

The Investment Manager is expected to leverage AI tools strategically to enhance effectiveness and efficiency in research and analysis, ensuring all AI-generated content is reviewed for accuracy, quality, and alignment with the IRC's mission and values.

Major Responsibilities:

• Deal Sourcing: Identify and cultivate relationships with relevant startups, accelerators/incubators, and investors across Africa.

• Due Diligence: Lead due diligence processes, including market analysis, financial modeling, impact assessment, and risk evaluation. Develop Investment Memos (IMs) to present to the Investment Committee.

• Portfolio Management: Support portfolio companies post-investment through strategic guidance, fundraising support, and impact assessments, and build traction and use cases in humanitarian markets in coordination with IRC's Country Programs and technical teams.

• Strategy: Contribute to deepened sector mapping and refine investment theses across Airbel Ventures' focus sectors, sub-sectors, and verticals.

• Partnerships & Ecosystem Engagement: Represent Airbel Ventures in regional investor networks, events, and conferences, strengthening its visibility and partnerships in the African venture ecosystem.

• Internal Stakeholder Engagement: Manage relevant IRC internal stakeholders through the full investment cycle and post-investment, including when building use cases and traction in humanitarian contexts.

• Other Support: Support the Managing Partner on fundraising, overall portfolio strategy, and broader internal stakeholder engagement within the IRC.

Job Requirements:

Work Experience:

• Right to work in Kenya required.

• 6–8 years of experience in venture capital, impact investing, development finance, or management consulting, with project experience in impact investing.

• Experience managing due diligence processes from sourcing to closing.

• Experience within African startup ecosystems, with existing networks across the African startup ecosystem.

Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:

• Excellent financial analysis skills, including financial modeling.

• Excellent analytical skills.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

• Demonstrated interest in impact investing and innovation for underserved or frontier markets.

• Comfort working across diverse sectors and geographies.

• Entrepreneurial mindset, high independence, and ability to thrive in an early-stage team environment.

• Ability to drive execution while navigating multiple internal stakeholder segments within a large global NGO.

• Ability to leverage AI tools strategically in research and analysis, reviewing AI-generated content for accuracy, quality, and alignment with the IRC's mission and values.

Education:

Master's degree in finance, business, economics, or a related field preferred.

Working Environment:

• Standard office working environment based in Nairobi, Kenya.

• Some regional and international travel required to engage with startups, investor networks, and ecosystem events across Africa.

The IRC is prioritizing candidates based in Kenya with the right to work in the country; however, candidates with exceptional experience based in countries where IRC has a registered office may also be considered.

Professional Standards: All International Rescue Committee workers must adhere to the core values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. Our Standards are Integrity, Service, Equality and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Safeguarding, Conflicts of Interest, Fiscal Integrity, and Reporting Wrongdoing and Protection from Retaliation. IRC is committed to take all necessary preventive measures and create an environment where people feel safe, and to take all necessary actions and corrective measures when harm occurs. IRC builds teams of professionals who promote critical reflection, power sharing, debate, and objectivity to deliver the best possible services to our clients.

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Why Choose the IRC?

Work that has meaning: Every day at the IRC is a chance to make a difference through a purpose-driven career. Whether you're working directly with communities or providing support behind the scenes, you will be part of a dynamic team that is always innovating, scaling, and testing new and better solutions to ensure the best possible outcomes for the people we serve.

Global scale, dynamic workplace: At the IRC, we believe that the dynamic, global make-up of our team is our strength. When you join us, you're not just starting a job—you will be part of a global organization positively impacting millions of lives in over 40 get to work with colleagues from all around the world—working across time zones and regularly exchanging different ideas, perspectives and insights. You’ll join a team that is dedicated to fostering a supportive environment to create a workplace where everyone feels valued, respected, and heard.  

Challenging work, innovative solutions: We’re committed to excellence and innovation, and pride ourselves in setting industry-leading standards while practicing evidence and data-lead strategies. Come challenge norms, shatter conventions, and pioneer change while working on real, nuanced and complex issues we face in the world today.  

Community centered: We’re an empathetic community that truly cares for one another. Our comprehensive safety and security initiatives ensure a safe work environment, while our continuous learning and development programs provide ongoing opportunities for personal and career advancement.

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Our Typical Recruitment Process

The interview process typically includes three rounds, though the number may vary depending on the role and level of seniority. It usually begins with a conversation with our recruiting team to learn more about you and your goals. This is followed by an interview with a hiring manager or business stakeholder to explore your background and provide more insight into the role. The final round focuses on assessing your role-specific expertise and may be conducted as a panel interview to evaluate your cross-functional strengths. Before extending an offer, we generally conduct reference checks, and after an offer is made, a standard background check is completed. While we strive for consistency, the process may differ based on the role, business unit, location, job type, legal requirements, and other factors.

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