Chile Portfolio Associate

Organization Profile:

NESsT is an international non-profit organization with offices in Latin America and Europe and a global leadership team based in the U.S. NESsT's major goal is to transform lives by investing in social enterprises that provide dignified employment for communities facing isolation, discrimination, lack of job skills and poor education while sustaining the planet. We believe that locally based social enterprises are uniquely qualified to transform these communities. These enterprises are on the ground, have the trust of the communities, and have created businesses aligned with their best interests.  

Latin America Acceleration Program Description:   

There is a large gap that currently exists in the ecosystems where NESsT is present. Social entrepreneurs are often given support to launch their initial business ideas, but then they are often left on their own to validate and grow their businesses. There is a blatant lack of support for this "missing middle" stage when entrepreneurs continue to need business services as well as philanthropic and soft capital support to build out their businesses.  

NESsT, along with its partners, join forces to co-create programs to address this gap and support selected social enterprises working across Chile, Colombia, Perú and Brazil. The programs aim to equip social entrepreneurs to grow their enterprises and provide dignified employment, income and quality of life to vulnerable people in these countries. This, in turn, will impact their families, other community members and customers.  

The social enterprises receive hands-on guidance from the NESsT team, external advisors, and private sector co-workers as volunteer mentors to support the social entrepreneurs with their business scale-up plans.   

Specifically, NESsT Acceleration Programs provide growth social entrepreneurs with the business services and appropriate financial capital needed to manage and grow their business and impact. As a result, they will be better positioned to improve their storytelling to reach business and social impact objectives. And they will be better able to manage their social enterprise impact. Overall, the programs also increase the awareness of our partners' customers about social enterprise products and services and the dissemination of best practices to the broader social enterprise sector. 

Position Overview:

• The Portfolio Associate will support the investment strategy for a portfolio of high-impact social enterprises in Chile.
• This position will support enterprises once they enter the NESsT portfolio, including assisting the enterprise team to validate their business models and to develop their management and governance, commercial and financial systems, as well as networks and strategies needed to grow their businesses for more significant impact and scale.
• The Portfolio Associate will perform NESsT's due diligence  review of candidate social enterprises for our portfolio, analyzing their financial sustainability and impact potential, and proposing investment recommendations for review and approval by the NESsT investment committee.
• The Portfolio Associate is also responsible for communications-related activities to increase the visibility and positioning of NESsT and the portfolio among key stakeholders as defined by the program communication plan.
• The position will report to the NESsT representative in Chile and the Portfolio Director, and will also work closely with local and international team members to continue to develop and improve NESsT business services and impact methodology overall and to contribute to the growth of the social enterprise sector. 
• This is a part-time position based in Chile.

Key Duties & Responsibilities:

Portfolio Development:

• Support in the Implementation of business services, focusing on strengthening the management and governance, marketing and sales, operations and financing and social/environmental impact of each enterprise assigned. Leverage competencies of external mentors and advisors from NESsT's corporate partners.
• Provide ongoing management, monitoring, evaluation, impact measurement and reporting on new and existing investments to recommend opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Work closely with portfolio enterprises to develop annual financial and social goals and business services plans to help enterprises reach their goals.
• Support  the process of evaluating candidates for the NESsT's portfolio, including a preliminary assessment of business potential and social impact.
• Support in conducting due diligence and financial modelling, and develop investment packages (grants, recoverable grants, patient loans) for social enterprises being assessed to enter the NESsT portfolio in Chile. Develop the Investment Memo for presentation to the Investment Committee.
• Manage internal systems related to knowledge management and data management and develop reports (technical and administrative) regarding the performance of the portfolio or due diligence members.
• Assist the Portfolio Director and other team members in coordinating volunteer engagement and learning opportunities for corporate partners. This mentoring network provides technical and business advisory services and helps leverage other investors and donors.
• Support the organization of events related to the portfolio, including retreats, site visits (for NESsT and donors/partners/investors), exchange visits, webinars, mentoring and coaching sessions and local and regional conferences.
• Develop a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for Portfolio Director approval, monitor grant disbursement and expenses reported by enterprises supported by NESsT.
• Assist the Portfolio Director and other team members in the search for new partners or investors to raise further resources to invest in the social enterprises of the NESsT portfolio or to include new social enterprises in the portfolio.

Communications:

• Help portfolio enterprises to develop a communications strategy and plan that will contribute to positioning them with existing and potential clients, as well as NESsT enterprises with the overall social impact sector. 

• Support the work to position NESsT as a social impact investor with a strong track record in growing social enterprises and creating dignified employment. Activities include coordinating with Portfolio Director and the Global Communications Team to produce press releases, articles, blogs, newsletters, publications, photo essays, and videos related to the NESsT portfolio and initiatives to communicate impact to the broader audience.

Qualifications:

• A bachelor's degree and five years minimum of progressively responsible experience in finance, strategy and consulting is required.
• Knowledge or experience in developing commercial strategy and/or digital marketing is a plus.
• Experience in investment banking, private equity, venture capital or as an entrepreneur is a plus, as well as an understanding of impact investing . Strong analytical skills, financial modelling experience and the ability to approach tasks in a highly organized, logical and diligent manner. Knowledge about impact measurement is a plus.
• Strong corporate and commercial network and capacity to generate value through this network.
• Demonstrated experience in and commitment to social impact. This can include volunteer positions, and working or supporting social enterprises as a mentor is a plus.
• Language: native Spanish speaker, and good to excellent verbal and written skills in English to be an effective communicator among diverse internal and external audiences.
• Ability to effectively work under pressure, manage multiple tasks simultaneously and produce high-quality work within tight time constraints.
• Ability to work in teams (on-site and virtual)
• Ability to be flexible, resourceful and innovative in a small, dynamic, non-profit environment.
• Familiarity and comfort with Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint). Salesforce experience is a plus.
• Availability to travel locally or internationally.

Compensation: Will be commensurate with work experience and skill provided. NESsT offers a competitive salary and benefits. The non-monetary payment includes a unique opportunity to be part of a meaningful global organization that is changing the world by investing in emerging market businesses that offer employment, sustainable income, and improved quality of life for people facing the greatest work barriers. This position will be hired as an employee, not an independent contractor.

Location:  Remote but based in Chile – working from a home office or co-working space.

Schedule: 22 hours a week. Due to the fact that NESsT is an international organization, ocasiuonally online meetings, training, and conferences sometimes occur outside normal working hours.

Travel: This position requires some travel (i.e., visits to NESsT portfolio members within Chile).

Start Date: November 2024.

To apply:

Please apply for this position by uploading the following materials in English by clicking on the green 'apply for this job' button.

• A thoughtful cover letter explaining why you're the right fit for this role.
• Your resume
• Statement on salary expectations and your available start date.

Applications are being assessed on a rolling basis till the position is filled.

NESsT is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer committed to identifying and developing the skills and leadership of people from diverse backgrounds.

In our constant quest to strengthen and diversify our team, we want to inform you that this position is affirmative for women, indigenous people, people of colour, or the LGBTQIA community. If you identify with any, we encourage you to apply.