• Organization: Acumen Fund
  • Posted: January 27 2010
  • Location: Karachi, PK

Pakistan Summer Associate - Portfolios (4 positions)

Acumen Fund is a global non-profit venture fund. We seek to prove that small amounts of philanthropic capital, combined with large doses of business acumen, can build thriving enterprises that serve vast numbers of the poor. Our investments focus on delivering affordable, critical goods and services - like health, water, housing and energy - through innovative, market-oriented approaches in South Asia and Africa. www.acumenfund.org.

Position Description

Acumen Fund will hire several Summer Associates to help research in portfolios and metrics, perform due diligence and support high-potential investments. These associates will be able to use their business skills in researching and analyzing organizations and will get practical insights into a new approach in social investing. The business analysis will focus primarily in five portfolio areas:

  • Health - invests in technology that presents an opportunity to profoundly alter market dynamics in the healthcare landscape of the developing world.
  • Housing - invests in self-sustaining, scalable enterprises that focus on both supply of housing and credit for housing, and on broader financial innovations that provide economic access to the poor.
  • Water - invests capital and management support in financially sustainable and scalable enterprises that make safe and sufficient water accessible to the poor.
  • Energy - invests capital and management support in financially sustainable and scalable enterprises that make renewable energy options accessible to the poor.
  • Agriculture - invests in financially sustainable and scalable enterprises that serve to better the lives of poor farmer families by improving smallholder farmers' to better agricultural inputs and equipment
Acumen Fund also provides hands-on management support to enterprises in its portfolios, and summer associates are also asked to assist with specific projects addressing management challenges of portfolio companies. Some deliverables in the past have included financial models, competitor analyses, marketing strategies, and an exploration of export opportunities.  

Job Significance: The summer associate will be critical to further developing the portfolio of investments that Acumen Fund will consider funding, and to supporting our existing investments.

Supervisor

Saima Irtiza, Pakistan Business Manager

Saima joined the Acumen Fund, Pakistan office in April 2009 as Business Manager where her main responsibilities include the Portfolio, Finance & Operations and Talent areas. Prior to this, Saima worked as CEO and Managing Partner of The Review Private Limited, a company formed to acquire and run a test prep franchise, The Princeton Review and to operate as a licensee of the Swiss language school, inLingua International. Before making this entrepreneurial shift, Saima worked for six years in the financial sector; her last assignment was at Global Securities, a brokerage firm, where she worked as Senior Associate, Corporate Finance. Saima holds an MBA from Lahore University of Management Sciences.

Desired Qualifications and Experience

  • Candidate for MBA or similar graduate-level degree
  • Experience in financial analysis and modeling
  • Ability to take initiative with research and analysis
  • Commitment to Acumen Fund's mission
  • Non-profit experience, international NGO experience preferred
  • Academic training or work experience focused on health, water, agriculture, housing, or energy
  • Capacity to work with NGO managers in different countries/cultures
  • Capability to present investment ideas in memoranda to senior management and advisors
  • Fluency in Urdu language is an advantage

Program Dates

  • The Summer Associate Program begins on June 1, 2010
  • The internship duration is 10 weeks minimum.

Additional Information

  • Applicants are responsible for covering the costs of their travel, visa and lodging
  • Although applicants are primarily responsible for making arrangements for their travel, visa and lodging, Acumen Fund Pakistan will assist the applicants with supporting documentation (employment agreement) for the visa application
  • Acumen Fund Pakistan will cover costs for domestic work related travel
 Compensation

Rs. 15,000/month

Location

D-37/1, Block 3, Clifton, Karachi, Pakistan

To Apply

Deadline to apply is February 15, 2010.  
 
Please send your cover letter and resume to  summerinternspk@acumenfund.org. In your cover letter, highlight aspects of your experience that are relevant for this job, including volunteer service, and explain why you are interested in working with this organization. Please include the job title "Pakistan Summer Associate - Portfolio" in the subject line.