Title: Senior Manager, Investments
Department: Investments
Reporting to: Senior Director of Investments
Salary: 125K - 140K CAD
Location: Candidates based in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Nova Scotia or willing to relocate.
Description:
WES is seeking a Senior Manager, Investments to join the growing Investments team. The Senior Manager will play a central role in building out WES’ investing portfolio – which represents about 30% of WES’ total reserves – and shape WES’ 100% mission-aligned investing strategy. This is a unique and exciting opportunity to execute the end-to-end deal flow process for new investments, structure investments largely in private equity and venture funds, demonstrate an equitable and trust-based investment approach, support WES’ investee partners, and collaborate with leading organizations in the impact investing and ESG investing fields.
They will report to the Senior Director, Investments, work closely with other WES departments, partner with WES’ external investment advisor, and have significant exposure to members of WES Executive Leadership Team, and members of the WES Board of Directors. This role is remote and open to candidates located in either the U.S. and Canada. We are seeking candidates who are willing to travel to WES’ offices in New York City and Toronto periodically, as needed.
Responsibilities:
Investing & Portfolio Management – 60%
- Proactively source and evaluate new investment opportunities, including analyzing industry trends, understanding the competitive landscape, conducting impact and financial due diligence, and determining the value and optimal structure under various finance and operating scenarios.
- Present opportunities and deals, including writing high-quality screening and investment memos and supporting materials, for WES leadership consideration and approval.
- Establish and manage trust-based relationships with WES’ investee partners: provide strategic support, design and oversee capacity building initiatives, design and facilitate cohort meetings, track and review investee partner deliverables and outcomes.
- Select and manage relationships with external consultants and strategic advisors.
- Partner with WES’ Finance team and external counsel on structuring and negotiating the financial and legal terms of new investments.
- Analyze and track the performance, financial and social reporting, and payments from portfolio companies, including synthesizing data into financial models, impact dashboards, and presentations.
External Investment Advisory Management and Broader Strategy Development – 20%
- Partner with the Senior Director, Investments and external consultants/advisors to design and implement WES’ growing mission-aligned investing strategy, including the development of key policies, investment theses, processes, indicators, and more.
- Manage project management tools to support WES leaders in meeting and managing key milestones and goals related to its mission investing portfolio.
- Develop materials that enable decision-making and present updates to the WES Senior Leadership and Board Investment Committee.
Knowledge Management and Thought Leadership - 10%
- Design and execute approaches to enable dynamic learning and knowledge sharing among WES’ investee partners, other WES teams and departments, and the broader field.
- Act as an internal connector and advocate for mission-aligned investing within the WES ecosystem, operating as a knowledgeable resource and fostering integration across WES’ teams and departments.
- Serve as a thought-leader in specific strategy areas (e.g., edtech, future of work, ownership models, participatory investing, trust-based philanthropy) drafting blogs and opinion writing to highlight WES’ investee partners, synthesizing and lifting up insights from across the field with support from Communications colleagues.
- Represent WES at external events, working groups, and other forums to disseminate key learnings from WES’ investment work and raise the visibility of WES’ investee partners and supported initiatives.
- Develop written content and copy for including blogs or social media, and talking points that can be utilized by WES’s Strategic Communications team.
Ad-Hoc Organizational Support - 10%
- Manage graduate interns with the potential to manage more junior team members as the Investment team grows.
- Occasional travel to meet with partners, attend conferences and to WES’ NYC and Toronto offices.
Requirements:
Required
- An investment professional with experience in fund investing or an adjacent field such as endowment investing, venture capital, venture philanthropy, private equity, community development financing, impact or ESG investing, investment banking, and/or consulting.
- 7+ years of related work experience or 5+ years of work experience with an MBA or Master’s degree in a similar field is
- Demonstrated analytical skills to assess situations, break down complex problems, identify strategic tradeoffs, and apply learnings in a larger context.
- Exceptional project manager who thrives on a dynamic team, delivers high-quality work, enjoys managing multiple projects, and has a strong learning orientation.
- Comfort working with and drawing insights from financial data and models.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills that convey complex information, including quantitative and qualitative data, to stakeholders in compelling and adaptive formats.
- Good interpersonal skills, including tact, diplomacy, and flexibility, and demonstrated experience building trust with diverse stakeholder groups.
- Strong command of technology tools, including Microsoft Office (especially PowerPoint, Excel, Word, and OneDrive), Salesforce or other CRM systems, Tableau, and Google Apps.
- Have a deep commitment to WES’ mission, trust-based investing, and centering JEDI (justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion) in our work.
- Bring lived experience from migrant communities, communities of color, as well the issues that the Investment team focuses on.
- Have a deep-rooted intellectual curiosity, an openness to diverse ideas and perspectives, and a continued interest in learning and professional development.
- Bring a “can-do” attitude, have a willingness to stretch up and down in their role, take on additional responsibilities, and quickly establish credibility in new areas of work.
- Build collaborative, trust-based working relationships with colleagues and external partners, mobilizing people at all levels towards collective goals.
- Bring an entrepreneurial mindset to generate new approaches, spot innovative opportunities, take calculated risks, and initiate action.
- Have a background understanding of finance, investing, modeling, and due diligence
- Thrive in an environment that values transparency, accountability, collaboration, and an orientation for results.
Desired
- We are seeking candidates who are willing to travel to WES’ offices in New York City and Toronto periodically, as needed.
Our Commitment:
World Education Services is committed to fostering an inclusive workplace that reflects the rich tapestry of our communities, both in the US and Canada. This commitment is underscored by our unwavering dedication to providing equal opportunities to all qualified individuals, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or genetics. This commitment extends to every aspect of employment, from recruitment and hiring to promotions, training, and benefits. We comply with all applicable federal, state, and local anti-discrimination laws. For us, diversity goes beyond compliance – it's about embracing unique perspectives and cultivating an environment where everyone feels valued and empowered to reach their full potential.
If you require assistance and/or accommodation at any point during the recruitment process, please contact us at hiring@wes.org, we're here to support you. Our Talent Acquisition team is happy to work with you to find solutions that meet your needs.
For more information about WES, please visit our website at www.WES.org
