Director of Credit

Global Partnerships (GP) is an impact-first fund manager dedicated to expanding opportunity for people living in poverty. Impact-first investing means investing in a way that seeks the greatest possible social impact, while seeking to preserve capital with a modest financial return for investors. GP believes that impact-first investing has an essential role to play in advancing sustainable solutions to poverty for millions of people worldwide.

GP creates and manages impact-first investment funds that make loans and early-stage investments in social enterprises serving people living in poverty, primarily in Latin America and Africa. The GP team is comprised of mission-driven, dedicated, high-performing colleagues working primarily from offices in Seattle, Washington (USA), Bogotá, Colombia, and Nairobi, Kenya. To learn more about Global Partnerships, please visit our website at

ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The Director of Credit is a key position within GP’s Social Investment Team (SIT). The Director of Credit will lead and manage the development and implementation of Global Partnerships’ credit policies and procedures, including relevant industry and country-level underwriting guidelines for a portfolio of loans to social businesses in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Africa.

The Director of Credit will manage a team of Investment Analysis Officers (IAOs). The team’s primary mission is to ensure adequate credit quality within the loan portfolios, using advanced analysis techniques, proper information systems, and credit experience.

This role will be based in our regional office in Bogotá, Colombia. The role reports to the Chief Investment Officer, who is based in Seattle, Washington. This is a full-time position and standard company benefits will apply.

Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the team of investment analysis officers managing the credit portfolio of active investments to ensure credit ratings are up-to-date and GP can proactively identify material changes to credit portfolio quality.
• Track with the team covenant breaches with existing loan agreements. The Director of Credit will review any non-compliance and promptly recommend to the Chief Investment Officer any actions to be taken, including waivers, formal letters declaring potential events of default, and enforcement of remedies.
• Recommend credit risk rating changes, loan loss reserve levels, and any charge-offs, subject to final approval from the Chief Investment Officer.
• Develop and implement policies and procedures related to credit processes and systems, in close coordination with the Finance and Operations Team.
• Support the development of risk analysis tools, to ensure portfolio risk analytics are maintained with strong data quality.
• Develop and implement policy and procedures related to underwriting tools, including screening and due diligence reports formats, and financial analysis tools, in close coordination with all the members of the Social Investment Team.
• Lead the team of investment analysis officers analyzing new investment proposals, identifying key credit risks and mitigants, and providing a detailed credit rating analysis on potential investments. Provide transaction recommendations to the Chief Investment Officer, Chief Lending Officer, and Investment Committee.
• In collaboration with the Portfolio Directors in our Regional Offices, support the initial screening of potential debt investments to identify investment risks, due diligence topics, and provide initial financial analysis and credit structuring guidance.

Qualifications:

• Demonstrated knowledge of finance and credit/investment risk management, likely to be gained from:
• A bachelor’s and/or master’s degree in a related field such as finance, economics, business, or social entrepreneurship (or related field); and
• Minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible experience in commercial lending or related financial services; experience lending to financial institutions, agricultural organizations, and other social enterprises preferred.
• Minimum of 3 years of management and supervisory experience. The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate how they have achieved results, fostered teamwork, successfully coached less experienced personnel, and created a high-performing team.
• Impact Investing experience is a plus but not essential. However, knowledge of industry dynamics and credit analysis approaches towards microfinance, agriculture, clean energy, healthcare, or related sectors, is highly preferred.
• Experience in lending in less developed countries is strongly preferred. Cultural awareness of the challenges and opportunities of lending in Latin America, Africa, and Asia will distinguish the successful candidate.
• Experience in developing and implementing credit risk management frameworks.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, capable of highly professional engagement with colleagues and key stakeholders.
• Proficiency in various software tools used to assist in analyzing and understanding levels and characteristics of credit risk.
• Business language fluency in English and Spanish required, and French/Portuguese preferred.
• Ability to travel internationally (estimated 10%).
• A desire to make an impact in an organization working to expand opportunities for people living in poverty.
• Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills, with the ability to cut through complex issues, design analytical frameworks, identify key takeaways, and deliver actionable insights.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate both within and across teams and flexibility to work across various projects and functions.
• Capacity to build trust-based relationships across cultural, language, and socio-economic differences, including within remote global teams.
• Self-motivated work ethic, with a track record of proactive engagement and the ability to see tasks through to completion independently.
• Highly organized and capable of balancing multiple priorities, with high attention to detail and thoughtful knowledge management.
• Embodies GP’s culture: D edicated, S trategic, C ollaborative, A spirational, L earning, and E xcellence.

WHAT WE OFFER

• Be a key manager leading the Credit team and supporting the Investment teams of an industry-recognized Impact-First investment manager.
• The opportunity to drive the analytics, systems, data, and reporting tools that allow GP to maximize its Impact-First investment mandates.
• The responsibility to innovate and lead portfolio and risk analytics workstreams into new areas and have the support and space to quickly become a subject matter expert.
• Develop in-depth knowledge of social enterprises across Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa.

HOW TO APPLY

Required Application Documents (ENGLISH ONLY):

• Resume

Global Partnerships is an equal-opportunity employer.

Applications will be accepted, and candidates considered, until November 15, 2024. Qualified candidates will be interviewed on a rolling basis, so early applications are highly encouraged.

Due to the volume of applications, we will contact only those candidates selected for interviews – no follow-ups, please.

Finalists will be asked to submit references, including name, email, and phone number, of at least two former supervisors. All offers will be contingent upon reference checks as well as a background check.