Investment Officer - 6 month contract

Adam Smith International is seeking an Investment Officer (‘the Adviser’) for a medium term position as part of the three year, UK Department for International Development (DFID) funded, Kuza project (formerly known as the Mombasa County Youth Employment Project). The Adviser will work with the manufacturing team within the Market Development Component. The position will be full-time for an initial period of 6 months, with potential for extension.

Background to Adam Smith International

Adam Smith International is a leading professional services business that delivers real impact, value and lasting change through projects supporting economic growth and government reform internationally. Our reputation as a global leader has been built on the positive results our projects have achieved in many of the world’s most challenging environments.

Our wide-ranging experience can be grouped into two main areas that contribute to government reform and economic growth. Government reform includes justice, security and peace-building, public sector reform, public financial management, revenue reform and education reform. Economic growth includes services in extractive industries governance, infrastructure, climate change, trade facilitation and private sector development.

We are headquartered in London, with offices in Nairobi, Abuja, New Delhi and Sydney, along with major project offices in many developing countries worldwide. Our projects are funded by a wide range of donor organisations, including the UK Government’s Department for International Development (DFID), the World Bank, the Swedish and Danish Government’s development agencies Sida and Danida, the European Commission and the Asian Development Bank. In addition, we also work directly for host governments.

Over more than 20 years, Adam Smith International has implemented some of the most complex solutions in many of the world’s most challenging environments. We apply professional standards, technical know-how and cultural sensitivity to every context. We’re proven to bring the best minds together and are known for turning policies into action. Our work is award-winning, such as the most recent 2011/12 British Expertise Development Project of the Year, Major Project of the Year, Consultancy Project of the Year and Young Consultant of the Year.

Background to the project

MCYEP intends to address selected root causes of youth unemployment in Kenya’s second city, and thereby to encourage productive and sustainable job creation for Mombasa’s young men and women. It will consist of a combination of 3 components: skills development; market development of business sectors; and policy and advocacy support. The market development component has selected manufacturing, waste management and micro-retail sectors as having strong potential for job creating growth within Mombasa Country, and will work with businesses, support sectors and public institution to overcome constraints to this growth.

A clear constraint on enterprises in the manufacturing (and other) sector(s) is the lack of investment into Mombasa County. Mombasa lacks a clear proposition to market the county to investors and the systems to facilitate and follow-up. A low level of inward investment into the county means there is little awareness of the needs of investors among the business community in Mombasa, and limited interest in Mombasa from the investment community within Kenya and internationally. Kuza aims to provide a systemic remedy to these constraints through a set of interventions related to investment promotion.

Responsibilities

• Overall Support to Investment Intervention


• Revise and update intervention strategy in consultation with Sector Lead.


• Contribute to Monitoring and Results Measurement work.


• County Level Investment Attraction and Facilitation Strategy


• Support the County Government and other stakeholders in Mombasa in their development of an Investment Attraction and Facilitation Framework and establishment of an advisory group to provide oversight to investment promotion activities in the county.


• Support development of propositions for selected priority sectors and other marketing materials for Mombasa County and ensure they speak to interests of investors.


• Work with, and monitor progress of, the County Government investment functions and advisory group and seek solutions to challenges encountered.


• Ensure links are sought to ensure that all publicly available research carried out in Mombasa (e.g. by NGOs/Donors, other government bodies, academic institutions etc.) is available to the advisory group.


• Connect with Nairobi based or international investment intermediaries and/or investment funds to ensure their awareness of, and input to, investment promotion in Mombasa.


• Investor Readiness Activities for Mombasa Based Businesses


• Identify common areas of deficiency for Mombasa businesses to meet the requirements of investors.


• Develop and implement strategy to either deliver, or support delivery of appropriate expertise for investor readiness by public and private sector bodies already active in business support services.


• Develop cost-effective means for Mombasa based businesses to work with investor intermediaries to gain relevant preparation.

Selection criteria

We are looking for a dynamic and energetic team player with:

• Postgraduate qualification in Business/Economics/Finance or similar field.


• At least 3 years’ experience of working in analytical/strategic role in an investment intermediary/investment fund/corporate finance group/management consultant/ international finance organisation, etc.


• Proven experience in developing strategies relevant to this assignment and organising their own work to deliver on these strategies.


• Exposure to international trade and investment trends and practices.


• Well-developed network of relevant contacts in the investment industry.


• Experience undertaking due diligence, preparing business plans and investor memoranda, and otherwise supporting businesses to become business ready.Strong experience of investment attraction and facilitation in Kenya and regionally.


• Strong written and spoken English is essential. Fluency in Kiswahili is desirable.


• The right to work in Kenya is essential.


• Experience working in Mombasa desirable.

Duration and timing

Full time for an initial period of 6 months, resident in Mombasa, with the potential to extend for an additional 6 months.