About This Role

As an Associate you will join the team and play a critical role in supporting strategic partnerships and fundraising to accelerate the high growth of the business. You will report to a Manager in the Corporate Finance & Strategy team. This role is based at our office in Nairobi, Kenya with regular travel to our Coastal and Central Kenya offices.

What you will do

• You will be responsible to identify and develop strategic business opportunities including international expansion in collaboration with Mitsui;
• establish new sales channels and build key accounts in both domestic and export markets with the support of the Commercial team and Senior Advisor from Mitsui;
• support debt and equity fundraising including Series C to enable the fast growth of our business;
• support the development of an innovative new financing structure, Smallholder Forestry Vehicle, with advanced financial modeling and deal structuring; and
• manage relationships with current and potential future investors, including information management, due-diligence support, and high-quality reporting

What we are looking for

• Minimum 3 years of professional work experience in a relevant role ideally in a fast-paced, demanding professional environment such as a management consulting, investment banking, investment firm, trading & investment company, and high-growth startup
• Strong educational background including top grades from a well regarded university. A Masters degree in a related field (Business, International Development, Forestry, Environmental Science, Economics) or professional qualification (e.g., CFA, CPA, ACCA) is advantageous but not essential
• A great communicator who thrives in a collaborative environment, and is able to convey complex information clearly and concisely both in writing and verbally. A team player who is comfortable in a startup environment, working across a number of different projects
• Experience in project/stakeholder management and business development skills to launch new strategic projects with Mitsui
• Fluency in Japanese and expertise in Japanese corporate culture are must for this specific role