About the position

The Investment Associate will play a key role supporting WES’ 100% mission-aligned investment portfolio – including the organization’s catalytic and thematic investing strategies. This role supports pipeline development, diligence activities, structure a broad range of investment tools (e.g., debt, equity, guarantees, recoverable grants), ongoing monitoring and evaluation, data analyses, partner support, and overall investment processes. The Investment Associate contributes to WES’ efforts to demonstrate a trust-based investment approach which shifts power to proximate leaders and collaborate with leading organizations in the impact investing and philanthropic fields. This position reports to the Senior Manager, Thematic Investments, works closely with members of other WES departments and will significant exposure to members of WES Executive Leadership Team, and members of the WES Board of Directors.

Responsibilities

• Originate new investment opportunities across catalytic and thematic portfolios, build strong pipeline channels, and conduct deep market research to identify high-quality investment opportunities.
• Contribute to investment due diligence across financial, strategic, and impact dimensions, synthesizing complex data into clear insights and recommendations.
• Support investment analysis, financial modeling, benchmarking, and portfolio monitoring, including dashboards, reporting, forecasts, and trend analysis.
• Contribute to WES' overarching investment strategy, alongside WES’ Investment team, leadership, and Board.
• Support the development of high-quality screening and investment memos, and other key materials, to enable decision-making.
• Contribute to design and continuous improvement of WES’s end-to-end investment processes, including pipeline management, diligence frameworks, portfolio monitoring, valuation processes, and reporting systems; identify gaps and implement scalable solutions in partnership with internal and external stakeholders.
• Manage project management and CRM systems to support WES leaders in meeting and managing key milestones and goals related to its mission investing portfolio.
• Support the Investments Platform Manager in portfolio monitoring, valuation and performance reporting, supporting the development of monthly Cash and Investment Reviews and bi-annual Performance Monitoring and Valuation Analyses, and developing ad-hoc analyses and risk assessments for internal stakeholders.
• Act as an internal connector and advocate for impact investing within the WES ecosystem, operating as a knowledgeable resource and fostering integration across WES’ teams and departments.
• Partner with the Investments Platform Manager to develop and execute a knowledge management strategy, integrating investment activities and insights across WES to advance organizational priorities and strategy.
• Partner with Senior Director, Investments on overall department leadership and management, providing ad hoc administrative support.
• Support dynamic learning, knowledge sharing, and thought leadership among WES’ investee partners and the broader field.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in business, finance, or related field, or equivalent work experience.
• An investment professional with experience in impact investing or an adjacent field such as venture capital, venture philanthropy, private equity, community development financing, fund investments, social enterprise development, investment banking, and/or private debt.
• 2+ years of related work experience or 1 year of work experience.
• Demonstrated strong analytical and data management 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 statements, conducting portfolio analysis, building models, and preparing clear summaries and visuals.
• Strong command of technology tools, including Microsoft Office (especially PowerPoint, Excel, Word, and OneDrive), Salesforce or other CRM systems, Tableau, and Google Apps.
• 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.
• 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.
• Thrive in an environment that values transparency, accountability, collaboration, and an orientation for results.
• Possess intellectual curiosity, an openness to diverse ideas and perspectives, and a continued interest in learning and professional development.
• Have a deep commitment to WES’ mission, trust-based investing, and centering JEDI (justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion) in our work.

Nice-to-haves

• MBA or Master’s degree in a related field.
• Bring lived experience from immigrant and refugee communities and communities of color, as well the issues that the Investment team focuses on.
• Travel as needed to meet with partners, attend conferences, and to WES’ NYC and Toronto offices

Benefits

• Competitive compensation
• Comprehensive benefits
• Tangible rewards
• Comprehensive training programs
• Tuition reimbursement opportunities
• Remote work options
• Flexible scheduling
• Generous time-off policies
• Wellness programs