Investment Officer

Update

The Investment Officer will be responsible for originating, assessing, structuring, and monitoring the below processes:
(i) sourcing and screening investment opportunities, including through competitive Calls for Proposals /Expressions of Interest (EOI) based on market conditions as developed in baseline analyses, stakeholder engagements, and other sector reports;

(ii) undertaking market assessments of financial institutions (banks, MFIs, funds) to identify viable partners and design fit-for-purpose on-lending and/or risk-sharing arrangements;

(iii) liaising with national financial institutions on the design and implementation of credit products to the sustainable energy sector value chain;

(iv) leading investment structuring, appraisal and underwriting support for local financial institutions which could on-lend to associations of producers, cooperatives and MSMEs;

(v) coordinating closely with UNCDF and partner technical teams (and other UN agencies/Government counterparts, as relevant) to ensure alignment between the investment component and technical assistance interventions (without leading or delivering technical assistance activities).

The Investment Officer will work under the direct supervision of UNCDF Regional Investment Specialist (RIS) for Western and Central Africa and the Caribbean.
The Investment Officer may be required to travel for field missions to other regions of DRC such as Kisangani and Lubumbashi.Key Responsibilities

• Investment Underwriting & Due Diligence
o Lead the identification, sourcing and management of a high-quality transaction pipeline in line with UNCDF’s investment mandate, target sectors and eligibility criteria.
o Conduct preliminary screening of investment opportunities and prepare concise preassessment documentation (e.g., PAM) to support internal decision-making and prioritization.
o Lead and/or coordinate due diligence on shortlisted counterparties and transactions (financial, operational, legal, integrity and ESG), ensuring completeness and consistency with UNCDF investment policies and risk appetite.
o Develop, validate and refine financial models and credit analyses (cashflow projections, sensitivities, repayment capacity, leverage/DSCR where relevant) to assess viability, riskadjusted performance and scalability.
o Identify key risks (credit, operational, market, legal, ESG) and propose practical mitigation measures, including transaction structuring features, conditions precedent, covenants, reporting and monitoring requirements.
o Prepare high-quality investment memos and recommendations for submission to UNCDF internal investment governance bodies (as applicable), and coordinate responses to review comments from Risk, Legal, Finance and Programme teams.

• Pipeline Sourcing via Calls for Proposals / Expressions of Interest (EOI)
o Lead baseline data collection, including analysis of the investment landscape in the DRC for the thematic area, to identify currently available investment services and new stakeholders.
o Work with CAFI, UNOPS, and other donors to coordinate the pipeline and prepare equivalence assessments as necessary.
o Design and manage competitive Calls for Proposals / EOIs as a structured sourcing mechanism, including drafting the call package, defining eligibility criteria, evaluation methodology, scoring tools, and ensuring transparency, documentation and audit trail.
o Coordinate outreach and dissemination through relevant channels (industry associations, chambers, incubators/accelerators, DFIs, UN and Government networks) to maximize market coverage and quality of submissions.
o Manage the end-to-end selection workflow (screening, scoring, clarification process, committee review, decision documentation) and maintain an up-to-date pipeline tracker.
o Produce an EOI/CFP evaluation report with a ranked shortlist and clear justification, identifying key risks, gaps and proposed next steps for each shortlisted applicant.

• Market Assessment & Engagement of Financial Institutions (FIs)
o Conduct market assessments of financial institutions relevant to the project/region to identify viable partners and constraints/opportunities for serving target segments and value chains.
o Analyze FI products and operating practices (credit processes, collateral requirements, pricing, tenor constraints, portfolio performance, sector exposure), and assess institutional capacity (underwriting, risk management, MIS, ESG systems, reporting).
o Develop and maintain an FI mapping/database and a shortlist of priority FI partners, with an engagement plan and sequencing for partnership development.
o Recommend partnership modalities and fit-for-purpose financial arrangements (onlending facilities, risk-sharing/guarantees, blended structures, portfolio approaches), aligned with UNCDF fiduciary, risk and impact requirements.
o Support FI engagement and partnership development, including contributions to term sheets, partnership memos and relevant due diligence inputs (KYC/AML, integrity, ESG screening, operational capacity).

• Blended Finance Structuring & Transaction Design
o Design and structure catalytic/blended finance solutions using UNCDF instruments (e.g., loans, guarantees, investment grants where applicable), including concessionality logic, risk allocation and alignment with development additionality.
o Support negotiations on investment terms and agreements with investees, financial intermediaries and co-financiers, and ensure consistency of terms with UNCDF policies and governance approvals.
o Ensure investment structures incorporate practical monitoring, reporting and compliance requirements (financial, ESG and impact), and are implementable by counterparties.
o Develop partnerships and support the development of UNCDF's investment portfolio in the DRC, including with other entities supporting the energy sector in the DRC (e.g., SE4ALL, Fonds Mwinda, IFC, etc.).

• Coordination with Technical Teams (Non-TA Delivery Role)
o Coordinate closely with UNCDF and partner technical teams to ensure coherence between investment deployment and technical workstreams led by those technical
teams.
o Translate due diligence findings into clear technical workstream needs (as inputs to technical teams) and reflect agreed actions in transaction conditions, covenants, reporting and monitoring plans.
o Participate in joint planning/review sessions with technical teams and partners to ensure proper sequencing between technical activities and investment milestones, while maintaining separation of roles (technical teams lead TA; the Investment Officer leads investment sourcing/structuring/governance).

• Monitoring, Reporting & Impact Measurement
o Support the development and application of monitoring frameworks to track portfolio performance, compliance with investment terms, ESG requirements and impact indicators.
o Review and analyze investee/FI reporting, flag early warning signals, and prepare concise monitoring updates and portfolio insights for UNCDF management and relevant stakeholders.
o Support onsite due diligence, verification and monitoring missions as required, documenting findings and recommended actions.
o Monitor and control investment transactions in the thematic area and report results to the investment impact portfolio specialist and the deforestation monitoring and evaluation specialist.
o Capitalize on successes and achievements and contribute to UNCDF's institutional communications by providing articles and reports on investment activities in the DRC, in coordination with the communications specialist.

• Support broader UNCDF operations
o Contribute to internal advisory support and knowledge sharing on catalytic finance, private sector engagement and mobilization of finance flows aligned with UNCDF objectives (e.g., resilience and peacebuilding, climate/forests, sustainable food systems, jobs and biodiversity).
o Support resource mobilization and partner engagement activities through inputs to concept notes, presentations and investment narratives, as requested.
o Provide surge support to other programmes/initiatives as UNCDF’s portfolio evolves in the region, within the scope of expertise and availability.
o Participate in forums and working groups related to the thematic area of investment.