Director, Africa Agriculture and Trade Investment Fund (“AATIF”)

The Opportunity

Cygnum Capital is seeking an experienced investment professional to join the team managing the Africa Agriculture and Trade Investment Fund (AATIF) in London, Nairobi or Amsterdam. AATIF is a perpetual investment fund that provides debt capital to African agrifood companies and to financial institutions serving agrifood businesses across the value chain. Its investment objective is to help unlock Africa’s agricultural production potential, together with associated manufacturing, services and trade, by financing sustainable investments across the full agrifood value chain. The investment team is responsible for originating, structuring, executing, monitoring and managing AATIF’s investments.

Cygnum Capital’s asset management business focuses on private credit strategies in emerging and frontier markets. The firm manages and advises investment vehicles that provide tailored debt financing to businesses and financial institutions, with a particular focus on sustainable economic development across Africa.

The Director will report directly to the AATIF Fund Lead and will play a central role in sourcing and executing new investments, with a particular focus on investments in financial institutions. The position combines origination and relationship-building with credit analysis, transaction execution, portfolio monitoring and contributions to fund management. Through this role, the Director will support the continued growth of Cygnum Capital’s asset management activities while working on investments for AATIF and potentially other investment funds, deploying capital into commercially sound financial institutions that contribute to sustainable agricultural development and inclusive economic growth.

This opportunity is suited to a candidate with strong finance and credit skills and a sound understanding of the African banking and trade finance sector. The candidate should have an established network, fluency in English and, ideally, French, and the ability to work collaboratively with colleagues across investment, operations, legal, compliance, risk, E&S and impact functions. The role requires sound judgement, commercial discipline and a practical commitment to deploying capital where it can deliver both financial performance and measurable development impact.

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES:

Investment Origination & Execution

• Actively originate and analyse incoming investment opportunities with a focus on financial institutions across the African continent and in line with the investment strategy of AATIF which includes all types of debt capital products, senior unsecured, mezzanine and selectively tier 2 capital, as well as trade finance. Build, maintain and develop relationships with future and existing AATIF investment companies.
• Pursue selected investment opportunities that match the investment objectives of AATIF by handling the full desktop screening, full due diligence and investment execution process. The role includes the preparation and management of the external and internal investment documentation which includes term sheets, investment memoranda and proposals.
• Represent the investment opportunity in front of decision-making bodies like the investment committee as well as 2nd line of defence functions.
• Liaison with third parties involved in the transactions such us potential co-lenders/equity investors and external service providers, including lender’s technical, E&S, legal, insurance and financial advisors among others.
• Manage the full closing and initial disbursement process.
• AATIF supports innovative capital solutions for inefficient and less developed markets. The role incudes the opportunity to structure investment solutions tailor made for issues supporting agrifood businesses either directly or via financial institutions. This includes trade finance solutions, on- and off-balance sheet, within the operational capacity of AATIF.

Investment Management

• Manage the full relationship for performing investments.
• Monitor a portfolio of investments from a credit, compliance and impact perspective. Identify and analyse for potential deterioration of the credit profile of the investment company and prepare recommendations for action where appropriate.
• Produce input into Cygnum’s monitoring and valuation procedures by preparing regular credit updates within agreed timescales and based on adjusted to the risk profile and structural complexity.
• Provide input into AATIF’s regular investor reporting.
• Support the production of marketing materials for potential investors to assist the Cygnum Capital’s and AATIF’s fund raising activities.

General Business Development & Management

• Support business development for AATIF as part of the investment team along other funds managed by Cygnum Capital across its Asset Management division.
• Support the Cygnum Capital’s AM marketing related to AATIF, including working on written and verbal pitches.
• Cross team collaboration supporting the Fund team and/or taking the lead in a variety of initiatives that aim to improve efficiency, communication, quality, etc: creating templates, implementing new standards and tools, ensuring information is properly filed, others.

PROFILE OF CANDIDATE:

• Strong expertise in both, the African agricultural value chains as well as the African banking sector.
• Hands-on experience for debt capital products based on cross-border transactions
• Possess an academic background in finance, economics, agribusiness, or a closely related discipline.
• Bring 7+ years of relevant professional experience in a client facing position.
• Exhibit strong command of English and ideally French or Portuguese in both written and verbal form.
• Operate effectively both independently and as part of a team, with the agility to manage diverse responsibilities in a dynamic work environment.
• Willing to travel frequently across the region.
• Share a commitment to advancing sustainable agriculture and rural development through impactful and commercially sound investment strategies.