Investment Partner

ICA Fund; Oakland (CA); Hybrid; USD 200,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

13 paid holidays

3 weeks vacation

Employer-paid health insurance

Employer-paid dental insurance

Employer-paid vision insurance

Employer-paid life insurance

401(k) with matching

Phone & Internet reimbursement

Job summary

ICA Fund, a mission-driven investment organization in Oakland, CA, seeks an Investment Partner to lead the investment function and own outcomes across debt, equity and hybrid capital. This role reports to the CEO and sits on the executive leadership team, guiding capital deployment and strategic partnerships.

You will drive end-to-end investment processes, advance the investment model, and build AI-enabled workflows to speed up diligence, analytics and reporting while maintaining rigorous

Qualifications

• Ten or more years in investment leadership or related fields.
• Experience across debt, equity and hybrid capital structures.
• Strong financial modeling, underwriting and governance capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end investment processes: sourcing, diligence, structuring, negotiation and closing.
• Shape and oversee investment strategy, policies and capital structures to support ICA’s mission.
• Develop relationships with banks, CDFIs, impact investors and foundations to expand deal flow.
• Build AI-enabled, data-informed diligence workflows with appropriate human oversight.
• Report progress to CEO, Board and funders, ensuring transparency and accountability.

Job description

Location: Oakland, CA (Hybrid: in-office Tuesdays & Thursdays)

Position: Full-time, reporting to the CEO

About ICA Fund—Not Business as Usual

ICA accelerates great businesses through mentorship and mission-aligned investments to catalyze value in missed markets to transform communities. With a deep commitment to identifying, supporting and helping to grow small businesses run by underrepresented entrepreneurs, ICA is innovating ways to leverage coaching, capital and connections to amplify our impact.

By offering targeted acceleration workshops and operating tools, alongside hands‑on advising from a network of highly experienced business operators, ICA is democratizing access to resources that catalyze value and growth in small businesses.

The Role

The Investment Partner is a key member of ICA’s executive leadership team, reporting directly to the CEO. This leader will own investment outcomes, mobilize capital and shape how ICA deploys capital in service of its mission.

At a pivotal moment for ICA, the Investment Partner will bring disciplined investment acumen, entrepreneurial creativity, and courageous leadership to investments across debt, equity, and hybrid structures. They will lead the full investment lifecycle while building and evolving the capabilities, infrastructure, and strategic partnerships needed to scale ICA’s investment impact.

Core Responsibilities

Strategic & Innovative Investment Leadership

• Own and advance the organization's investment strategy, translating mission, market opportunities, financial objectives, and risk appetite into clear investment priorities and actionable execution plans.
• Partner with the CEO to shape the organization's evolving investment model, identify strategic opportunities, and determine where the organization can play a distinctive and catalytic role across the continuum of debt, equity and hybrid capital.
• Establish and continuously refine investment policies, underwriting standards, decision frameworks, and operating processes that promote consistency, rigor, innovation and sound judgment.
• Identify gaps in the market and design, evaluate, and pilot innovative financial products and capital structures that address unmet needs in overlooked and underestimated markets.
• Exercise ownership of investment outcomes and the quality of the investment function, proactively identifying challenges, resolving issues and bringing forward recommendations rather than waiting for direction.
• Build AI-enabled and data-informed workflows that improve the speed, accuracy, and quality of diligence, financial modeling and reporting while maintaining appropriate human oversight and verification.
• Deliver clear, candid reporting on investment activity, portfolio performance, risk exposure, and strategic opportunities to the CEO, Board, funders and other stakeholders.

Deal Origination & Ecosystem Development

• Own the organization's relationships across ICA’s ecosystem, including banks, CDFIs, impact investors, venture capital firms, family offices and foundations, to strengthen deal sourcing, expand access to capital and advance strategic partnerships.
• Drive high-quality deal flow through personal networks, partnerships, and ecosystem relationships, and maintain a qualified pipeline screened against our investment thesis.
• Collaborate with the Operating Partner to keep investment strategy mission-aligned.
• Represent the organization at industry events and forums, positioning it as a thoughtful, trustworthy and innovative leader in impact investing.
• Partner with internal teams and executive leadership to align messaging and ensure consistency between what the organization says and what it does.

Investment Structuring & Execution

• Lead end-to-end investment processes: sourcing, diligence, structuring, negotiation and closing.
• Design and execute creative capital structures across debt, equity and hybrid instruments.
• Oversee financial modeling, investment memoranda, and scenario analysis, ensuring rigor without sacrificing speed or creativity.
• Partner with the Operating Partner on follow‑on financings for existing portfolio companies: assess need and readiness, structure the investment, take it through Investment Committee and close on schedule with documented rationale.
• Apply syndication and loan‑sale structures where they fit, in coordination with the Capital Partnerships work below.
• Design, lead, and hold the relationships for syndicating loans with banks, CDFIs, and other lending partners, owning structure, terms, and ongoing partner communication.
• Partner with the CEO to explore and pilot opportunities to sell loans to CRA‑motivated banks, identifying target institutions, understanding their needs, and shaping loan products and portfolios that meet both their requirements and our mission.
• Develop repeatable approaches to syndication and loan sales that expand our capacity to deploy capital without compromising credit quality or founder relationships.
• Cultivate co‑investment relationships and represent the organization in negotiations with capital partners, treating every interaction as a chance to reinforce our credibility and protect our long‑term interests.

Investment Committee Leadership, Governance & Risk Management

• Lead the Investment Committee, overseeing investment preparation, presentation, deliberation and decision‑making processes.
• Ensure investment opportunities are supported by rigorous underwriting, comprehensive due diligence, thoughtful structuring and clear recommendations.
• Facilitate productive deliberations, constructively challenge assumptions, surface material trade‑offs and ensure decisions and rationale are clearly documented.
• Balance financial performance, mission alignment, impact objectives, portfolio concentration and risk tolerance in investment recommendations.
• Communicate investment risks, uncertainties and potential downstream consequences clearly to the CEO, Investment Committee, and Board, as appropriate.
• Maintain sound investment governance, documentation and escalation practices that promote consistency, transparency, and accountability.

Founder Engagement & Investment Value Creation

• Build authentic, durable relationships with founders grounded in transparency, sound judgment, responsiveness and a genuine understanding of their businesses.
• Engage founders as thoughtful investment partners, asking incisive and empathetic questions to understand business models, leadership dynamics, growth opportunities and operational challenges.
• Advise founders on capital strategy, financing options, and investment structures that support business sustainability and long‑term growth.
• Connect founders with relevant relationships, resources, and ecosystem partners that can strengthen their businesses and expand opportunities.
• Ensure founder engagement reflects ICA’s mission and commitment to overlooked and underestimated entrepreneurs.

Team Development & Operational Excellence

• Assess the investment function’s organizational needs, existing capabilities, and future requirements to determine the appropriate team structure, roles and staffing priorities.
• Recruit and build a high‑performing investment team with the expertise, judgment and complementary capabilities required to execute ICA’s evolving investment strategy.
• Establish clear expectations, OKRs, decision rights, and accountability structures that enable effective execution and sound investment judgment.
• Build a team culture grounded in collaboration, rigorous thinking, trust, resilience, and continuous improvement, encouraging thoughtful challenge and learning from setbacks.
• Integrate AI and data tools into standard investment workflows, promoting efficiency while maintaining high standards for accuracy, confidentiality and verification.

Qualifications

• Deep personal commitment to ICA’s mission of supporting overlooked and underestimated founders.
• 10–12+ years of investment experience, with substantial depth in debt and credit, including private credit, CDFI lending, venture and growth equity, or related investment environments.
• Demonstrated track record of sourcing, structuring, negotiating, and closing investments across debt, equity, and hybrid instruments.
• Strong financial modeling, credit analysis, underwriting, and investment structuring capabilities, including the ability to evaluate risk, assess business fundamentals, and exercise sound investment judgment.
• The annual base salary range for this full time position is $200,000-$240,000, dependent upon background and experience. Compensation also includes a discretionary bonus paid annually based on organization and individual performance.
• Our benefits includes: 13 paid holidays per year; 3 weeks of annual paid vacation; 10 days of annual paid sick leave; at least 3 employer‑identified mental health days; employer‑paid health, dental, vision, life insurance and disability benefits; 50% employer‑paid dependent health, dental, vision; employer‑paid mental health counseling; 401(k) plan with matching; and mobile phone / Internet reimbursement.
• Equal Opportunity Employer: ICA Fund evaluates qualified candidates without regard to protected characteristics and is fully committed to fostering equity and inclusion.