Head of Investment

E4EAfrica; Wes-Kaap; On-site; ZAR 500 000 - 600 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading venture capital firm in Cape Town is seeking a Head of Investment to lead their investment and portfolio management processes. This critical role emphasizes team mentorship, operational excellence, and supporting Partners in their strategic endeavors. The ideal candidate will have over 8 years of experience in high-stakes environments, showcasing strong project management and analytical skills. This position offers a significant opportunity to drive investment success within a dynamic team.

Benefits

Competitive financial terms

Growth path to become a partner

Awesome office environment

Qualifications

• 8-12+ years of total work experience in a high-intensity, analytical environment.
• Direct experience managing and mentoring high-performing junior teams.
• Exceptional project management and organizational skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead, manage, and mentor Investment Analysts and Associates.
• Design and manage an efficient deal pipeline process.
• Interface between junior team and Partners, preparing decision-ready materials.

Skills

Team Leadership

Project Management

Analytical Skills

Financial Modeling

Mentoring

Job description

Job Title: Head of Investment

Firm: E4E Africa

Location: Cape Town

Reports to: Managing Partner

About E4E Africa

E4E Africa is an early-stage venture capital firm dedicated to backing the next generation of transformative entrepreneurs across the African continent. As a young and dynamic firm, we provide more than just capital; we are hands‑on partners committed to helping our founders succeed.

As we scale our operations, we are hiring a key leader to ensure world‑class investment and portfolio management processes. Our firm has a dedicated CFO who manages all fund accounting, compliance, and back‑office administration. This new role is 100% focused on leading the investment and portfolio management side of the house: professionalizing our deal‑making machine and managing our team.

The Role: Position Summary

We are seeking a highly structured and experienced leader to join as our Head of Investment. This is a critical "player‑coach" role designed for an exceptional manager and "process master."

You will be the central hub for our entire investment lifecycle, from sourcing to portfolio management. Your primary mission is to professionalize our investment process, manage and mentor our junior investment team (Analysts and Associates), and free up our Partners to focus on what they do best: building high‑level relationships, winning deals, and making final investment decisions.

This is not a traditional investment‑partner role; it is the operational engine that will power our investment team's success.

Key Responsibilities

Your responsibilities will be focused on three core areas:

1. Team Leadership & Mentorship (The "Coach")

• Lead, manage, and mentor our team of Investment Analysts and Associates, acting as their primary day‑to‑day manager.
• Actively train the team in best‑in‑class financial modeling, cap table analysis, market mapping, and investment memo writing.
• Conduct rigorous quality control on all analytical work, presentations, and diligence materials, ensuring "error‑free," high‑quality output for Partner review.
• Manage the junior team's bandwidth, set priorities, and foster a culture of excellence and accountability.

2. Investment Process Management (The "Machine")

• Design, implement, and manage a highly efficient, end‑to‑end deal pipeline process (from sourcing -> screening -> diligence -> investment committee -> closing).
• Own the firm's deal pipeline infrastructure (e.g., CRM, data rooms), ensuring all data is clean, up‑to‑date, and actionable.
• Lead the weekly investment team meetings, driving the agenda to ensure the team is focused on the right priorities and next steps.
• Coordinate the due diligence process for active deals, managing timelines, creating diligence checklists, and interfacing with third‑party experts (legal, financial).

3. Partner & Portfolio Support (The "Leverage")

• Act as the key interface between the junior team and the Partners, synthesizing information and preparing concise, decision‑ready materials for final Partner review.
• Develop and manage a systematic process for portfolio company monitoring, including tracking key KPIs and supporting the founder onboarding process.
• Work closely with the firm's CFO to ensure a smooth flow of information for quarterly valuations and portfolio reporting.
• Support the Partners on strategic firm‑building projects as needed.

The Ideal Candidate: Qualifications & Profiles

We are looking for a seasoned operator with a proven track record of managing high‑performance teams in a high‑stakes environment.

Must‑Have Qualifications

• 8-12+ years of total work experience in a high‑intensity, analytical environment.
• Proven, direct experience managing, training, and mentoring high‑performing junior teams (analysts, associates). This is a non‑negotiable requirement.
• Exceptional project management and organizational skills; you are a "process‑builder" at heart and love creating order from chaos.
• Expert‑level analytical skills, including financial modeling, valuation, and strategic analysis.
• A "player‑coach" mentality: you are happy to roll up your sleeves to teach or check a model, but your main goal is to build and manage the team.
• Impeccable attention to detail and a "zero‑defect" mindset toward quality control.
• Passion for the African startup ecosystem and the mission of E4E Africa.
• Should be an expert on the investment cycle, and - in line with E4E Africa’s philosophy - should have affinity with entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship

Target Profiles

We believe the ideal candidate for this role will most likely come from one of the following backgrounds:

• 1. Investment Banking / Private Equity Manager:
• Profile: You are a Vice President (VP) or senior Associate who managed deal teams. Your role was defined by training analysts, managing the deal process from start to finish, and being responsible for all analytical deliverables.
• 2. Management Consulting Manager:
• Profile: You are an Engagement Manager or Project Leader from a top‑tier consulting firm. Your job was to manage a team of 3-5 consultants, own the client relationship, and be ultimately responsible for all team analysis and final presentations.
• 3. "BizOps" / Startup Chief of Staff:
• Profile: You started your career in IB or consulting, then moved to a high‑growth, VC‑backed startup as a Director of Business Operations or Chief of Staff. In this role, you built and managed operational teams and processes from scratch in a fast‑paced environment.

Key Terms

• Competitive financial terms, including long‑term alignment
• Growth path to become a partner
• Full‑time employment with freedom, ownership and accountability
• Based in Cape Town, awesome office