Job description

Reports To: Chief Programs Officer
Job Type: Full-time
Region: Central America & Mexico - East Africa - South America - United States
Location: Remote (open to any country where Root Capital has an office: Colombia, Costa Rica, Kenya, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, or the United States)
Start Date: Immediate
Contact: Please apply using the form below.

Position Overview

The Lending Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) Manager manages monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) for Root Capital’s impact-first lending portfolio reaching 175+ agricultural enterprises and 500,000+ smallholder farmers. Specifically, the Lending MEL Manager is responsible for maintaining and, as needed improving all policies, procedures, and tools related to lending impact monitoring; overseeing the collection and quality assurance of portfolio impact data; and conducting or overseeing analysis to inform internal and external stakeholders. More broadly, the Lending MEL Manager serves as a content expert on Root Capital’s impact pathways related to access to finance, climate action, gender equity, and next-generation jobs; and collaborates extensively with Root Capital staff across our global team, including managing several inter-departmental, inter-regional working groups.

Externally, the Manager cultivates and manages partnerships supporting our lending MEL practice, such as providers of geospatial data on biodiversity and deforestation risk; and represents Root Capital’s Lending MEL practice to stakeholders, including investors and donors. The Manager also contributes to our thought-leadership agenda around impact measurement and management for impact investors via original analysis, writing, and presentations.

The Lending MEL Manager manages one direct report and reports to Root Capital’s Chief Programs Officer.

Responsibilities

Manage impact monitoring policies, procedures, tools, and training for Root Capital’s loan portfolio 70%)

Manage all policies, procedures, tools, and staff resources and training related to impact monitoring for Root Capital’s lending portfolio, ensuring their technical and operational relevance for Root Capital’s impact objectives and business model
Identify opportunities for continuous improvement of our policies, procedures, tools, systems, and staff resources via independent analysis and consultation with internal users and stakeholders; implement improvements with the support of an analyst and other stakeholders across the organization
Ensure the successful, day-to-day operation of our lending impact monitoring practice in collaboration with stakeholders across the Impact and Lending teams; oversee quality assurance of incoming portfolio data
Manage onboarding and ongoing training on Lending impact monitoring for Lending staff, identifying training needs, creating and maintaining curriculum and resources, and delivering training; for ongoing training, work may involve identifying appropriate external trainers
Set priorities for and manage the “Social & Environmental Champions” group, comprised of Loan Officers and Analysts in each region

Serve as content lead on Lending impact MEL for internal and external stakeholders (20%)

Oversee preparation of monitoring analysis and reports for internal and external stakeholders, including Root Capital’s Quarterly Performance Report; determine analytical approach and priorities for bespoke requests
Provide guidance and quality assurance for analysis of Lending impact data by colleagues, particularly one analyst directly managed by this position; lead the Impact Analytics group to build the capacity of colleagues across teams and regions to use Lending impact data
Identify opportunities to use Lending impact data to contribute to Root Capital’s learning agenda under our impact pathways of access to finance, climate action, gender equity, and next-generation jobs; contribute research, analysis, and writing to learning efforts
Contribute to the development of Lending MEL frameworks for grant proposals and reports, in collaboration with the Development and Grants Management teams
Represent Root Capital’s Lending impact monitoring practice and data externally to donors, investors, peer lenders, and external partners via original writing (e.g., blogs, technical briefs), participation in working groups or calls, and presentations

Monitor and respond to impact risks in Root Capital’s loan portfolio (10%)

Manage procedures to identify, respond to, and monitor impact risk concerns arising during the loan due diligence process
When risks are identified, coordinate response in line with Root Capital policy, seeking technical guidance from internal or external experts as needed, drafting and coordinating implementation of business improvement plans, and providing technical review during loan monitoring
At a portfolio level, conduct regular screening of business and/or farmer proximity to protected areas of other priority High Conservation Value Areas, in support of Root Capital impact policy prohibiting the degradation of these important landscapes
Cultivate and manage external partnerships to enhance impact risk monitoring, particularly around remote sensing-enabled monitoring of biodiversity and deforestation risk

Perform other relevant duties as assigned.

Required Skills and Experience
Bachelor’s degree and at least five years of professional experience, or a relevant master’s degree and at least two years of professional experience in: monitoring, evaluation, and learning, ideally within the context of impact investing or entrepreneurship, ESG investment management, or agricultural development.
Content expertise related to financial inclusion, climate action, gender equity, and/or youth inclusion, ideally within the context of smallholder agriculture in the Global South.
Experience with data collection, management, and analysis. Experience with geospatial analysis, ideally using the ESRI ArcGIS suite of tools. Proven ability to produce and present compelling reports for both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Experience leading internal training or capacity building.
Proven ability to lead participatory co-creation processes, including strong listening skills and a customer service and solutions-oriented approach.
Superior written and oral communication skills in English. Working proficiency (ability to read and write internal communications and converse with internal staff) in Spanish is preferred. Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate with a wide variety of audiences (Root Capital staff across our global offices, donors and investors, technical partners).
Attention to detail. Strong organization and project management skills.
Self-starter with ability to flexibly manage and prioritize multiple competing tasks; ability to thrive in a dynamic and entrepreneurial team environment.
Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel; proficiency in Word, PowerPoint, or equivalents. Experience with Salesforce preferred.
Willingness to occasionally (1-2 times per year) travel in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, often in remote areas.
Commitment to Root Capital’s mission.
Applications

More information about Root Capital is available at www.rootcapital.org. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Candidates are encouraged to apply using the form below as soon as possible, making sure to include a resume and cover letter that describes your interest, qualifications, language abilities, salary requirements, and how you learned of the position. Finalist candidates will be required to provide at least three work-related references.

U.S applicants: Root Capital Inc. participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government your I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. For more information, see here. Learn more about your right to work.

Root Capital provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, active military or veteran status, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy (which includes pregnancy, childbirth, medical conditions related to pregnancy and childbirth, and breastfeeding and expressing breast milk), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law. Root Capital is committed to creating a dynamic work environment that upholds our leadership principles of empowerment, equity, integrity, service, and transparency.

Job Type: Full-time

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