Senior / Principal Investment Officer - Africa

Senior / Principal Investment Officer - Africa

We are recruiting to fill one open position that will be based either in South Africa or Nigeria

Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF) is seeking to appoint a full-time highly competent and organized professional for the position of Senior / Principal Investment Officer for Africa (depending on the experience), reporting directly to the Chief Investment Officer. The Senior / Principal Investment Officer is responsible for MDIF’s investment work in the region engaging with and supporting the growth of companies in Africa who are already part of MDIF’s portfolio; and working on the evaluation and execution of new investments. The primary aspects of the role include:

• Managing existing portfolio incl. advising companies on their strategy and performance, monitoring their performance, ensuring debt repayment, and designing feasible exit strategies for the equity investments
• Leading through full investment cycle for new investments with particular focus on evaluation and execution of new deals

The right candidate for this role must be a highly competent finance specialist with a proven track record in making investments (ideally both debt and equity). S/he must have a strong interest, if not experience, in impact investment and should share MDIF’s ethos. Knowledge of the news media sector is preferred, but not essential.

Key Responsibilities:

• Working in close collaboration with the Program Directors for Africa to identify investment needs in the region and develop a strong pipeline of good quality investment opportunities
• Evaluating new investment proposals
• Reviewing and/or building financial models, valuations, business cases
• Structuring, negotiating, and closing new transactions, portfolio restructurings, capital increases, equity sales, etc.
• Managing due diligence process with internal and external partners
• Preparing recommendation and full supporting materials for the Investment Committee
• Working closely with portfolio companies, monitoring their performance, and advising on the strategy and identified challenges
• Ensuring proper reporting both internally and externally

Relevant Background and Qualifications:

• A master’s degree in finance, business, or economics; MBA, CFA, ACCA or equivalent is a plus
• At least 8 years of full-time M&A, private equity/venture capital or transactional advisory services experience with a proven track record.
• Proven track record in structuring equity and/or debt deals
• Experience in leading full investment cycle
• Strong financial background in preparing detailed financial models and company business valuations
• Experience preparing and delivering management and/or investor presentations
• Excellent analytical skills and sound judgement
• Strong communications skills, including the ability to present complex issues to varying audiences
• Works independently with a wide variety of people, including internal and external stakeholders
• Flexible and adaptable in managing multiple projects, priorities, and new challenges
• Ability to meet deadlines and work well under pressure
• A strong team-player, with a high level of comfort in a variety of cultural settings
• Strong interest in impact investment and/or media industry is preferred; operating experience in media is a plus
• A willingness to travel
• Fluency in spoken and written English. Fluency in additional languages is a plus

About MDIF

MDIF is a not-for-profit impact investment fund specializing in the media sector, principally in news businesses in countries where the press is not free. We are an organization of 65 people working across the globe.

Headquartered in New York with offices in Prague and Belgrade, we have regional representation in countries around the world including Colombia, India, Indonesia, Poland, and South Africa.

Reports to:

Chief Investment Officer

To apply:

Submit a CV/resume and cover letter (English) by April 19, 2026