Senior Fund Operations Advisor | Sri Lanka | Volunteer Internationally

Assignment Type: Canadian International Volunteer

Eligibility Requirements: Open to Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada only

Assignment ID: VA-107409

Assignment Title: Senior Fund Operations Advisor

Partner: Lanka Impact Investing Network (LIIN)

Country: Sri Lanka

Duration: 3 weeks

Time Commitment: Full time

Assignment Context

Are you passionate about empowering women entrepreneurs? Are you an expert in fund management and operational design? Do you want to use your financial acumen to build the backbone of a social impact fund?

Join us for a high-impact 3-week operational sprint in Colombo, Sri Lanka! We need an expert to conduct a rapid health check of our current Social Enterprise Fund (SEF) structures and provide a roadmap for the future. In just three weeks, you will diagnose our needs and deliver a critical workshop to upskill our team. Your advice will lay the foundation for a robust, compliant, and efficient fund.

Apply today to set the standard for sustainable impact in Sri Lanka!

Roles and Responsibilities

• Conduct a gap analysis of current fund workflows, identifying key risks in cash management, compliance, and governance
• Develop a high-level implementation roadmap recommending specific software, policy updates, and staffing needs for the next 12 months
• Advise leadership on structuring operational flows that specifically accommodate the needs and constraints of SME borrowers (e.g., repayment flexibility)
• Design and deliver a targeted 2-day workshop for the team on "Running a Fund – Operational Realities"
• Participate in pre-assignment training
• Participate in at least 3 public engagement initiatives with Canadian audiences before, during, or within 6 months after the end of the assignment. Volunteers will be equipped with the tools, training, funds, and support to achieve these goals. Volunteers must also report on each of their public engagement activities through our Volunteer Information Portal. Virtual chats and individual check-ins can be booked with the Senior Public Engagement Officer throughout the course of their assignment and during the 6 months following its completion to seek guidance and support with their public engagement activities.
• Canadian volunteers are required to do at least one activity that contributes to meeting a fundraising target of $1,500. The minimum requirement is met by each volunteer using our Volunteer Information Portal to report having sent one message to their network about their volunteer assignment that includes the link to the WUSC Shared Impact Fund webpage. This message also counts as one of their three required public engagement activities. Volunteers will be supported with the tools, training, and resources to achieve the fundraising goal.
• Submit reports as required by the partner organization and by WUSC.

Experience and Qualifications

• Extensive experience in fund operations, investment management, private equity or venture capital
• Demonstrated experience in lending to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with the ability to verify that operational workflows align with the realities of small business borrowers
• Proven ability to quickly diagnose operational gaps and draft strategic roadmaps
• Experience in mentoring teams, facilitating workshops or transferring technical knowledge to local staff
• Flexibility, adaptability, excellent interpersonal skills and cultural sensitivity
• Experience with group facilitation and trainings, including content development considered an asset
• Experience living and working internationally considered an asset
• Written and oral fluency in English.

Project Description

The GRIT project is a 7-year collaborative initiative (2022-2029) that will build sustainable pathways to enhanced economic empowerment, well-being and inclusive growth in Sri Lanka (SL), especially for young women in the North of the country. This proposed project will test innovative, sustainable models to improve the enabling environment and reduce gender-specific barriers to increase equitable and sustainable growth of start-up, early-stage, and growth-stage enterprises, especially those owned by, operated by, or serving women in the North of SL.

Partner Description

As Sri Lanka’s first impact investment firm, Lanka Impact Investing Network (LIIN) is focused on channeling private capital to solve pressing social and environmental issues in Sri Lanka by promoting impact investing across the island. This includes actively investing in social enterprises through impact investment funds as well as providing business development support to nurture a well-developed ecosystem of social entrepreneurs across the country. LIIN is currently a co-owner of a reality TV show ATH PAVURA, which is a platform for social entrepreneurs from across the island to pitch their ideas/ businesses to a panel of high net worth (HNW) individuals to receive an investment. These HNW individuals act as angel investors who, in addition to capital, facilitate market linkages and provide business development support. Their goal is to provide knowledge and financial capital to small and medium sized social enterprises from across Sri Lanka that directly address pressing social and environmental issues through our impact investment funds.

Support Package

• Support and guidance from the WUSC Volunteer Mobilization Team prior to departure and from the WUSC Country Team while on assignment
• Pre-departure training to learn about the volunteering for development program, gain practical skills for living and working in an intercultural context and network with other volunteers
• In-country orientation upon arrival in country of assignment
• Language training in country of assignment, where required
• Modest monthly living and accommodation allowance
• Airfare to and from the assignment country
• Visa/work permit
• Pre-departure medical exam
• Health insurance
• Vaccinations and antimalarial medication
• Criminal record verification
• Vacation leave entitlement
• Debriefing after completion of assignment
• An incredible opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to global development, enhance your professional skills and participate in an experience of a lifetime!