Investment Manager

THE ORGANIZATION

The Charter School Growth Fund (CSGF) is a leading nonprofit venture philanthropy fund dedicated to identifying the nation’s best public charter schools, investing in their expansion, and helping to increase their impact. Our “portfolio” includes 200+ charter school networks that operate 1,700+ schools and serve more than 725,000 students. We are committed to expanding the impact of schools that are closing achievement and opportunity gaps. CSGF operates with the same strategies, discipline, and focus as a venture capital firm by awarding multi-year grants and loans to talented education entrepreneurs building networks of high-quality charter schools that enroll traditionally underserved students. Ultimately, we think the portfolio can grow to serve ~1,000,000 students within a decade.

This is an exciting time to join the Charter School Growth Fund. We are successfully; half way through the 5th year of CSGF’s 4th fund, building on our 20 year track record of success. CSGF’s “Fund IV” is larger in size and scope than previous funds, with a goal to continue to fuel charter sector growth, accelerate innovation, and strengthen long-term outcomes for students, particularly students of color and those from low-income backgrounds. We continue to prioritize investments in leaders of color as our current portfolio is led by more than 50% leaders of color and more than 50% female leaders. We believe it is vital for the networks we support to be proximate to the lived experiences of the students and communities they serve.

THE OPPORTUNITY 

CSGF is seeking an Investment Manager to join our Scale Portfolio team as we look to invest in the next generation of high performing charter management organizations  throughout the country. The Scale Portfolio Team focuses on organizations who are looking to grow three  or more new schools in the next 5-6 years. We invest in and support organizations ranging from 2 or 3 schools to those serving students in over 100 campuses. 

To be successful in this role, you must be:

• Passionate about our mission of growing great charter schools. This will drive you to do your best work in support of our portfolio members.
• A strong project manager. You will juggle multiple work streams and tight deadlines. Staying organized and on top of responsibilities is critical. 
• An excellent relationship builder. Developing trusting partnerships with colleagues and portfolio members is essential. 
• A clear communicator both verbally and in writing. You will need to convey complex analyses clearly and tailor messaging for different audiences.
• Intellectually curious. Seeking deeper knowledge will help you make informed contributions and grow in expertise. 
• Comfortable with ambiguity. Our work is complex and priorities frequently shift. Flexibility and resilience are key.
• Growth-oriented. Continuously improving your skills and seeking feedback will accelerate your development.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES 

Below is a general outline of responsibilities. CSGF is a fast-moving organization, roles and responsibilities  may change to meet the needs of the organization and the charter networks we are privileged to support. 

• Conduct intensive due diligence on high-performing charter school operators, including analysis of  business plans, achievement data, leadership teams and market conditions 
• Project-manage internal team members to complete multiple high-quality due diligence processes at once and manage the calendar of the partner they work with
• Prepare investment proposals and recommendations, including both data analysis and written portions, for CSGF’s partners and board of directors  
• Lead data-driven sourcing efforts in specific geographic regions to identify potential investment candidates 
• Manage portfolio member data for use in annual reviews, investment decisions and industry  benchmarking 
• Represent CSGF externally to funders, charter operators, and organizational partners
• Collaborate with other CSGF teams to continuously improve internal processes and workflow 
• 40 to 60% travel required  

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS 

Skills and Characteristics 

• Deep commitment to CSGF’s mission and our Commitment to Diversity 
• Strong strategic thinking, analytical, and creative problem-solving skills  
•  Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, particularly the ability to build strong  relationships with diverse groups of stakeholders 
• Strong project management experience that drives efficiency and excellence in all aspects of work  
• Ability to work seamlessly between high-level strategy and detail-oriented work  
• Demonstrated proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint 

Educational Background and Work Experience 

• Bachelor’s degree required 
• At least two years of work experience, preferably including management consulting, a charter management organization, investment banking, venture capital, corporate strategy, or similar experience  
• Experience in education/non-profit field is a plus 

COMPENSATION 

Compensation is commensurate with experience and education. The target salary range for this role is $80,000-$87,500 annually. CSGF offers a very competitive package of benefits, including: health, life, disability, and dental insurance coverage; vacation/holidays and parental leave; and participation in CSGF’s 403(b) plan. Candidates must have permanent authorization to work in the US.

START DATE 

CSGF is seeking candidates who can start as soon as possible. 

WORKING AT CSGF 

We are focused on hiring and developing great people and believe that building diverse perspectives  across our team make us more effective in expanding our impact. (This is reflected in Our Commitment Statement.) Our core values are: 

Results

• We believe that student success is the ultimate measure of our performance.
• We work with urgency and intentionality for the portfolio and their schools. 
• We hold ourselves accountable to strong outcomes.
• We relentlessly prioritize our resources to drive positive, measurable, attributable impact for the charter leaders, their schools, and ultimately students.
• We believe strong results come from good decisions, and the best decisions are made when we use data - both quantitative and qualitative - and gather input from diverse perspectives, especially those most impacted by the work.  
• We celebrate our wins and learn from our losses.

Teamwork

• We value organization over team, and we value team over individual.
• We actively break down silos and collaborate across teams.
• We believe building strong, healthy relationships is critical to move our work forward.
• We seek to proactively communicate across teams to strengthen our outcomes and add value for the portfolio.

Integrity

• We believe that trust is our most important asset, and we must earn and maintain the trust of the portfolio member leaders, investors, and our team to achieve our goals.
• We are often entrusted with sensitive and confidential information about the portfolio - we do not ever violate these confidences.
• We show ownership for our successes and our failures. 
• We speak directly to the person, even when it's messy and hard, and get ahead of potential problems.
• We do the right thing, even when no one is watching.

Respect 

• We understand and acknowledge our place in the value chain – the students, teachers, principals and other leaders at portfolio networks are doing the hardest, direct and most impactful work in their schools each day.
• We prioritize humility and embrace getting better every day.
• We are curious and open-minded.
• We are aware of our own biases and how they might affect our judgment, and we take ownership to mitigate their impact.

Entrepreneurship

• We take calculated risks, looking for new ways to add value and improve how we work.
• We are problem solvers in all aspects of our work.
• We actively connect people and ideas in strategic ways to foster new ideas and learning. 
• We acknowledge not all investments will succeed and embrace failure as it facilitates deeper learning for our organization and the portfolio.

E-VERIFY STATEMENT

This employer participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. If E-Verify cannot confirm that you are authorized to work, this employer is required to give you written instructions and an opportunity to contact the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or Social Security Administration (SSA) so you can begin to resolve the issue before the employer can take any action against you. Including terminating employment. Employers can only use E-Verify once you have accepted a job offer and completed the I-9 form.

Charter School Growth Fund provides equal employment opportunity for all applicants and  employees.