Location: Oakland, CA (Hybrid: in-office Tuesdays & Thursdays)

Position: Full-time, reporting to the CEO

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About ICA Fund—Not Business as Usual

ICA accelerates great businesses through mentorship and mission-aligned investments to catalyze value in missed markets to transform communities. With a deep commitment to identifying, supporting and helping to grow small businesses run by underrepresented entrepreneurs, ICA is innovating ways to leverage coaching, capital and connections to amplify our impact.

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By offering targeted acceleration workshops and operating tools, alongside hands-on advising from a network of highly experienced business operators, ICA is democratizing access to resources that catalyze value and growth in small businesses.

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The Role

The Investment Partner is a key member of ICA’s executive leadership team, reporting directly to the CEO. This leader will own investment outcomes, mobilize capital and shape how ICA deploys capital in service of its mission.

At a pivotal moment for ICA, the Investment Partner will bring disciplined investment acumen, entrepreneurial creativity, and courageous leadership to investments across debt, equity, and hybrid structures. They will lead the full investment lifecycle while building and evolving the capabilities, infrastructure, and strategic partnerships needed to scale ICA’s investment impact.

Success means delivering strong financial and community impact outcomes, maintaining portfolio health, expanding access to capital, and strengthening ICA’s reputation as a trusted, innovative investment partner. The ideal candidate pairs strategic vision with hands-on execution, sound judgment, and the ability to create solutions where established playbooks fall short.

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Core Responsibilities 

Strategic & Innovative Investment Leadership

• Own and advance the organization's investment strategy, translating mission, market opportunities, financial objectives, and risk appetite into clear investment priorities and actionable execution plans.
• Partner with the CEO to shape the organization's evolving investment model, identify strategic opportunities, and determine where the organization can play a distinctive and catalytic role across the continuum of debt, equity and hybrid capital.
• Establish and continuously refine investment policies, underwriting standards, decision frameworks, and operating processes that promote consistency, rigor, innovation and sound judgment.
• Identify gaps in the market and design, evaluate, and pilot innovative financial products and capital structures that address unmet needs in overlooked and underestimated markets.
• Exercise ownership of investment outcomes and the quality of the investment function, proactively identifying challenges, resolving issues and bringing forward recommendations rather than waiting for direction.
• Build AI-enabled and data-informed workflows that improve the speed, accuracy, and quality of diligence, financial modeling and reporting while maintaining appropriate human oversight and verification.
• Deliver clear, candid reporting on investment activity, portfolio performance, risk exposure, and strategic opportunities to the CEO, Board, funders and other stakeholders.

Deal Origination & Ecosystem Development

• Own the organization's relationships across ICA’s ecosystem, including banks, CDFIs, impact investors, venture capital firms, family offices and foundations, to strengthen deal sourcing, expand access to capital and advance strategic partnerships.
• Drive high-quality deal flow through personal networks, partnerships, and ecosystem relationships, and maintain a qualified pipeline screened against our investment thesis.
• Collaborate with the Operating Partner to keep investment strategy mission-aligned.
• Represent the organization at industry events and forums, positioning it as a thoughtful, trustworthy and innovative leader in impact investing.
• Partner with internal teams and executive leadership to align messaging and ensure consistency between what the organization says and what it does.

Investment Structuring & Execution

• Lead end-to-end investment processes: sourcing, diligence, structuring, negotiation and closing.
• Design and execute creative capital structures across debt, equity and hybrid instruments.
• Oversee financial modeling, investment memoranda, and scenario analysis, ensuring rigor without sacrificing speed or creativity.
• Partner with the Operating Partner on follow-on financings for existing portfolio companies: assess need and readiness, structure the investment, take it through Investment Committee and close on schedule with documented rationale.
• Apply syndication and loan-sale structures where they fit, in coordination with the Capital Partnerships work below.

Capital Partnerships & Mobilization

• Design, lead, and hold the relationships for syndicating loans with banks, CDFIs, and other lending partners, owning structure, terms, and ongoing partner communication.
• Partner with the CEO to explore and pilot opportunities to sell loans to CRA-motivated banks, identifying target institutions, understanding their needs, and shaping loan products and portfolios that meet both their requirements and our mission.
• Develop repeatable approaches to syndication and loan sales that expand our capacity to deploy capital without compromising credit quality or founder relationships.
• Cultivate co-investment relationships and represent the organization in negotiations with capital partners, treating every interaction as a chance to reinforce our credibility and protect our long-term interests.

Investment Committee Leadership, Governance & Risk Management

• Lead the Investment Committee, overseeing investment preparation, presentation, deliberation and decision-making processes.
• Ensure investment opportunities are supported by rigorous underwriting, comprehensive due diligence, thoughtful structuring and clear recommendations.
• Facilitate productive deliberations, constructively challenge assumptions, surface material trade-offs and ensure decisions and rationale are clearly documented.
• Balance financial performance, mission alignment, impact objectives, portfolio concentration and risk tolerance in investment recommendations.
• Communicate investment risks, uncertainties and potential downstream consequences clearly to the CEO, Investment Committee, and Board, as appropriate.
• Maintain sound investment governance, documentation and escalation practices that promote consistency, transparency, and accountability.

Founder Engagement & Investment Value Creation 

• Build authentic, durable relationships with founders grounded in transparency, sound judgment, responsiveness and a genuine understanding of their businesses.
• Engage founders as thoughtful investment partners, asking incisive and empathetic questions to understand business models, leadership dynamics, growth opportunities and operational challenges.
• Advise founders on capital strategy, financing options, and investment structures that support business sustainability and long-term growth.
• Connect founders with relevant relationships, resources, and ecosystem partners that can strengthen their businesses and expand opportunities.
• Navigate difficult conversations and challenging company circumstances with steadiness, clarity, and respect, maintaining investment discipline while supporting constructive outcomes.
• Ensure founder engagement reflects ICA’s mission and commitment to overlooked and underestimated entrepreneurs.

Team Development & Operational Excellence

• Serve as a member of ICA’s executive leadership team, contributing to enterprise-level strategy, organizational effectiveness and cross-functional decision-making.
• Assess the investment function’s organizational needs, existing capabilities, and future requirements to determine the appropriate team structure, roles and staffing priorities.
• Recruit and build a high-performing investment team with the expertise, judgment and complementary capabilities required to execute ICA’s evolving investment strategy.
• Establish clear expectations, OKRs, decision rights, and accountability structures that enable effective execution and sound investment judgment.
• Build a team culture grounded in collaboration, rigorous thinking, trust, resilience, and continuous improvement, encouraging thoughtful challenge and learning from setbacks.
• Foster meaningful development opportunities and a culture of ownership, accountability and professional growth as the team and investment function evolve.
• Establish effective operating rhythms, workflows, and cross-functional partnerships that strengthen coordination with the CEO, Operating Partner, Portfolio team and other organizational functions.
• Integrate AI and data tools into standard investment workflows, promoting efficiency while maintaining high standards for accuracy, confidentiality and verification.

Impact & Success Metrics (First 12-24 Months)

Deliver High-Quality, Mission-Aligned Investment Strategy

• Close well-structured, mission-aligned investments across debt, equity, and hybrid instruments that meet established underwriting and risk standards, with structures tailored to company needs.
• Ensure investments meet ICA’s underwriting and coverage standards before presentation to the Investment Committee.
• Maintain a qualified, strategically aligned pipeline and execute investments with appropriate rigor and timeliness.

Build Rigorous Investment Processes and High-Performing Team Capabilities

• Lead an effective Investment Committee process supported by rigorous analysis, clear recommendations and well-documented decisions.
• Deliver accurate, timely Investment Committee, Board and funder materials that require minimal rework.
• Build an appropriately structured investment function, recruiting and onboarding talent against clearly defined roles, priorities and performance expectations.
• Continuously improve AI-assisted workflows to reduce production time and increase capacity for sourcing, relationship development and high-judgment analysis while maintaining accuracy, confidentiality, and human oversight.

Expand Capital Capacity Through Partnerships

• Build strategic relationships that attract aligned co-investors and expand access to mission-aligned capital.
• Establish and strengthen syndication and financing partnerships that increase ICA’s lending capacity without compromising credit quality or founder relationships.
• Partner with the CEO to develop and test a viable loan-sale pathway with CRA-motivated banks, progressing from initial partner conversations to a pilot transaction.
• Sustain a pipeline of aligned capital partners and co-investors that supports ICA’s investment strategy.

Advance ICA’s Mission & Community Impact

• Integrate mission and impact criteria into sourcing, underwriting, and Investment Committee recommendations, evaluating mission alignment alongside financial returns.
• Achieve established fund impact targets, including quality job creation and meaningful founder and community outcomes.
• Expand investment reach to overlooked and underestimated founders, including those in underserved geographies and demographics, and track portfolio representation and reach.
• Partner with the Communications team to translate impact data into credible, evidence-based storytelling for the Board, funders and key stakeholders.
• Use impact data to refine investment strategy, products, and criteria, and communicate results transparently, including gaps and shortfalls, to internal and external stakeholders.

Qualifications 

Essential 

• Deep personal commitment to ICA’s mission of supporting overlooked and underestimated founders.
• 10–12+ years of investment experience, with substantial depth in debt and credit, including private credit, CDFI lending, venture and growth equity, or related investment environments.
• Demonstrated track record of sourcing, structuring, negotiating, and closing investments across debt, equity, and hybrid instruments.
• Strong financial modeling, credit analysis, underwriting, and investment structuring capabilities, including the ability to evaluate risk, assess business fundamentals, and exercise sound investment judgment.
• Demonstrated strategic ownership and the ability to translate organizational priorities into investment strategies, decisions, and measurable outcomes.
• Experience leading Investment Committees or comparable investment decision-making and governance processes, with the ability to communicate complex investment considerations clearly and persuasively.
• Proven ability to cultivate relationships with founders, co-investors, capital providers, and other external stakeholders, and to negotiate strategic partnerships that expand access to capital.
• Strong understanding of credit markets, capital structures, and loan syndication, with the ability to evaluate opportunities to mobilize capital and expand financing capacity.
• Demonstrated ability to build and scale a function or team, including assessing organizational needs, defining team structure and capabilities, establishing roles and performance expectations, and recruiting high-caliber talent.
• Proven people leadership skills, including developing talent and fostering a high-performing culture of collaboration, trust, constructive challenge, ownership, and accountability.
• Demonstrated ability to operate effectively in ambiguous, evolving environments, navigate complex stakeholder dynamics, and exercise sound judgment with incomplete information.
• Exceptional communication, emotional intelligence, and relationship management skills, including the ability to navigate difficult conversations and maintain credibility through challenging circumstances.

Preferred 

• Experience applying impact measurement frameworks or integrating social and community impact considerations into investment decisions and portfolio management.
• Exposure to community development finance, catalytic capital, or investment models designed to expand access to capital in overlooked and underestimated markets.
• Experience developing or piloting innovative financial products, hybrid capital structures, loan syndication strategies, or loan-sale partnerships with banks and other institutional capital providers.
• Experience working in a mission-driven, entrepreneurial, or high-growth organization undergoing significant change or building new capabilities.
• Demonstrated thought leadership in innovative investment approaches, impact investing, or inclusive capital deployment.
• Demonstrated ability to apply AI and data tools to improve analytical rigor, operational efficiency, and decision support, while maintaining appropriate human oversight, accuracy, and confidentiality.

Compensation & Benefits

• Salary: The annual base salary range for this full time position is $200,000-$240,000, dependent upon background and experience. Compensation also includes a discretionary bonus paid annually based on organization and individual performance.  
• Benefits: ICA’s full benefits package includes: 13 paid holidays per year; 3 weeks of annual paid vacation; 10 days of annual paid sick leave; at least 3 employer-identified mental health days; employer-paid health, dental, vision, life insurance and disability benefits; 50% employer-paid dependent health, dental, vision; employer-paid mental health counseling; 24-hour online virtual healthcare; 401(k) plan with matching; and mobile phone / Internet reimbursement. 
• Equal Opportunity Employer: ICA Fund evaluates qualified candidates without regard to protected characteristics and is fully committed to fostering equity and inclusion.

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Hiring Process & How to Apply

People are key to our success, and we’d like to get to know you. Depending on your progress through our hiring process, you may go through the following steps: A round or two of interviews; review of work samples; completion of an exercise or case study; and reference-checking of previous supervisors and colleagues.

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Please submit a resume and a brief cover letter (combined into one PDF or Word document) to: icajobs@ica.fund.