Arnold Ventures is a philanthropy whose core objective is to maximize opportunity and minimize injustice. We are dedicated to tackling some of the most pressing problems in the United States. We invest in sustainable change, building it from the ground up based on research, deep thinking, and a strong foundation of evidence. We drive public conversation, craft policy, and inspire action through education and advocacy.
Position Overview
In recent years, Arnold Ventures has piloted impact investments in various areas. Through these pilots, it has become clear that the time is ripe to launch an impact investing initiative focused on affordable housing to deepen our work and leverage capital markets to catalyze innovation and address the affordable housing crisis at scale. Initial investments will primarily focus on high impact affordable housing projects and closing the financing gap for underrepresented developers.
The Director will be responsible for sourcing, underwriting and structuring impact investments opportunities across at least one region, as well as, managing current investments. This position will be located in either the Washington, DC or Houston offices and will report to the Executive Vice President of Impact Investing, Affordable Housing.
Core Responsibilities
· Source and lead due diligence on impact investment opportunities supporting underrepresented developers or high impact housing projects across at least one focus investment region
· Support the structuring, negotiating and execution of equity investments, including performing underwriting on developer enterprises and/or affordable housing projects
· Manage and support investments in partnership with the portfolio manager and finance and legal teams
· Develop and manage relationships with future and current investees to cultivate investments opportunities and market awareness of Arnold Ventures’ work
· Bolster Arnold Ventures effort to support the growth of impact investing within the affordable housing sector by engaging and working with key investors and developers within the sector
The salary range for this position will be $145,000-$200,000.
Our Culture and Core Values
Our culture seeks to inspire and empower our people to innovate and develop bold ideas that will help Arnold Ventures achieve lasting impact. Our culture, and the core values that support it, should create an environment that spurs our team to think outside the box, feel comfortable pushing the boundaries of what is possible, and signal confidence in our team’s ability to make change happen through our philanthropic efforts. Although not an exhaustive list, below you’ll find examples of Arnold Ventures’ work culture.
· We are adaptable and comfortable with ambiguity
· We are intellectually curious, open-minded, objective, humble, collegial, and receptive to feedback
· We are action-oriented with strong self-direction and self-motivation skills with the ability to work simultaneously on multiple projects
· We are able to interact confidently and collaboratively with team members and navigate relationships with external experts, government leaders, advocates, and individuals
Arnold Ventures’ values reflect who we are as an organization, help us accelerate our strategic goals, strengthen our resolve, anchor us to our mission, and guide our decision-making. The successful candidate will also demonstrate the following core values that inspire the Arnold Ventures team to make a difference.
Arnold Ventures is an equal opportunity employer, committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender identity or expression, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, military/veteran status, or any basis prohibited by applicable law.
Acknowledging the importance of diverse perspectives, Arnold Ventures is committed to employing individuals from a variety of backgrounds and with a variety of experiences. Members of historically marginalized communities and candidates who have been impacted by the systems we are seeking to change are strongly encouraged to apply.
Required Qualifications
· Bachelor’s degree required, or equivalent affordable housing finance experience
· 7+ years of relevant work experience including within the affordable housing financing sector, and making equity investments in affordable housing projects and developers
· Demonstrated understanding of affordable housing developers and barriers to growth
· Excellent financial analysis and modeling skills
· Exceptional strategy development, project management, and organizational skills
· Excellent oral and written communication skills, with the ability to communicate key takeaways to diverse, nontechnical audiences
Benefits Overview
Arnold Ventures is committed to providing a robust and comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees. Our current benefits package includes 100% paid employee premiums for medical, dental, vision, basic life, and short- and long-term disability insurance; 20 days of paid time off, 16 paid holidays (including a winter break from December 24 to January 1), and a 9/80 schedule from Memorial Day to Labor Day; paid parental leave; a 401k retirement savings plan with an employer match, profit-share contribution, and immediate vesting; pre-tax transit benefits; a professional development stipend; a charitable giving stipend; and an employee assistance program.
Please apply with the URL provided below.
Arnold Ventures’ core objective is to maximize opportunity and minimize injustice.
Who We Are
Founded in 2008 by Laura and John Arnold with the launch of a foundation, the philanthropy is dedicated to improving the lives of all Americans through evidence-based policy solutions that maximize opportunity and minimize injustice. We are a team of more than 100 subject-matter experts headquartered in Houston with offices in New York and Washington, D.C.
Arnold Ventures supports research to better understand the root causes of broken systems that limit opportunity and create injustice. Our focus areas include Criminal Justice, Higher Education, Health, Infrastructure, and Public Finance. In each area, we advocate for policy reforms that will lead to lasting, scalable change.
Arnold Ventures manages the giving for various Arnold entities, including the Laura and John Arnold Foundation, Action Now Initiative, and the Arnolds’ donor-advised fund.
Our Approach
Evidence-Based Policy, Research, and Advocacy guide our work. We focus on areas where public and private sector outcomes are falling short, incentives are misaligned, and political will is lacking. We follow the research to identify root causes of problems and gather evidence about what works and what doesn’t. We then fund policy development and technical assistance to create lasting change.
We work across the political spectrum to build durable, bipartisan coalitions and partnerships. We engage policymakers at all levels of government throughout the life cycle of policy change, from research and advocacy to implementation and evaluation of impact.
Why it Matters
Philanthropic dollars alone cannot solve the problems we face as a nation. But we believe philanthropy is uniquely positioned to take risks and make big bets in ways the public and private sector are often unable or unwilling to do. We approach philanthropy as an engine for innovation that can help catalyze new solutions, evaluate what works, and advocate for public policies that maximize opportunity and minimize injustice for all.