Investment Associate

Role Purpose

Sporting Assets is the leading provider of advisory and investment management services to the sport and physical activity sector in the UK. We manage impact investment funds that provide affordable patient loans to community-based organisations delivering impact through sport and physical activity. Investors and stakeholders in our funds include Sport England, National Governing Bodies, Trusts and Foundations such as the Bank Workers Charity, and Impact Investors including the Access Foundation and Better Society Capital.

Beyond our funds, we provide business advisory services to the sector, helping organisations build capacity, develop investment cases and business plans to access funding and finance to become more sustainable and impactful.

As a social enterprise, improved social and health outcomes are at the heart of our work building resilient, sustainable, well invested community enterprises.

To date we have developed and manage a series of successful small funds, each with a specific focus of activity. We are now in the process of establishing several more funds, building towards an overall scale that the sector requires. The first of these will be launched in 2025, and subsequent funds will develop in planned stages over the next 1-3 years driving a step change in our capacity and reach.

We have a track record of tangible, real-world results. For further details see here.

The successful candidate will play an important role in our Fund Management team. We currently manage £13m under two impact investment funds, Sporting Capital and Club Capital, focused on community sport, physical activity and facilities. We have designed sport focused impact investment funds of over £500m for other sector bodies, and are in the process of developing new funds.

Supporting our Fund Investment Managers and wider team you will work across the full fund management lifecycle but also there maybe opportunities to support the development of new funds.

Sporting Assets is offering a discretionary bonus of up to 30% of base pay.

Key Responsibilities

You will work primarily across our existing portfolio with responsibilities including:

Investment Phase:

• Undertaking assessment (both financial and social) of investment applications, including due diligence and research.
• Financial modelling, building, interpreting and manipulating financial models to test financial viability.
• Preparing and presenting investment proposals to independent investment committees.
• Undertaking the negotiation of terms and conditions with investees, oversight and preparation of legal documents.

Portfolio analysis and reporting:

• Analysis and investigation of investee financial returns, including review of historic and forecast cashflows and balance sheets.
• Reviewing the social performance of investments.
• Writing reports detailing key data, trend and issues at an investee and fund level.
• Presentation of portfolio reports to independent investment committees.

Administrative support

• Providing administrative support to the Investment Management team, including data entry into loan management systems, document management, and meeting coordination.

Personal Specification

We are looking for someone with the following attributes:

• Excellent communicator with strong relationship building capabilities and an adaptable style.
• Enthusiastic, self-starter with ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Detail oriented and organised.
• Ability to operate in a dynamic working environment, handling multiple tasks and deadlines with limited supervision.
• Highly committed individual with the ambition to take ownership of projects.
• Willingness to present ideas to peers and senior colleagues.
• Passion for sport and physical activity and social enterprise.
• A can-do attitude with willingness to take the initiative and generate new ideas and opportunities to support the wider team and organisational objectives in an early-stage but fast-growing market.
• Strong organisation and prioritisation skills, with ability to manage deadlines and multiple priorities.

Qualifications and Requirements

• At least three years relevant work experience with a focus on grant or loan management, impact investment, sports-based investment, corporate finance, accountancy or management consultancy.
• Strong analytical and research skills combined with a solid understanding of investment principles and ability to present complex information in a simple and informative way, clearly identifying key issues, to enable investment decisions to be made.
• The ability to assess business plans and interpret wider market information.
• Strong writing capability and presentation skills.
• Financial modelling.
• Analytical and numerate, with proficient in Microsoft Office (especially in Word, PowerPoint and Excel) and financial modelling.
• Understanding of business finances and the drivers behind profitability.

We do not expect candidates to possess all of these skills and competencies; importantly, what we are looking for is someone who can show how their skills and experience could be adapted to fit this profile, if/where there are gaps.

To Apply

Sporting Assets is an equal opportunity employer. We work to provide a supportive and inclusive environment where all individuals can maximise their full potential. Our strong commitment to a culture of inclusion is evident through our constant focus on recruiting, developing and advancing individuals based on their skills and talents.

We strongly encourage applications from a variety of candidates – we believe that different experiences result in increased ideas, collaboration and success. All candidates are required to have the right to work in the UK, please confirm this in your cover letter.

Please send your CV and Cover Letter (up to one A4 page) to Careers4Change – see below