Senior Associate
Software Engineering · Full-time
Senior Associate, Venture Portfolio and Transactions
Nairobi, Kenya | Full Time | Apply by: 5th October 2026
About the Organization
CLASP focuses on appliance and equipment energy performance and quality, to mitigate and adapt to climate change, expand access to clean energy, and improve lives. We serve at the epicenter of collaborative, ambitious efforts to mitigate climate change and in the global movement for clean energy access, through appliance efficiency.
Our mission is to improve the energy and environmental performance of the appliances & equipment we use every day, accelerating our transition to a more sustainable world. We work hand-in-hand with governments, experts, industry, consumers, donor organizations and others to propel policies and markets toward the highest-quality, lowest resource-intensive appliances possible.
CLASP has worked in more than 100 countries since our inception in 1999. CLASP has offices in Washington, DC; Nairobi, Kenya; and New Delhi, India, with additional teams in Europe, China, Brazil and Indonesia.
We are mission-driven and committed to a culture of diversity, transparency, collaboration, and impactful work. See our Team Page to learn more about us.
Context & Reason for the Hire
CLASP, through the Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS) program builds and finances commercial clean cooking ventures across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Malawi through a venture building program that prioritizes commercially viable companies and the market evidence they generate, with a vision of a portfolio whose data shifts the policies, financing and standards that unlock scale in modern energy cooking.
CLASP seeks a Senior Associate to run the day-to-day investment and portfolio management activities to achieve the mandate of the Venture program. This is a new position created as the portfolio grows from a handful of ventures to a multi-fund programme with increasing need for due diligence, structuring, reporting and venture support and coordination.
Our Vision for the Role
Reporting to the Venture Leads, the ideal candidate combines the analytical depth of an investment professional with the coordination instincts of someone who has managed a community or network: able to pick the signal out of the data, package it as a recommendation, and hold together the founders, financiers, banks and manufacturers that the portfolio depends on.
Key Responsibilities
- Transactions and structuring
- Run the required due diligence on ventures entering the portfolio including but not limited to financial and commercial analysis; unit economics, cash runway, capital stack, and existing obligations.
- Prepare instrument and onboarding terms within CLASP's frameworks for the Venture program.
- Support ventures on transactions they are running: follow-on equity and debt rounds, RBF and carbon contracts, working capital and receivables facilities.
- Manage the Joint Ventures workstream between portfolio ventures and interested appliance manufacturers that CLASP holds MOUs with including but not limited to: partner screening, analysis, term sheet preparation and coordination through to closing.
- Manage the Investment Committee and Advisory Group processes.
- Portfolio advisory
- Be the lead for the day-to-day management and monitoring of portfolio performance: monthly reviews, KPI follow-up, identification of the binding constraint and coordination of the fractional bench.
- Turn portfolio and market data into practical advice for founders and into strategic insight for the Venture Lead: what is working, what is at risk, what to do next.
- Manage the portfolio-at-risk process: early flags, options, recommendations for the Program Management Team and the Investment Committee.
- Support ventures in fund-raising initiatives: data rooms, investor materials, introductions, round tracking.
- Coordination and relationships
- Own day-to-day relationships across the portfolio's communities: the founder cohort, co-investors and financiers, bank and SACCO partners, manufacturer partners, the fractional bench and related programme management structures and funder relationship management. Escalate and hand over to the Venture Lead where a decision or a senior conversation is needed.
- Represent CLASP at ecosystem events and convenings as needed.
- Reporting
- Produce the quarterly Master Deck, the monthly portfolio updates and any project reporting requirement.
The Ideal Candidate
- Five to seven years in venture capital, private equity, impact investing, venture debt, investment banking or corporate finance advisory. Experience in the operating or advisory side of an early-stage company is a strong plus.
- Graduate degree in finance, economics, business administration, engineering or a related field; MBA, CFA or equivalent is a plus.
- Proven technical depth in three-statement models, valuation and scenario analyses, and has worked on term sheets, convertibles, debt or repayable instruments.
- Experience supporting portfolio companies or clients’ post-transaction, including through performance management.
- Strong coordination and relationship skills: has managed a community, network or multi-party partnership and can zoom out of the detail when the situation calls for it.
- Comfortable being hands-on: does the work and reports on it, rather than delegating it.
- Willing to travel around 25 percent of the time.
- Interested in clean cooking, energy access and climate finance. Exposure to donor-funded instruments, commercial banks or carbon finance is an advantage.
- Core competencies: financial modelling and structuring; analytical depth with strategic synthesis; commercial judgement; relationship and stakeholder management; written and verbal communication; initiative, reliability and ownership; adaptability in ambiguous, multi-country settings.
Compensation and Location
CLASP offers competitive compensation commensurate with experience, including fully paid health insurance for individuals and their families/dependents, provident fund and includes a collegial office environment that supports wellness and flexible telecommuting options. This position will be based in the organization's Nairobi office. Early morning or evening hours are sometimes necessary to accommodate international collaboration; travel will be required.
Recruitment Process
Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until the position is closed, though early applications are strongly encouraged. If you believe you meet the attributes and skills above, please send a brief cover letter and your updated CV or LinkedIn profile.
CLASP is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Our goal is to be a diverse workforce that is representative, at all job levels, of the citizens we serve. Each person is evaluated based on personal skill and merit.
