About Us
Agriculture is the key to unlocking a better future for billions of people. But while rural families sustain the world, they struggle to sustain themselves. At the same time, they face increasingly urgent challenges, from volatile crop prices to extreme weather.
Root Capital is an impact investor that provides financing and business training to agricultural enterprises in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Since 1999, we have loaned over $2B to more than 800 businesses that are too big for microloans but too small for commercial lenders, and have trained more than twice as many businesses. As these businesses succeed and scale, they become engines of impact for local communities, raising incomes, creating jobs, expanding opportunities for women and young people, preserving nature, and building rural prosperity.
Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Root Capital has more than 180 employees operating in more than a dozen countries in Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia, and has associated offices in Costa Rica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Colombia, Peru, Ghana, and Kenya.
Position Overview
The Investment Team plays a central role in ensuring the efficient and effective delivery and management of the loan portfolio, in alignment with the organization’s risk appetite and impact goals.
The Junior Investment Officer supports the effective delivery of Root Capital’s lending activities by contributing to financial and risk analysis, credit structuring, loan servicing, portfolio monitoring, and loan workouts – performed under the guidance of their supervisor and in coordination with the Portfolio Manager and the client. .
The Junior Investment Officer ensures the quality, sustainability, and impact of the lending portfolio through a combination of technical expertise, client engagement, and cross-functional collaboration. The role contributes to the broader organizational objectives of risk management, portfolio growth and impact, and client satisfaction.
Duties & Responsibilities
Purpose (50%)
Loan Underwriting and Structuring
- Perform independent, objective loan application assessments and underwriting, including but not limited to analysis of client financial statements, cash flows projections, social and environmental score performance, management capacity, governance, industry risk, and repayment ability – to determine the client’s creditworthiness, impact potential and risk profile
- Verify client information through various means, including analysis of bank statements, review of credit and commercial references, as well as site visits and/or management interviews in conjunction with the portfolio manager as necessary
- Structure loans to meet client’s needs, in accordance with Root Capital’s lending policy and risk appetite, with input from the Portfolio Manager
- Support Portfolio Manager in the negotiation of credit terms by providing clear parameters and, as necessary, directly supporting client discussions on technical credit matters
Loan Servicing, Performance Monitoring and Risk Rating
- Support loan closings by collecting required documentation, communicating final terms to clients, and coordinating with Credit Administration to ensure all conditions are satisfied for timely disbursement
- Manage borrowing base updates and supporting documentation; analyze and facilitate disbursement and payment requests – in coordination with the client and internal teams to ensure accuracy, timeliness, and adherence to policy
- Analyze use of funds, financial performance, and compliance with covenants
- Assess market risks and trends, with input from the portfolio manager
- Communicate with clients to understand key risks and mitigants and to address identified deficiencies, in coordination with the portfolio manager
- Maintain accurate and updated risk rating in Salesforce, in accordance with policy
Non-Current Loan Portfolio Management
- Proactive identification of loan risks and problems for discussion at monthly risk review
- Preparation and presentation of credit proposals for negotiation agreements/ settlement agreements and loan restructures for the non-performing portfolio to the credit committee
- Regular updates to the high-risk review reports together with the respective action plans for active loans in PAR>90
Engagement (15%)
- Collaborate closely with Portfolio Managers to collect relevant client inputs and align credit structuring and client communications.
- Serves as the primary point of client contact for loan servicing (closing, disbursement, repayments, borrowing base updates, etc.) ensuring clear communication of requirements, timely issue resolution, and appropriate coordination with the Portfolio Manager and internal teams
- Engage directly with clients to understand business models, assess risks and mitigants, and support the negotiation of loan terms.
- Provide input to Portfolio Manager regarding financial management weaknesses of prospective and existing clients as necessary to inform the provision of advisory services
- Coordinate with cross-functional teams including Credit Administration, Client Services, and Risk to ensure quality service delivery and institutional alignment.
- Represent the investment function in internal forums and participate in knowledge sharing, policy and process improvement efforts.
- Collaborate during annual planning and pipeline review meetings to review the pipeline, proactively identifying potential issues and/or bottlenecks for early alignment and resolution—preventing delays at the approval stage.
Delivery (35%)
- Prepare and present well-structured credit proposals for approval, with clear articulation of risks, mitigants, and credit recommendation in accordance with Root Capital’s policy and risk appetite – in a timely and efficient manner, to meet Root Capital’s customer service objectives
- Timely loan servicing facilitation for loan closing, disbursement and repayments
- Identify and address at-risk loans, including the preparation of restructuring or settlement proposals for non-performing assets.
- Maintain accurate, timely records in internal systems, including risk ratings and action plans for high-risk loans.
Perform other relevant duties as assigned.
Required Skills and Experience
- Demonstrated expertise in credit underwriting, risk analysis, loan performance monitoring, and loan workout
- Minimum of 3 years of experience in commercial banking or financial services, with a focus on working capital lending.
- Bachelor’s degree in economics, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field. Master’s degree preferred.
- Deep belief in and dedication to the mission of Root Capital, with a passion for promoting inclusive and sustainable economic development and rural resilience in low- and middle-income countries.
- Strong interpersonal skills to establish and maintain effective working relationships with a team as well as internal and external clients.
- Experience working with rural SMEs and/or agricultural enterprises is highly desirable.
- Strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, with the ability to build a respectful and inclusive work environment.
- Proficiency in English and relevant regional language (e.g., Spanish or French).
- Willingness and ability to travel to rural areas (approximately 10% of the time).
- Familiarity with Salesforce, financial spreading software, and similar systems for credit and risk functions is a plus.
Applications
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Candidates are encouraged to apply using the form below as soon as possible, making sure to include a resume and cover letter that describes your interest, qualifications, language abilities, salary requirements, and how you learned of the position. Finalist candidates will be required to provide at least three work-related references.
Root Capital provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, active military or veteran status, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy (which includes pregnancy, childbirth, medical conditions related to pregnancy and childbirth, and breastfeeding and expressing breast milk), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law. Root Capital is committed to creating a dynamic work environment that upholds our leadership principles of: empowerment, equity, integrity, service, and transparency.
