We’re looking for the right person to join our team of thirteen. The position is a core role on our Portfolio team, with the opportunity to lead other initiatives and projects that support our mission.
WHAT WE DO
Mulago’s mission is to meet the basic needs of the poor. We do that by funding organizations that have a solution that could go big and a team with the ability to take it there. We search the world for talented leaders with great ideas and recruit the best into our Fellows Program, where we teach them design for impact, strategy for scale, and the skills they need to build a great organization. The Fellows Program is the onramp for long-term funding—we bring those that show great promise into our Portfolio, where we accompany them on their journey to scale with money, advice, and connections.
THE PRINCIPAL POSITION
Mulago invests in scalable solutions. As part of the Portfolio team, Investment Principals evaluate, manage, and support new and continuing social investments. Most of Mulago's investments are in the form of grants, but we work with a lot of for-profit social enterprises. Each funding decision we make is a bet on the potential of the organization to get their solution to scale. The key duties of the Investment Principal include:
- Source and evaluate investments (grants/debt/equity)
- Lead relationships to set goals and measure progress using Mulago’s frameworks
- Make funding recommendations
- Design, teach and facilitate at Mulago-related convenings, including fellowship retreats
- Connect organizations to each other, other funders, and high-quality resources
- Travel for visits to our fellows and portfolio (mostly in Africa and Asia; often 2-3 weeks per quarter)
- Engage and advise our current fellows: they are the future of our portfolio
This isn’t a “program officer” position. We don’t work that way. Our investments are handled as a team, and there are no silos. However, you will lead and shepherd relationships. With a coaching mindset, you’ll apply and share Mulago’s frameworks for scalable solutions with our portfolio, and you’ll draw on your own experience to ask the right questions, make connections, and share good advice along their scale journey. As you nail the core elements of the job — especially how Mulago thinks about design for lasting impact at scale — you will lead other important Mulago activities: sector research and convenings, founder summits, engagement with other funders, and spreading Mulago’s ideas to new spaces.
WHO THRIVES AT MULAGO
You share our funding philosophy (How We Fund) and a bias for action over talk. You’re comfortable and flexible with changes in course and circumstances. Laughter comes easily to you and you understand the importance of cracking jokes. You can work hard and smart without a lot of supervision. You realize that your role as a funder is to support and serve the people doing the work—you understand that. Travel, often in less-than-optimal conditions, is a big part of this job – you need to love it. The right person is entrepreneurial, thinks creatively, and would be eager to put a passport and rolodex (OK, iPhone) to good use in service of social impact at scale.
We are a small shop. We work continually with new ideas and new founders, so we’ve kept the spirit and energy of a mission-driven start-up. We do our work in teams, and we don’t waste time. Each of us has a core role, and everybody does a bit of everything—that's worked really well for us for a long time. Mulago has grown a lot in the past few years. We now find ourselves in the privileged position of imagining an ideal candidate to complement the rest of us. We’re also always looking to add diversity of background, thought, personal journey, and professional experience.
SPECIFIC QUALIFICATIONS
- Enthusiasm. More than anything else — for this role, Mulago’s mission, and being part of a team
- Significant relevant experience (you make the case)
- Substantive time/experience working in Africa
- Good at data analysis, synthesis, pattern recognition, and project management – and the ability to make smart bets with imperfect information
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- We care more about what you can do than we do about degrees
THE DETAILS
The right candidate will be ready to commit to at least 3 years in this position.
This is a full-time job based in the Bay Area. We all (including this role) work 3+ days/week at Mulago’s office in San Francisco. We will not consider a remote hire.
The minimum salary for this role is $156,000.
Travel is an essential part of this role. We can’t give good advice from a desk in San Francisco. If you’re not stoked about traveling 10-12+ weeks a year, this isn’t the job for you.
Pay and benefits are competitive, including medical, dental, vision, life, and short term + long term disability insurance, 401K + employer match, paid parental leave, unlimited PTO, and more.
We are able to sponsor visas for those who are eligible for OPT or have existing US work authorization.
If you’re interested, and feel you’re qualified, please fill out this form. We will be reviewing on a rolling basis and will close applications by Monday, March 31, 2025. Thanks!
