Investment Manager

A new opportunity for an Investment Manager to join our Impact Investment Team, based in our Leeds office. The successful candidate will play an important role in our Fund Management team, supporting the CEO and Senior Investment Manager across the full fund management lifecycle, both fund development and fund operations. We currently manage £13m under two impact investment funds, focused on community sport, physical activity and facilities, and are in the process of developing new funds.

You will work primarily across our existing portfolio and new fund development with responsibilities including:

• Fund Development: Supporting fundraising for new funds, including preparation of pitch decks and investment memoranda; managing investor relations and responding to investor queries; supporting investor negotiations, including preparation of term sheets and liaison with legal advisors during investment structuring; managing due diligence processes, including commercial and legal due diligence, reviewing constitutional documents, funding agreements and security arrangements.
• Fund Operation and Delivery: Preparing investment proposals for Investment Committee review, including financial modelling and impact assessment; conducting investee reporting and reporting to funders and Investment Committees; actively managing underperforming investments, including engagement with investees and development of recovery plans; managing our online loan management software and maintaining accurate investment records.

Qualifications and Requirements

We are looking for candidates with relevant experience rather than a specific qualification. Relevant experience may include:

• A minimum of three years’ experience in social investment, impact investment, corporate finance, management consultancy or a related field, with demonstrable exposure to investment processes and fund management.
• Investor relations experience, including managing relationships with institutional and impact investors, producing investor reports and fund updates, and responding to investor queries.
• Experience producing high-quality investor materials, including pitch decks, investment memoranda and impact reports, to a standard suitable for institutional audiences.
• Ability to support investor negotiations, including drafting and reviewing term sheets, heads of terms and investment agreements, and liaising effectively with legal advisors.
• Understanding of commercial and legal due diligence processes, including reviewing constitutional documents, funding agreements, security arrangements and legal structures relevant to social investment transactions.
• Strong financial and commercial skills, including rigorous financial due diligence, business plan assessment, financial modelling and making recommendations to an Investment Committee.
• Strong writing capability and presentation skills.
• Analytical and numerate, with proficiency in Microsoft Office (especially Word, PowerPoint and Excel) and financial modelling.
• Understanding of business finances and the drivers behind profitability.

We do not expect candidates to possess all 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.

The Individual

We strongly encourage applications from a variety of candidates — we believe that different experiences result in increased ideas, collaboration and success. We are looking for someone who is:

• Excellent communicator with strong relationship-building capabilities and an adaptable style.
• Enthusiastic, self-starter with ability to work independently and as part of a small, collaborative team.
• Detail oriented and well-organised, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines with limited supervision.
• Ambitious and ownership-minded — comfortable taking initiative and generating new ideas.
• Willingness to present ideas to peers and senior colleagues.
• Genuinely passionate about sport, 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.

Up to £47,500 base salary, based on skills and experience. Discretionary bonus of up to 30% of base pay, plus statutory pension contribution. Full time (5 days per week) preferred; part time considered for outstanding candidates. 25 days flexible holiday plus additional 2–3 days fixed at Christmas (plus English bank holidays). Hybrid working arrangements — minimum 2 days per week in our Leeds office. Potential to become a shareholder in the future. Learning and continuous improvement is core to how we support staff develop. Support is provided for individual development, through external training and coaching from members of the executive team. The role will allow opportunity to progress rapidly in a growing business at the forefront of community sport investment in the UK.

How to Apply

Interested candidates should send a CV and covering letter detailing their interest in Sporting Assets and relevant experience. Please include your salary expectations in your cover letter. All candidates must have the right to work in the UK, please confirm this in your application. 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.