ESG & Impact Manager - Zafiri

Job Profile: ESG & Impact Manager – Zafiri

Company:
Zafiri (DRE private equity initiative to be managed by Inspired Evolution)

Reports To:
Head of ESG Inspired Evolution, and Managing Director Zafiri

Location:
Nairobi, Kenya / Cape Town, South Africa (other locations possible)

Commencement:
February 2026 (Approximate)

Background to Inspired Evolution

Inspired Evolution currently manages three private equity funds—Evolution One, Evolution II, and Evolution III—with committed capital of USD 550 million, with an additional USD 300 million in co-investment. As a first mover since 2007, the firm has a proven track record in clean energy infrastructure, energy access, and energy and resource efficiency climate-related investments across Africa. With five regional offices in Mauritius, Côte d'Ivoire, Kenya, the UK, and headquarters in Cape Town, South Africa, Inspired Evolution offers a broad footprint as one of Africa's premier specialised investment advisory firms.

Inspired Evolution is now expanding on its suite of Evolution funds with a recent award to manage Project Zafiri, a World Bank Group's Mission 300 landmark energy access initiative, which will require an enhanced deal team, financial and governance oversight, and reporting capabilities.

About Zafiri

Zafiri's central role in
Mission 300,
a joint initiative of the WBG and AfDB to provide first-time electricity access to 300 million Africans by 2030. Zafiri is a permanent capital investment vehicle with cornerstone investors including the International Finance Corporation (IFC), African Development Bank (AfDB), the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Nordic Development Fund. Inspired Evolution is the prospective investment manager of Zafiri and is currently finalising its investment management agreement with Zafiri shareholders. Zafiri is dedicated to accelerating universal energy access by investing in decentralised renewable energy (DRE) companies and infrastructure across Sub-Saharan Africa.

With its investment mandate already approved, Zafiri is approaching a target first close in December 2025.

Role Overview

The duties and responsibilities of the ESG & Impact Manager entail a number of key action items, as aligned with the organisational accountability statements outlined in the Project Zafiri
environmental, social, and governance management system
(ESGMS) and IMMS. The ESG & Impact Manager will have the overall responsibility of developing and implementing ESG and Impact policies, standards, procedures, management systems, and reporting under Project Zafiri, including management of the Project Zafiri Impact Officer. The candidate will ensure that these duties, responsibilities, and procedures are implemented and monitored for each Project Zafiri investment and/or portfolio company across the entire investment cycle in collaboration with the deal team, to ensure that Project Zafiri remains fully compliant with its bespoke ESGMS, IMMS, and investor requirements.

Key Responsibilities

ESGMS and IMMS implementation, as aligned with IE Group-level E&S and Impact policies and procedures, the ESG & Impact Manager will:

• Develop, manage, integrate, coordinate, and provide ongoing improvement of Zafiri's ESGMS and IMMS.
• Implementation of the ESGMS and IMMS procedures on behalf of all investors.
• Collaboration with deal teams and management of the portfolio companies to ensure effective due diligence, baseline information, and ongoing compliance with E&S requirements, ensuring adequate resources are available to effectively implement the ESGMS and IMMS at Project Zafiri and portfolio investment company level.
• Management and monitoring of the workstreams dedicated to the ESG and Impact team i.e., stakeholder engagement, grievance mechanisms, ESG and Impact measurement, and reporting.
• Oversight and implementation of ESG and Impact research and development.
• Communication of E&S compliance and performance, and Impact value creation both internally and externally.

ESG and Impact screening and assessment during all phases of the investment cycle

• Undertaking E&S and Impact screening and assessments against the exclusion list, investment mandate, and E&S policies and procedures for all investment portfolio companies, and/or projects, and assigning applicable E&S risk ratings (categorisation) during the initial stages of the investment/pre-investment.
• Planning the scope of work for, and organisation of, the E&S and Impact due diligence, and ensuring availability of adequate budget and resources.
• Preparing request for proposals (RFPs) for ESG & Impact advisors /consultants.
• Evaluation of E&S compliance of a Portfolio Investment with E&S requirements and alignment with Impact objectives during the due diligence phase.
• Tracking progress and monitoring of E&S action plans (ESAPs) and Impact action plans (IAPs) and/or corrective action plans (CAPs) in collaboration with the Portfolio Company, as applicable.
• Ongoing monitoring and management of E&S risks/issues and Impact opportunities associated with Portfolio Companies during the value creation phase (post-investment).
• Collaboration with the deal team and management of the portfolio company to ensure adequate resources are committed to implementing the ESGMS.
• Periodic monitoring meetings with Zafiri's E&S working group and/or committee to discuss key E&S risks and E&S compliance and performance matters of underlying investments.
• Ensure that all investment decisions are supported by appropriate due diligence documentation, incl., but not limited to, E&S and Impact sections in final Investment Memorandums reflecting his/her judgments, conclusions, and recommendations.

E&S risk and Impact action monitoring, reporting systems management, and reporting

• Obtaining quality ESG and Impact information from Portfolio Companies.
• Performance of ad hoc and periodic reporting obligations to the Company and investors.
• Developing, managing, and/or improving appropriate E&S and Impact management systems and toolkits, with supporting policies and annexures.
• Ensuring Portfolio Companies submit quarterly and annual E&S and Impact performance reports to the Fund, as/when required.
• Supervision of Portfolio Companies' performance against ongoing compliance with the E&S and Impact Requirements.
• Supervising the grievance mechanism process by assessing any grievances received in relation to any Portfolio Company and/or its business activities.
• Implementation, management, and monitoring of the annual ESG and Impact reporting process of preparing, reviewing, approving, and disseminating the annual environmental and social performance report to investors in the Fund.

ESG and Impact strategy development

• Providing leadership and guidance on the group-level ESG and Impact investment management strategy.
• Improve ESG and Impact investment performance indicators and reporting systems and Impact Reports, ensuring international best practice, market leadership and differentiation.
• Ensure stakeholder engagement and consultations are undertaken effectively with i.e., deal teams, investors (E&S Panel/E&S Board Committee/Impact Committee), industry specialists, as well as interested and affected parties, as applicable.

Candidate Profile

Required Experience

• Minimum 8 years of professional experience in responsible investment or sustainability, impact investing, E&S impact measurement or development finance, preferably in a financial institution or consulting.
• Proven experience and knowledge of the renewable energy and climate sector, specifically best-in-class ESG and Impact standards and frameworks aligned with World Bank Group and proven experience across IFC Performance Standards, Operating Principles for Impact Management, SDG Impact Standards for Private Equity, PRI Investing with SDG Outcomes, Impact Frontiers Impact Management Project, climate-related guidelines and taxonomy, and gender-lens investing.
• Knowledge and experience with ESG and Impact indicators, tracking and reporting, although this will be in a supervisory and quality control capacity of the Project Zafiri Impact Officer.
• Good knowledge of and interest in fund-level technical criteria (energy efficiency, climate finance, GHG and carbon reporting) and ESG and Impact management systems, and an ability to apply them in a global context.
• Understanding of technical ESG and Impact reporting frameworks (e.g., Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB), Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), Impact Frontiers Impact Performance Reporting Norms (IPRN) Experienced and/or interest in Sub-Saharan African markets.
• In addition to advanced Excel, strong PowerPoint, and Word skills.
• The ability to prioritise, multitask, and deliver to deadlines.
• Creative problem-solving skills and strategic/analytical thinking.

Technical Competencies

• Attention to detail
• Strong analytical ability
• Communication and presentation skill competence
• Initiative/self-starter
• Innovation
• Organisational skills
• Strong teamwork ethic
• Adaptable/flexible and assertive persona, "can-do" attitude, entrepreneurial nature
• This role will suit self-motivated senior professionals with an ability to work in a high-growth, non-bureaucratic environment

Education & Credentials

• Bachelor's degree in a related field (preferably environmental/social management, sustainability studies, finance, economics, or equivalent).
• Knowledge of impact investing industry terminology and tools (e.g., ).

Travel

• Candidate must be willing to travel within the Sub-Saharan African Region.

Compensation Package

Three-tiered remuneration package comprising:

• Guaranteed annual gross remuneration.
• Annual discretionary performance bonus.
• Carried interest participation (to be negotiated).

Languages

• English fluency essential
• French is an advantage

Inspired Evolution is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion.