Director of Mission-Aligned Investments, Housing Full Time

Arnold Ventures (AV) is a philanthropy that supports research to understand the root causes of America’s most persistent and pressing problems, as well as evidence-based solutions to address them. By focusing on systemic change, AV is working to improve the lives of American families, strengthen their communities, and promote their economic opportunity. Since Laura and John Arnold launched their foundation in 2008, the philanthropy has expanded, and AV’s focus areas include education, criminal justice, health, infrastructure, and public finance, advocating for bipartisan policy reforms that will lead to lasting, scalable change. The Arnolds became signatories of the Giving Pledge in 2010.

Position Overview

AV is building out a mission-aligned investing team that will invest across the organization’s focus areas. The team will have a broad mandate to further the philanthropic goals of the organization, with discretion to invest across the capital structure (debt through equity), as a limited partner in funds, and via credit enhancements and guarantees. The team will develop and invest in opportunities where market-rate and concessionary capital can catalyze private and public sector investment. Investments will be made from a $5 billion endowment. This is a highly entrepreneurial opportunity to be on the ground floor of shaping an investment platform with substantial flexibility and resources to maximize impact for millions of Americans.

The Director will be responsible for sourcing, underwriting, and structuring mission-aligned investments with the overall goal of increasing housing supply in America. Given the small size of the initial team, the Director will be expected to operate as a one-person deal team. This position is based in AV’s New York City office and reports to the Executive Vice President, Mission-Aligned Investments.

Core Responsibilities

• Lead deal teams that include programmatic, investment, and legal colleagues to execute new investments, including thesis formation, sourcing, initial evaluation, investment shaping with company executives and co-investors, structuring, due diligence and financial modeling, and negotiation of legal documentation
• Partner closely with programmatic colleagues to understand the evidence base, policy landscape, and philanthropic goals in housing
• Source potential investments through active outreach and relationship-building with CEOs, senior executives, and investors
• Present investments to AV’s Board of Directors
• Manage portfolio investments, including relevant board observer responsibilities

Required Qualifications

• 10 years of investment experience with leading market-rate residential real estate developers, venture capital or private equity firms, or lenders
• Excellent financial transaction experience and financial analysis, modeling, and due diligence skills
• Exceptional strategy development, deal sourcing, deal execution, and portfolio engagement skills
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, with the ability to communicate investment and financial concepts to diverse, nontechnical audiences

The salary range for this position will be $225,000-$325,000.

Application Materials

In addition to your resume, please submit a deal sheet that highlights investments that demonstrate your market experience in real estate, including asset type, instrument, geography, deal size, your role in the transaction, and any relevant outcomes. This will help us better understand your direct experience and alignment with the housing-focused investment strategy of this role.

Benefits Overview

AV is committed to providing a robust and comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees. Our current benefits package includes 100% paid employee premiums for medical, dental, vision, basic life, and short- and long-term disability insurance; 20 days of paid time off, 16 paid holidays (including a winter break from December 24 to January 1), a hybrid policy that includes four days in office and one flexible day for remote work, and a summer schedule with alternating Fridays off beginning on Memorial Day and ending on Labor Day; paid parental leave; a 401k retirement savings plan with an employer match, profit-share contribution, and immediate vesting; pre-tax transit benefits; a professional development stipend; a charitable giving stipend; and an employee assistance program. In addition, a relocation bonus is available for candidates who will move to one of AV’s three office locations for a position.

Our Culture and Core Values

Our culture seeks to inspire and empower our people to innovate and develop bold ideas that will help AV achieve lasting impact. Our culture, and the core values that support it, should create an environment that spurs our team to think outside the box, feel comfortable pushing the boundaries of what is possible, and signal confidence in our team’s ability to make change happen through our philanthropic efforts. Although not an exhaustive list, below you’ll find examples of AV’s work culture.

• We are adaptable and comfortable with ambiguity
• We are intellectually curious, open-minded, objective, humble, collegial, and receptive to feedback
• We are action-oriented with strong self-direction and self-motivation skills with the ability to work simultaneously on multiple projects
• We are able to interact confidently and collaboratively with team members and navigate relationships with external experts, government leaders, advocates, and individuals

AV’s values reflect who we are as an organization, help us accelerate our strategic goals, strengthen our resolve, anchor us to our mission, and guide our decision-making. The successful candidate will also demonstrate the following core values that inspire the AV team to make a difference.

• Respect for Ourselves & Others
• Audacious Action
• Collaborative Engagement
• Depth of Thought
• Clear Communication

AV is an equal opportunity employer, committed to an inclusive workplace. We are seeking applicants from a variety of backgrounds and with a variety of experiences and perspectives. Candidates who have been impacted by the systems we are seeking to change are strongly encouraged to apply. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender identity or expression, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, military/​ veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.