BACKGROUND

Q2IMPACT, a QED Group company, brings over 25 years of expertise in data-driven, impact-focused solutions at the intersection of development, diplomacy, and defense. Rooted in this dynamic history, Q2IMPACT leverages cutting-edge technology, data-driven insight, and strategic expertise to tackle today’s most pressing challenges. Evolving with global priorities, Q2IMPACT blends its rich legacy in Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL), Collaboration, Learning, and Adaptation (CLA); data analytics; systems strengthening, and adaptive programming with a renewed focus on strategic relevance, economic growth, and national security. Q2IMPACT is the Prime Subrecipient under the USG-funded Youth Grow Activity (YGA) under Agreement No. 72027823CA00003.

Launched in 2023, Youth Grow Activity (YGA) is a five-year US Government (USG)-funded initiative that aims to transform the economic trajectory of Jordan’s youth while strengthening resilient, opportunity-rich local systems to promote long-term stability and security. YGA’s reflects a growing strategic consensus: youth economic empowerment is no longer just a development objective; it is a tool for socioeconomic prosperity. YGA tackles the root causes of economic exclusion and youth unemployment—key drivers of social unrest, destabilized vulnerable communities, and brain drain and migration. By aligning local and national economic opportunities with shared regional and global strategic interests, YGA leverages economic empowerment as a force to foster resilient partnerships that help co-create future-ready systems. YGA focuses on three core objectives:

1. Increased youth access to income-generating opportunities. YGA prepares, inspires, and links youth with opportunities and career pathways that allow them to generate income in growing arenas, including technology-enabled work, remote employment, and enhancing youth-led and youth-serving enterprises growth opportunities.
2. Enhanced youth economic leadership through targeted support of youth-led, youth-serving organizations, and youth groups through integrating sustainable practices and procedures for youth economic integration into the local and national ecosystem and enhancing youth's meaningful involvement in decision-making by creating avenues where their voices are heard to shape their support activities that affect their economic progress. This approach allows YGA to support inclusive economic growth that fosters innovation and long-term value creation.
3. Strengthened Jordan's youth development system in partnership with youth through enhanced coordination among stakeholders within youth-relevant services and policies and strengthened youth centers' capacity to serve as a connection hub between youth and youth support ecosystems to develop a lasting environment for youth empowerment and engagement.

YGA Catalytic Investment Fund (CIF)

The Catalytic Investment Fund (CIF) represents a flagship mechanism within YGA, developed to increase access to capital for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) that create large number of income opportunities for marginalized youth. CIF recognizes the importance of preparing enterprises to access investment and connecting them with capital to build sustainable business models that can drive long-term growth. Youth Grow Activity (YGA), funded by the United States Government (USG) through the CIF aims to bridge the investment gap for high-potential MSMEs by facilitating access to international capital markets while supporting their readiness through targeted advisory services. The overall CIF's objectives are as follows:

• Mobilize at least $10 million in private capital from international and local investors, including venture capital funds, development finance institutions, diaspora capital, and philanthropic sources.
• Create at least 3,000 income-generating opportunities for Jordanian youth through enterprise growth and expansion.
• Provide targeted investment readiness support to help enterprises align with investor expectations and navigate the capital-raising process.

Under the catalytic investment fund, YGA is partnering with number of “Investment Transaction Advisory service providers (Capital Mobilization and Investment Readiness) who will play a pivotal role in identifying and preparing high-potential youth-labour intensive and youth-led MSMEs for investment. This represents a broad category of support, including pipeline development,  investor matchmaking and multi-dimensional interventions to make enterprises comply with investors’ needs (e.g. technical and investment advisory services to address operational, managerial, market, governance, legal and/or financial issues identified, financial valuation package, loan application and supporting documentation, business plan, market assessment, financial model, pitch decks, and assistance reviewing terms sheets and letters of intent as appropriate).

YGA-CIF further provides acceleration program to address barriers to scale for youth-led and youth-labour-intensive enterprises. The acceleration program aims to support enterprise growth through a hybrid approach: growth-grants based support for immediate scaling, and technical assistance that fosters growth and longer-term sustainability.

POSITION DESCRIPTION:

The Catalytic Investment Fund (CIF) Lead will oversee the strategy, development, and implementation of CIF components, including transaction advisory services and acceleration support. The role focuses on enhancing youth-led and youth-focused MSMEs’ access to capital, fostering growth, and promoting a resilient economy in Jordan. The CIF Lead will work closely with partners to ensure high-quality implementation and alignment with YGA’s objectives.

ROLES and RESPONSIBILITIES:

Scouting and selection of enterprises:

• Participate in activities to identify youth-serving and youth-led enterprises for acceleration or CIF investment support
• Evaluate enterprises to determine their suitability for acceleration or investment advisory services
• Contribute to financial and technical evaluations and due diligence of potential enterprises

Transaction advisory Services

• Oversee the continuous refinement and implementation of the YGA's transaction advisory outreach and onboarding strategies, facilitating the mobilization of capital through innovative financial products, structured transactions, and investment facilitation.
• Cultivate and manage relationships with a broad range of intermediaries essential for deal structuring and investment facilitation, such as investment bankers, local and international advisory firms, legal consultants, financial advisors, and other relevant service providers. These relationships will be key in facilitating access to capital, structuring complex transactions, and ensuring the smooth flow of deals from initiation to closure.
• Work closely with these intermediaries to ensure that their services align with CIF objectives and contribute to the success of financing transactions, providing SMEs with the necessary support to access growth capital.
• Engage with major capital providers, ensuring the sourcing and structuring of appropriate leads as well as financing solutions for MSMEs at various growth, specifically those led by youth.
• Champion the development, structuring and execution of major investment deals, working with senior executives and investors to negotiate and close high-impact transactions
• Participate in the selection committee formed by transaction advisory services providers, to represent and reflect YGA’s strategic vision. 
• Review progress reports, financial analysis, and other documentation received from the transaction advisory services providers, to ensure that CIF investment activities are in alignment with YGA objectives and compliant with USG roles and regulation.
• Monitor closing all investment transactions, including developing and negotiating terms, and leading on legal due diligence.

Acceleration Support

• Support in scaling the provision of acceleration assistance to MSMEs, focusing on strengthening financial management capabilities, cost accounting, cash flow optimization, and financial sustainability.
• Support in designing and leading innovative strategies for the deployment of YGA’s grant funds under acceleration support, ensuring that grants effectively address access to capital challenges for youth -led and youth Focused MSMEs and reduce barriers such as transaction costs, collateral requirements, and high financing fees.
• Establish partnerships with financial institutions to expand the scope of TA services and provide MSMEs with the tools they need to enhance financial performance and growth potential.

Policy Advocacy & Regulatory Reform

• Working closely with relevant stakeholders to identify policy and regulatory barriers that inhibit MSMEs’ access to finance and identify possible regulatory reforms that enhance the overall investment climate
• Contribute to thought leadership through white papers, policy briefs, and public speaking engagements.

Relationship Management & Stakeholder Engagement

• As needed, represent the YGA at all relevant levels with key stakeholders, including regulators, donors, financial institutions, private equity firms, and other development partners.
• Foster and strengthen partnerships with local and international capital providers, investors, and other economic development programs to facilitate effective coordination and maximize the reach and impact of the Transaction Advisory efforts.
• Coordinate with other development organizations, and stakeholders to ensure alignment and leverage synergies across interventions.

Executive Reporting & communication

• Lead the design and implementation of comprehensive reporting mechanisms, ensuring the consistent and timely submission of high-quality annual, quarterly, and weekly reports.
• Prepare and deliver executive-level presentations and reports to USG and other key stakeholders, effectively communicating impact, challenges, and opportunities.
• Ensure transparency and accountability in reporting to USG -Department of State and other key stakeholders, ensuring the alignment of financial reporting with organizational requirements.
• Work with YGA’s communication team to promote the activities of the CIF and co-lead the production of all communication material that help share updates on progress and learnings to the investment community at large.

Support MEL

• Provide senior-level oversight on the progress of key performance indicators (KPIs), ensuring the achievement of ambitious targets and outcomes.
• Work with MEL team to set key performance indicators to monitor CIF performance and ensure effective quarterly CIF performance assessment.
• Coordinate between the local investment partner and YGA’s MEAL team, to assure that the partner is following up with investees to monitor and evaluate their performance, and to assure that both the partner and the investees are progressing toward achieving the indicators assigned to them.   

CIF Governance structure and secretariat:

• Recommend an effective governance and coordination structure for the CIF, covering Roles and responsibilities of YGA and other local actors and stakeholders; oversight of investment transactions and technical support; accountability, transparency, risk management and decision-making protocols.
• Work closely with the transaction advisory and acceleration partners to develop the CIF investment and financing strategies, operational manual and all related Standard Operation Procedures (SOPs), in direct coordination with YGA’s Chief of Party (COP). This includes terms of reference for the CIF Board/investment committee and formulation of the CIF Advisory Borad.

Other responsibilities:

• Provide expert advice and strategic input to the Chief of Party and senior management on organizational initiatives, new business development, and emerging challenges in the SME finance landscape.
• Coordinate between the CIF partners and YGA’s Director of Finance and Administration (DFA) and Senior grants and subcontracting Lead, to assure that the partners are meeting the milestones for their subcontracts/awards.      
• Undertake other assignments or tasks at the request of the Chief of Party or the Deputy Chief of Party.

MINIMUM EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, SKILLS and QUALIFICATIONS:

• Minimum a bachelor’s degree in finance, Economics, Business Administration, or a related field; master’s or other professional certifications are preferred.
• A minimum of 10 years of professional experience in finance, investment, or development programming, with a demonstrated track record in managing high-level investment transactions, financial structuring, and SME finance, including a significant portion of experience in debt, equity, and hybrid financing.
• Proven experience in senior leadership roles, with at least 5 years of management experience overseeing investment teams, working with external stakeholders, and coordinating complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives.
• Deep understanding of the Jordanian market and regional dynamics, with a solid network of contacts in financial institutions, government, and private sector partners.
• Experience managing large-scale donor-funded projects, particularly USG or other bi-lateral donor programs, with a focus on MSME growth, investment facilitation, and financial services.
• Expertise in regulatory and business environment, financial inclusion, and access to capital for underserved enterprises
• Excellent communication, presentation, and negotiation skills, with the ability to engage diverse audiences and senior decision-makers effectively
• Fluency in English and Arabic (both written and spoken) with a strong ability to write high-quality reports, strategic papers, and technical content.