PARALEGAL

Global Innovation Fund (www.globalinnovation.fund) (GIF) is a non-profit, social-first investment vehicle established as a ‘VC for fragile places’ to find, fund, and scale-up cost-effective, evidence-based innovations that have the potential to measurably improve the lives of millions of people living on $5 a day or less. GIF was founded to invest in innovations in the public or private sector that will inspire fresh thinking and create better solutions in developing countries.

GIF is focused on doing more with less to turn ideas into impact. To achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, the development community needs to draw on the resources of the private sector. GIF’s commitment to being part of the bridge between entrepreneurs and development finance challenges us to be creative and to seek the partnerships that drive creativity, dynamism, and collaboration. GIF’s unique hybrid model, as both a UK registered charity/US 501(c)3 and an investor, reflects our dual mission: to invest in innovations that improve the lives of the poor, and to demonstrate how bringing evidence and the power of the private sector to bear can create new solutions to persistent development problems.  

GIF offers grants, loans and equity-type investments ranging from $230,000 USD to $15 million USD to support a range of innovations with strong potential for social impact at a large scale. We support innovators at different phases of development, ranging from early start-up and pilot-testing to rigorous experiments and larger scale implementation. The innovations GIF supports can be located in any developing country and may focus on any sector relevant to international development.

• POSITION SUMMARY

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• GIF seeks to hire a Paralegal based in GIF’s London office to join the Legal team. The Paralegal will report to the Legal Counsel and Assistant Company Secretary, who will oversee his or her work.

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• As a member of the Legal team, responsibilities will include:

·       Supporting a small team of legal professionals to deliver solution-oriented legal advice to the GIF team

·       Owning the secretariat function of investment committees, including:

o   managing calendar invitations;

o   attending meetings about potential grants and investments and taking high quality minutes on a variety of complex topics;

o   maintaining the records of the committees in a thorough and orderly manner,

·       Drafting various contractual and governance documents, including grant amendments, waiver letters, board and membership resolutions, and policies and arranging execution

·       Assisting with corporate and charity governance matters relating to both GIF and its subsidiaries

·       Maintaining GIF’s contract file and register, policy renewals register and register of nominee directors

·       Conducting research tasks and recommending practical solutions

·       Using programmes such as the Microsoft Office Suite, Salesforce, and DocuSign

GIF is a dynamic and rapidly growing organisation; the Paralegal will be expected to adapt quickly to the needs of the organisation and could have a range of other duties as assigned.

REQUIRED SKILLS, EXPERIENCE, AND ATTRIBUTES

• Two-plus years of relevant experience, including in law firms, venture capital, private equity, impact investing, not-for-profits, social enterprises, government or international development

·       Undergraduate degree in law or a social science and a paralegal diploma or postgraduate qualification in law

·       Strong attention to detail and accuracy

·       Exceptional written communication skills are essential

·       Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with an ability to synthesise large quantities of unfamiliar information in writing

·       Outstanding organisation skills and discipline

·       Self-initiator, with ability to work and succeed in a fast-paced, small-entity environment

·       Ability to interact effectively and harmoniously with others, including developing working relationships with colleagues from all parts of the organisation

·       A strong commitment to GIF’s mission and evidence of engagement in the areas of social innovation and international development

·       Resilience, grit and determination to succeed

• Passion, humility, integrity, team player, and a spirited sense of humour

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

This role will be based in our London office. Any job offer made will be subject to the successful candidate having the authorisation to work in the UK prior to commencing work at GIF. Competitive salary on offer plus excellent suite of benefits including BUPA private medical insurance and company 10% contribution pension.

HOW TO APPLY

The applicants are urged to follow the instructions available on https://app.beapplied.com/apply/dfucxde10w. The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application and in accordance to the evaluation criteria of the job opening. The application process will close at 11pm (GMT) on 17th December 2021.

GIF is committed to promoting equal opportunities in employment.

We will only retain your personal data for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes we collected it for, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. To determine the appropriate retention period for personal data, we consider the amount, nature, and sensitivity of the personal data, the potential risk of harm from unauthorised use or disclosure of your personal data, the purposes for which we process your personal data and whether we can achieve those purposes through other means, and the applicable legal requirements. If you are unsuccessful in your job application with us, we will retain your data for a period of 6 months from the end of the recruitment process. After this time, your personal data will be permanently deleted from our systems.