Senior Portfolio Associate

Colombia Senior Portfolio Associate 

Organization Profile 

NESsT is an international non-profit organization with offices in Latin America and Europe and a global leadership team based in the U.S. NESsT's major goal is to transform lives by investing in social enterprises that provide dignified employment for communities facing isolation, discrimination, lack of job skills and poor education while sustaining the planet. We believe that locally based social enterprises are uniquely qualified to transform these communities. These enterprises are on the ground, have the trust of the communities, and have created businesses aligned with their best interests.   

Latin America Acceleration Program Description 

There is a large gap that currently exists in the ecosystems where NESsT is present. Social entrepreneurs are often given support to launch their initial business ideas, but then they are often left on their own to validate and grow their businesses. There is a blatant lack of support for this "missing middle" stage when entrepreneurs continue to need business services as well as philanthropic and soft capital support to build out their businesses.   

NESsT, along with its partners, join forces to co-create programs to address this gap and support selected social enterprises working across Chile, Colombia, Perú and Brazil. The programs aim to equip social entrepreneurs to grow their enterprises and provide dignified employment, income and quality of life to vulnerable people in these countries. This, in turn, will impact their families, other community members and customers.   

The social enterprises receive hands-on guidance from the NESsT team, external advisors, and private sector co-workers as volunteer mentors to support the social entrepreneurs with their business scale-up plans.    

Specifically, NESsT Acceleration Programs provide growth social entrepreneurs with the business services and appropriate financial capital needed to manage and grow their business and impact. As a result, they will be better positioned to improve their storytelling to reach business and social impact objectives. And they will be better able to manage their social enterprise impact. Overall, the programs also increase the awareness of our partners' customers about social enterprise products and services and the dissemination of best practices to the broader social enterprise sector.  

Position Overview: 

The Senior Portfolio Associate will support and provide strategic guidance to a portfolio of social enterprises in Colombia, helping them strengthen their business models, operations, and social/environmental impact. This role is designed for professionals with 3 - 4 years of experience in project management, consulting, entrepreneurship, or finance, who are ready to take on greater responsibility and autonomy in guiding enterprises, particularly in the agro-industrial and bioeconomy sectors. 

Key Duties & Responsibilities: 

Portfolio Development: 

• Support the implementation of business service plans to strengthen governance, marketing and sales, operations, financing, and social/environmental impact. 

• Support the Colombia team in due diligence and financial modeling, preparing investment packages (grants, recoverable grants, patient loans) and Investment Memos for committee review. 

• Collaborate with Portfolio Managers and portfolio enterprises to contribute to the definition of annual financial and social goals and to assist in shaping business service plans, providing input and follow‑up to help enterprises advance toward their objectives.

• Assist the Country Director in coordinating volunteer engagement and learning opportunities with corporate partners. 

• Support the organization of portfolio-related events, including retreats, site visits (for NESsT and donors/partners/investors), exchange visits, webinars, mentoring and coaching sessions, and local/regional conferences. 

• Draft and monitor Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) for Country Director approval, ensuring compliance with grant disbursement and expenses reported by supported enterprises. 

• Assist the Country Director in identifying new partners or investors to raise additional resources for portfolio enterprises or to include new enterprises in the portfolio. 

• Support the Acceleration Team in accompanying the portfolio with enterprises in agro-industrial, food systems, and bioeconomy sectors, leveraging expertise in agricultural value chains, inclusive market access, and sustainable production models, as well as in the planning and execution of different programmatic activities.
   

Communications: 

• Support enterprises in developing communications strategies to strengthen their positioning with clients and within the social impact sector. 

• Collaborate with NESsT’s communications agency to ensure visibility of portfolio enterprises and NESsT as an impact investor. 

Ecosystem & Sector Engagement 

• Participate in conferences, webinars, and sectoral events to strengthen NESsT’s network and visibility. 

• Promote inclusive market access and sustainable livelihoods for small producers and vulnerable communities. 

• Assist the Country Director in identifying and engaging new partners or investors to expand resources for portfolio enterprises. 
  
  

Administrative & Reporting 

• Support the preparation of periodic reports on portfolio performance for internal and external stakeholders. 

• Support the team with the compliance with NESsT’s monitoring and evaluation frameworks. 

• Support the organization of events such as retreats, site visits, exchange visits, and mentoring sessions. 

 Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s degree in Administration, Economics, Agronomy, or related fields. 

• 3-4 years of experience in project management, consulting, entrepreneurship, or finance. 

• General knowledge of agro-industry, bioeconomy, or rural development is desirable. 

• Demonstrated success in leading/co-leading social enterprises. 

• Corporate and commercial networks, with the ability to generate value through partnerships with government, private sector, and international cooperation. 

• Knowledge of commercial strategy, digital marketing, and impact measurement methodologies. 

• Languages: Native Spanish speaker; excellent verbal and written skills in English (C1).  

• Ability to work collaboratively, manage multiple tasks, and stay organized. 

• Leadership, relationship-building, and strategic planning skills. 

• Familiarity with Microsoft Office; Salesforce experience is a plus. 

• Availability to travel locally and internationally. 

Compensation: Will be commensurate with work experience and skills provided. NESsT offers a competitive salary and benefits. The non-monetary compensation includes a unique opportunity to be part of a meaningful global organization that is changing the world by investing in emerging market businesses that offer employment, sustainable income, and improved quality of life for people facing the greatest work barriers. This position will be hired as an employee under an indefinite contract. 

Location:  Remote but based in Colombia – working from a home office or co-working space. 

Schedule: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. with a one-hour lunch break. Since NESsT is an international organization, online meetings, training, and conferences sometimes occur outside of these hours. 

Travel: This position requires some travel (i.e., visits to NESsT portfolio members within Colombia in different regions as the Amazon) 

Start Date: September 2026 (or earlier if the position is filled before).  

To apply: 

Please apply for this position by uploading the following materials in English by clicking on the green 'apply for this job' button. Applications will be accepted until Friday, July 3, 2026.

• A thoughtful cover letter explaining why you're the right fit for this role. 

• Your resume 

• Statement on salary expectations and your available start date. 

Applications are being assessed on a rolling basis till the position is filled. 

NESsT is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer committed to identifying and developing the skills and leadership of people from diverse backgrounds.  

In our constant quest to strengthen and diversify our team, we want to inform you that this position is affirmative for women, indigenous people, people of colour, or the LGBTQIA+ community. If you identify with any, we encourage you to apply.