Experienced Summer Intern - Private Capital Mobilisation (MBA, MSc or equivalent)

About BII

British International Investment is the UK’s development finance institution, owned by the UK Government. With a mission to solve the biggest global development challenges, we aim to create a virtuous circle of investment and impact. Your contribution will be essential. 

It won’t be easy: we do the hardest work in the most complex markets. Be prepared to test your skills, get creative and say your piece as you take on high-profile work as part of a diverse team of exceptionally smart, passionate people. 

In return, you can take your career to all-new places in a culture that rewards curiosity and collaboration, and balances high performance with wellbeing.

BII at a glance

75 years supporting sustainable business growth in developing and emerging markets

£8.1 billion in net assets

1,400+ businesses invested in

950,000 workers in the businesses we support

£9 billion in new investments planned in the next 5 years

600+ people in our diverse global team

3 key development objectives: Productive | Sustainable | Inclusive

Team and role overview 

In recent years, private capital mobilisation has become business critical for BII. Investor mobilisation from non-government sources is the only way that development finance can generate enough scale of capital to address the global challenges of climate change and inequality. Private capital mobilisation is also critical for BII’s capital liquidity.

Our investor mobilisation approach covers all three BII sector verticals: (1) Infrastructure & Climate; (2) Financial Services; (3) Industrials, Technology & Services. We also cover all BII asset classes, including private debt, private equity, infrastructure and funds.

BII’s Private Capital Mobilisation team was established in 2022 and includes 4 components:

1. Mobilisation Strategy
   • Grow portfolio of sustainable development assets attractive to private investors.
   • Develop optimal investment products and capabilities for investor mobilisation.
   • Deepen and broaden commercial investor relations (see component 2).
   • Blend concessional capital to derisk institutional investors (see component 3).
2. Investor Engagement
   • Identify, engage and mobilise investors into BII investments, where possible at greater scale through pooled vehicles co-created in partnership with investors.
   • Focus on commercially minded international and local institutional investors, such as asset managers, insurance firms, pension funds and sovereign wealth.
3. Innovative Finance
   • Develop investment products and capital solutions for investor mobilisation.
   • Manage and structure de-risking capital from BII’s Mobilisation Facility to enable investors to enter and increase long-term investment confidence in BII markets.
   • Target innovative finance to increase scale of climate impact from BII markets.
4. Mobilisation Measurement
   • Support the reporting and measurement of mobilisation of private capital by BII, by understanding evolving MDB and OECD methodologies.
   • Ensure mobilisation measurement practices are embedded within BII systems and develop data reporting suits useful for BII management and investments.

Our mobilisation partnership offering to investors can include a combination of the following:

• Access to BII capital
  • Investment finance from BII Growth capital pool
  • Concessional risk-bearing (blended) finance from BII Mobilisation Facility
• Access to BII assets
  • Sharing of existing BII portfolio assets
  • Sharing of new BII pipeline assets by harnessing our deal origination capabilities
• Access to BII expertise
  • Sizeable and experienced team
  • >40 strong investment teams in Infrastructure Equity, Project Finance and Climate Funds
  • >60 strong in-market teams for origination and portfolio management in major markets
  • Deep market knowledge across Africa and Asia
  • Strong ESG, Responsible Investing, and Climate Finance capabilities
  • Proven financial and impact track record

Our overarching objective is to scale BII's mobilisation efforts in order to increase the pool of responsible investment capital in our markets.

Purpose

Summer 2025 is an important time for private capital mobilisation at BII as we will be delivering a high-profile institutional investor mobilisation agenda, as announced by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the UN General Assembly in September 2024. This will be delivered in partnership between BII and institutional investors from across City of London and beyond (including BII investment regions) and provide access to our new Mobilisation Facility capital.

The intern will play an important role in BII’s Mobilisation Team. They will have full exposure to the team and will lead or support 2-3 specific projects within our current portfolio of work. We currently envisage that the intern will split their time between Investor Engagement and Innovative Finance activities, with at least one specific project in each of these component areas.

This internship will provide an exciting opportunity to get involved with a range of high-profile investor partnerships with large financial institutions for climate impact at significant scale.

Responsibilities

The intern’s project(s) will be agreed upon based on the preferences and experience of the successful candidate and the business needs, but responsibilities are likely to include:

• Participating as a fully-fledged member of the Investor Desk Team in all internal team meetings, as well as joining external meetings with investors.
• Engaging with relevant internal and/or external stakeholders at all levels in the firm
• Carrying out quantitative and/or qualitative research and analysis on investor data
• Assisting with the collation of investor insights and investor perspectives for investor mobilisation insights articles by BII and our thought-leadership partners
• Leading/supporting 1-2 additional investor-focused projects
• Creating power points, word docs, and other materials for the projects listed above

The candidate (please note, this programme is not for undergraduates)

Background, skills, aptitude

Background

• Currently enrolled in an MBA or equivalent programme
• Demonstrable business experience, preferably in Consulting, Impact Investing and/or Financial Services
• Demonstration of identity with BII’s proposition including:
• An awareness of and appreciation for BII’s objectives
• A desire and passion to be part of BII’s investor mobilisation strategy and outreach and contribute as part of the team
• Evidence of high-performance standards in previous positions

Skills

• Excellent problem-solving and research skills (qualitative and quantitative)
• Excellent ability to communicate and present complex ideas effectively, both verbally and in writing
• Clear understanding of international development issues and the role of development finance institutions
• High standards for project execution and delivery
• Ability to effectively manage stakeholders and build consensus at all levels in an organisation
• Ideally, experience in working in an investment firm or context

Aptitude

• Team Working: Collaboration with own team and the larger BII community
• Results Focus: Drive to achieve objectives/results
• Personal Effectiveness: Proactively takes initiative to carry out work and execute to agreed deadlines
• Influencing/Persuading: Ability to obtain agreement and cooperation in a ‘win-win’ fashion

Candidates should be strongly motivated by BII’s development mission and ideally demonstrate some commitment to development or social goals through previous executive or non-executive activity.  

Our cultural values

We look for team members who aspire, as we do, to work at our best and to be:

• Impact-led, commercially rigorous
• Tenacious in the face of challenges
• Collaborative and caring

British International Investment is committed to diversity and inclusion and welcomes all applicants regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation or educational background. 

Application Process 

• Please provide a cover letter with your application, and tell us why you would like to join the Summer Internship at BII, and why you have chosen to apply for this business area / team
• Please apply for one internship only
• Position opened: 28 October 2024
• Position closes: 01 December 2024
• Salary: £65,810 (pro-rated over 8 or 10 weeks)

Please note BII will pay for flights to London for those studying internationally