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Chief Business Development Officer

MCE Social Capital, San Francisco, CA, USA

Pay: $180,000-$220,000/yr

Job type: Full Time


Chief Business Development Officer

About MCE Social Capital

MCE is a well-known and respected impact‑first investor with a strong track record built over the past 20 years through its pioneering and unique loan guarantee model leveraging blended finance. Philanthropic guarantees enable MCE to borrow capital from U.S. and European financial institutions and accredited investors to support sustainable livelihoods in emerging economies.

MCE strategically invests this capital in enterprises committed to generating sustainable livelihoods – with a focus on women and the environment – to allow these enterprises to scale and better serve their customers, their employees, and their communities. Since 2006, MCE has disbursed over $400 million in debt capital to 181 institutions in 53 countries throughout emerging economies.

In 2023, MCE launched the MESA Fund, a $42 million impact‑first sustainable agriculture fund, bringing total assets under management to $100M. The fund was oversubscribed, a testament to MCE's track record, team, and investment strategy. MCE manages two investment portfolios:

  • Small and Growing Businesses that create jobs and help smallholder farmers improve productivity and income. MCE addresses critical market gaps by providing catalytic loans of $300k to $2 million to support small and growing businesses in the “missing middle”.
  • Inclusive Finance, investing in microfinance institutions and other financial service providers that help low‑income households gain access to credit, savings accounts, insurance, and business education. MCE provides loans of up to $5 million.

With a staff of 22, MCE is a growing, dynamic organization with hubs in Washington, D.C.; Barcelona, Spain; Nairobi, Kenya; and Bogota, Colombia. MCE is very intentional about inviting people to join their team and are looking for smart, committed, proactive individuals passionate about MCE's global impact.

MCE's Values

  • Integrity: We honor our commitments: to MCE's mission, to one another, and to our partners.
  • Care, Consideration, & Collaboration: We center empathy and respect in every relationship and interaction.
  • Trusted & Transparent: We build trust through clarity, honesty, and consistency.
  • Invested in our People: We invest in our team and our culture, recognizing that our people are our greatest asset.
  • Committed to Impact: We lead by example to advance the field of impact‑first investing.
  • Operational Excellence: We work effectively and with purpose to maximize efficiency and impact.

MCE Landscape Today

MCE is stepping into a defining era of growth and possibility. Over the past five years, the organization has nearly doubled its assets, growing from $55 million to $100 million, supported by a strong balance sheet and a deeply engaged, values‑aligned investor community. With a 20‑year track record of impact and resilience, MCE has evolved beyond its early stage of development and is now pursuing intentional expansion and bold approaches to impact.

Guided by a newly finalized five‑year strategy and an ambitious 2030 vision, the organization is focused on scaling capital under management while deepening its impact in meaningful and measurable ways.

At the heart of MCE's strength is its distinctive hybrid model that seamlessly blends philanthropy and investment to advance impact‑first lending. This approach is powered by a sophisticated and flexible capital stack, including guarantees, investment notes, institutional funding, and philanthropic capital.

Leadership Impact and Opportunity

MCE Social Capital seeks a Chief Business Development Officer (CBDO) to lead the strategy, stewardship, and growth of a portfolio of leading philanthropists and impact investors in the US and Europe. This leader will build trusted relationships, secure new investment capital, and philanthropic guarantee commitments. As the primary driver of capital growth and external engagement, the CBDO will lead guarantor recruitment, capital raising for MCE's Global Economic Opportunity Notes program, and formation of strategic partnerships across high‑net‑worth individuals, family offices, and institutional investors.

Reporting to the CEO and serving as a key member of the five‑person senior leadership team, the CBDO will shape MCE's market presence while strengthening relationships and elevating the organization's visibility and influence.

The CBDO will lead a lean, high‑performing function, overseeing a senior business development and communications professional and a business development analyst, with dedicated partnership from MCE's Operations team in managing guarantor and investor operations.

Candidate Profile

The successful candidate will ideally have 7–10+ years of experience raising capital and/or investor relations, with an understanding of the impact investing landscape and/or development finance. This leader will bring exceptional business development acumen and will serve as a trusted strategic partner to the CEO, senior leadership team, and Board in driving MCE forward in achieving its mission and long‑term impact.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate a deep commitment to MCE's mission, paired with the executive presence and credibility to represent the organization at the highest levels. They will bring a proven track record and genuine enthusiasm for cultivating and stewarding relationships, coupled with a strategic and proactive approach to business development that drives sustainable results.

They will bring excellent written and oral communication skills, superb interpersonal and listening abilities, and a sensitivity to diverse viewpoints and communication styles. They will exhibit a high degree of organizational effectiveness and operational rigor, enabling them to effectively navigate competing priorities within a complex, multi‑stakeholder environment with clarity and focus.

Comfort leveraging systems and tools to support execution and performance will be important. Flexibility, an instinct for collaboration, humor, and a willingness to travel approximately 20% are also important to success in the role.

Key Responsibilities

Guarantor & Investor Recruitment & Stewardship

  • Cultivate and scale a robust ecosystem of investors and guarantors. Lead the end‑to‑end lifecycle – from sophisticated prospect research to closing to multi‑year stewardship – for a diverse base of high‑net‑worth individuals, family offices, and foundations.
  • Design and oversee capital mobilization strategies, refreshing recruitment frameworks to accelerate the acquisition and retention of high‑net‑worth and institutional partners, including optimizing relationships with impact‑oriented wealth managers.
  • Collaborate with MCE's CEO and CFO to deepen and expand large institutional lending relationships (e.g., development finance institutions, commercial lenders).
  • Strategically deploy senior leaders, Board members, and existing supporters as force multipliers in recruitment efforts; oversee a high‑level engagement calendar, including 4‑5 curated events per year.
  • Lead the due diligence process for prospective investors and wealth managers, ensuring a seamless and professional vetting experience.
  • Direct the vision and execution of MCE's biennial Learning Journeys to the Field, transforming field visits into conversion and retention tools that connect supporters directly to the impact of MCE's work.

External Engagement & Strategic Communications

  • Orchestrate MCE's conference presence, strategically selecting events, sponsorships, and memberships with high potential for lead generation and raising MCE's profile.
  • Act as a primary ambassador for MCE within key impact investing networks.
  • Provide executive direction and oversight for MCE's communications strategy, ensuring a cohesive narrative across all touchpoints to effectively broadcast impact results to the global impact investing community.
  • Direct a high‑impact editorial and digital calendar—including webinars and strategic LinkedIn positioning—to bring MCE's mission to life and maintain top‑of‑mind awareness among guarantors and prospects.
  • Lead the strategic vision for the Annual Impact Report, collaborating with the Senior Impact Manager to translate complex data into compelling narratives.
  • Oversee the development of business development collateral and presentations, ensuring team‑wide communications reflect MCE's executive standards and organizational excellence.

Grant Fundraising

  • Lead targeted grant fundraising efforts for a handful of strategic grant partnerships that support high‑impact strategic initiatives.
  • Direct the end‑to‑end grant lifecycle—from conceptualizing proposals to managing reporting—ensuring requirements align with MCE's strategic vision.

Executive & Team Leadership

  • Serve as a core member of the Senior Leadership Team, contributing to organizational strategic planning, risk management, and the long‑term scaling of MCE's mission.
  • Lead and mentor the Business Development team, defining clear priorities, managing departmental budgets, and establishing annual performance benchmarks.
  • Cultivate a collaborative, data‑driven, and high‑performance culture; support the professional development of team members through active mentorship.
  • Oversee the optimization and management of the Salesforce CRM ecosystem for the business development function, ensuring data integrity and leveraging business intelligence to drive informed decision‑making.

Compensation and Benefits

MCE offers competitive salary and benefits, including generous vacation and personal time off, health insurance benefits, family leave, a sabbatical policy, and retirement plan matching. The salary range for this role is $180,000 - $220,000 plus bonus.

Benefits

  • A flexible work model that includes both remote and in‑office options (depending on location)
  • Generous holiday and flexible paid time off
  • Retirement savings plan with employer contribution
  • Comprehensive health care coverage
  • A sabbatical benefit after five years of employment
  • Dedicated budgets for professional development and team building
  • Opportunity to travel and work with entrepreneurs around the world
  • Opportunity to learn from frequent interactions with MCE's Board members, impact investing leaders, and angel investors sitting on MCE's committees

Contact

Express interest in this role by filling out our Talent Profile or emailing the search team directly at All inquiries and discussions are strictly confidential.

Equal Opportunity Employer

MCE Social Capital is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from people of color, persons with disabilities, women, and LGBTQ+ applicants.

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