Senior Invesment Officer (Project Finance)

Job Description

The purpose of the Senior Investment Officer role is to generate deal flow and build a strong pipeline of prospective projects for development financing. This role is also responsible for structuring deals, as well as appraising, negotiating, and closing Project Finance, Corporate Finance, or Structured Finance transactions.

Key Responsibilities

KEY PERFORMANCE AREAS

1. Investment and Loan Transactions

• Originate, identify, structure and execute infrastructure investment opportunities in key strategic sectors/investment themes.
• Perform detailed analysis of investment opportunities, including commercial analysis, financial modelling and risk and institutional analysis.
• Negotiate and review transaction agreements (including finance agreements) and project documents.
• Facilitate deal closure by taking responsibility for optimal financial, institutional and legal structuring.
• Provide innovative and flexible financial structures for complex transactions.
• Prepare Investment Committee and Board papers on investment opportunities for consideration by management and committees (including the Board).
• Manage relationships at various levels with the relevant project stakeholders, partners, and lead promoters, in accordance with the project’s development objectives.
• Identify and report growth opportunities to enhance market presence and implement structured and targeted marketing strategies to promote services.

2. Transaction Execution and Credit Approval

• Collaborate with the Treasury, Legal, and Loan Administration teams to structure and negotiate detailed term sheets, ensuring transaction approval.
• Secure internal approvals and lead or participate actively in closing transactions through successful negotiations.
• Manage the credit approval process from early review to final decision by the relevant committees.
• Review proposals submitted to approval committees to ensure they are well-structured and documented for informed decision-making.
• Resolve potential constraints in the lending value chain in collaboration with the Head of Transacting.
• Implement risk management procedures across continent-wide financing functions, ensuring investment risks are appropriately structured and mitigated during operations.
• Capture and apply learning opportunities post-transaction to drive continuous improvement and successful deal delivery.

3. Relationship Management and Business Development

• Build and maintain strong relationships with clients, global and regional private businesses, banking and multilateral partners and government officials to further develop specific investment opportunities.
• Undertake business development in South Africa and the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa and position DBSA as the preferred lender/investor/partner.
• Ensure continuous communication with DBSA-funded project clients to support the division’s monitoring function.
• Undertake other tasks as assigned by the line manager, from time to time.

Key Measurements of Outputs (The list is not exhaustive)

• Number of transactions that are committed for DBSA funding to black-owned entities (50% shareholding and above) and fund managers.

• Quality of signed agreements/mandates.

• Clients and Stakeholders' service rating.

• Number and quality of early review reports (ERR’s) submitted.

• Revenue performance in terms of interest income and fees generated.

• Percentage of the loan book in priority geographies and sectors.

• Annual disbursements, commitments and approvals.

• Management of relationships with new/ existing clients.

Key Measurements of Outputs (The list is not exhaustive)

• Number of transactions that are committed for DBSA funding to black-owned entities (50% shareholding and above) and fund managers.

• Quality of signed agreements/mandates.

• Clients and Stakeholders' service rating.

• Number and quality of early review reports (ERR’s) submitted.

• Revenue performance in terms of interest income and fees generated.

• Percentage of the loan book in priority geographies and sectors.

• Annual disbursements, commitments and approvals.

• Management of relationships with new/ existing clients.

**INTERNAL LIAISON RELATIONSHIP (**The list is not exhaustive)

• Executive Management and applicable Board & Management committees (BCIC and Investment Committee)

• Project Preparation, Origination, Risk, Strategy, Finance and Infrastructure Delivery Divisions

**EXTERNAL LIAISON RELATIONSHIP (**The list is not exhaustive)

• Service Providers

• DBSA stakeholders and clients

• National & Provincial Government

• Municipalities

• Governments and government departments

• Public utilities

• Private sector

• SMMEs’ communities

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

• A Post-Graduate Degree in Finance, Business (such as an MBA), Accounting, Engineering or Economics.

• A minimum of 8 years’ in relevant work experience in appraising, negotiating, undertaking due diligence and closing municipal finance, State Owned

• Enterprises finance, project finance, corporate finance, or structured finance transactions in a financial institution.

• Experience in leading, initiating and developing new business strategies and opportunities to create a pipeline of development impact projects, ensuring deal flow and bankability.

• Experience in securing infrastructure investment deals in the public sector/municipalities.

• Comprehensive knowledge of the complex public sector financial and regulatory environments including PFMA and MFMA.

• Proven experience in working with senior stakeholders in Government in South Africa.

• Successful track record in leading project teams with high-level stakeholders and qualified professionals.

• Strong credit, analytical, and financial modelling skills.

• Strong networks and relations with clients, global and regional private investors and banks to identify and source viable projects/investments.

• In-depth knowledge and understanding of the infrastructure market, financial markets and the macro landscape.

• Demonstrable experience in identifying client challenges and playing an active part in finding innovative solutions.

• Ability to mentor junior members of the team.

Expertise & Technical Competencies

TECHNICAL COMPETENCIES

a) Project Management

• Defines, plans, and manages large and/or strategic projects, including those with a high degree of technical complexity, with impacts across the organisation and/or with national implications.
• Assembles and leads diverse and multi-disciplinary teams, ensuring maximum effective resource utilisation.
• Successfully manages substantial project budgets and reports directly to senior managers on the progress and results of projects.
• Identifies complex issues that need escalation and proposes appropriate corrective actions.

b) Business Development

• Takes overall lead for proactive business development at the national and international level.
• Initiates, reviews, and interprets competitor environment reviews and takes actions accordingly.
• Formulates and modifies market approaches based on competitor analyses.
• Leads the formulation, development and implementation of the business development strategy to generate new business opportunities in public and private sector delivery of infrastructure.
• Identifies and develops new markets, products and clients.
• Leads the participation and presentation of an organisation at investment conferences and roundtable discussions.
• Coordinates business activities to ensure that investment initiatives are in support of government BEE strategies, broader national and regional economic development strategies.

c) Solution Focus

• Identifies broad, highly complex problems based on a multitude of factors, many of which are complex and sweeping in nature, difficult to define and often contradict