Head: Trade Finance at Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA)

Job Description    

• Responsible for leading the development, structuring, and execution of trade finance and guarantee solutions to support DBSA’s development mandate. This role ensures the origination and execution of innovative flow and structured trade financing structures, manages associated risks, and contributes to optimising DBSA’s financial resource deployment. The role actively engages with internal and external stakeholders to drive strategic trade finance transactions aligned with DBSA’s business objectives. The role entails the development, refinement and execution of the DBSA’s end-to-end Trade Finance strategy, including flow trade and structured trade product development, market development, client identification (across different commodities) and operational risk management design and implementation for the trade business.

Key Responsibilities    
Strategic Leadership

• Collaborate with the Executive to formulate and implement the Trade Finance strategy in line with the vision, strategy, and goals of the Investment Division and the Bank.
• Develop DBSA’s offer of flow and structured trade finance products, targeting new products, clients, geographies and markets.
• Provide strategic direction on the conceptualisation, planning and implementation of the Trade Finance business unit and provide strategic input into the design of the DBSA’s credit and operational risk structures relevant for the Trade Finance business.
• Formulate a comprehensive market deployment and approach strategy, outlining product positioning, target markets, and value propositions for structured and flow Trade Finance products.
• Establish systems, procedures, and governance processes required for the effective implementation of trade finance-funded products.

Market Strategy and Approach

• Perform comprehensive market research to understand Trade Finance trends, client needs and competitor offerings.
• Conduct market analysis to identify customer needs, aligning product development with client and market demands.
• Analyse market demand and identify potential market segments and opportunities aligned with DBSA’s strategic objectives, across a range of sectors and commodities.
• Identify and implement the technologies, systems and tools required to support the Trade Finance function, including transaction management, risk assessment, and reporting systems in alignment with the ICT policies.
• Design the functional structure for the Trade Finance unit, including defining the roles and responsibilities.
• Collaborate with marketing and business development teams to craft marketing content and strategies.
• Identify and establish partnerships with key stakeholders, such as traders, exporters, suppliers, banks, and agencies, to enhance market penetrations
• Prepare detailed proposals and business cases for new product introductions and market expansions
• Collaborate with analytics, finance, and treasury teams to develop a pricing methodology for trade finance-funded transactions.
• Develop templates for trade finance-funded transactions to standardise documentation and processes.

Execution of Trade Finance Transactions

• Lead project due diligence and approval processes, with emphasis on ensuring key economic, financial, technical, and legal issues are considered and mitigants incorporated in the transaction.
• Provide innovative and flexible financial structures for complex transactions.
• Oversee deal closure by taking responsibility for optimal financial, institutional, and legal structuring.
• Track the performance of Trade Finance transactions post-disbursement to ensure alignment with DBSA’s strategic objectives.
• Identify key risks facing the Trade Finance portfolio and implementation of mitigating strategies/policies.
• Undertake continuous research and provide recommendations on significant developments, emerging opportunities, and challenges in areas of responsibility.
• Facilitate invoice discounting and receivables finance by assessing client needs and structuring appropriate funding solutions.
• Facilitate supply chain finance by collaborating with buyers and suppliers to optimise cash flow and working capital.
• Develop and implement innovative and bespoke short-term working capital financing structures that are aligned with the DBSA’s mandate.
• Arrange forfaiting transactions by purchasing receivables to provide liquidity to exporters.
• Provide Letter of Credit (LC) and guarantee financing solutions to clients.
• Arrange complex pre-export financing (PXF) structures for DBSA’s client base.
• Facilitate pre-payment finance by providing funding to suppliers in advance of goods delivery, ensuring alignment with trade agreements.
• Manage tolling transactions by structuring financial support for tolling arrangements, enabling clients to optimise production capacity.
• Arrange inventory financing and borrowing base facilities for clients by establishing credit lines linked to the value of clients' current assets, such as receivables and inventory.
• Support export and agency finance by structuring deals involving export credit agencies or multilateral finance institutions to promote cross-border trade.
• Provide Lines of Credit to trade finance financial institutions and other intermediaries, such as Trade Finance Funds.

Risk Management and Governance

• Establish and maintain the DBSA’s Trade Finance governance framework, ensuring that all transactions align with internal policies and external regulatory requirements.
• Perform due diligence and risk assessments for all Trade Finance transactions to safeguard DBSA’s financial and operational integrity.
• Design and implement internal controls to ensure compliance with policies and procedures.
• Lead the identification and acquisition of the appropriate risk rating tools for trade transactions.
• Provide strategic insight into the design of operational risk management parameters to mitigate risk, including the identification and management of external collateral managers.

Stakeholder Relations and Management

• Network and maintain relationships with key internal and external stakeholders to further develop specific investment opportunities.
• Engage key stakeholders to position the DBSA as a preferred trade financier.
• Build and manage relationships with key internal and external clients to increase the Bank’s reach on Trade Finance transactions.
• Cultivate relationships with Trade Finance partners, clients, and industry networks to build the unit's presence and credibility in the market.
• Engage with clients to understand the Trade Finance needs and propose tailored solutions aligned with the DBSA strategy.

Digital Transformation

• Champion and drive digital transformation initiatives, leveraging technology to enhance operational efficiency, improve service delivery, and unlock new value streams within the DBSA.
• Foster a mindset of innovation, identifying opportunities to adopt emerging technologies and best practices to modernise processes and deliver impactful solutions.

People Management

• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing team, fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous learning to maximise individual and collective potential.
• Drive talent development initiatives, including coaching, performance management, and career pathing, to build and retain a skilled and motivated team.
• Provide direction and management to the business unit to enable the strategy execution.
• Attract, retain, and develop talent and ensure succession planning and sufficient capacity and capability in all critical functions, supporting diversity strategies and initiatives as well.
• Promote DBSA values and a culture of high performance through implementing performance management in line with the planned strategic objectives, goals, quality standards and agreed key performance measures using sound performance management principles.

Key Measurements Outputs

• Value and number of Trade Finance approvals, commitments, and disbursements.
• Quality of trade finance transactions (ECL measurement).
• Development and launch of new flow and structured trade finance products.
• Percentage of trade finance book in priority geographies and sectors.
• Number of transactions that are committed for DBSA funding to black-owned entities (50% shareholding and above) and fund managers.
• Implementation of strategic initiatives.
• Clients and Stakeholders service rating.
• Demonstration of thought leadership and a recognised expert in the area of responsibility.

Expertise & Technical Competencies    
Minimum Qualifications

• A postgraduate qualification or equivalent in Finance, Economics, Engineering, Development Finance, Infrastructure Development, or a related field.

Minimum Experience

• A minimum of 12 years’ experience in Trade Finance, Structured Trade Finance, Structured Commodity Finance (DFI, Banking or Investment environment), with 5 years’ relevant managerial experience.
• Demonstrable experience in assessing transaction opportunities and projects from an early stage to an advanced implementation stage.
• Experience with working with cross-functional deal teams and assigning resources to conclude transactions.
• Ability to provide value to transactions for the benefit of and/or the client through knowledge of the subject, innovation, and lateral thinking.
• Comprehensive knowledge of the financial and regulatory environments within the relevant sector and/or geography.
• In-depth knowledge and understanding of the trade finance market, financial markets, and the macro landscape.
• Experienced communicator and negotiator (expertise at senior level).
• Strong negotiation skills with the ability to close deals.
• Proven experience in collaborating with senior stakeholders in highly political environments in South Africa and the rest of Africa.

Desirable Requirements

• Chartered Financial Analyst
• Project Management Professional
• Chartered Accountant CA(SA)

Deadline:19th June,2026