Investment Officer at Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA)

Key Responsibilities

Transaction Assessments

• Assess the feasibility of investment opportunities or project transactions to ensure they are commercially viable for debt financing and align with DBSA’s strategy and mandate for developmental impact.
• Enhance bankability by identifying and mitigating key risks, working closely with the Investment Support Team (including Sector Specialists, Country Risk Specialists, Financial Analysts, etc.).
• Contribute value to transactions through subject matter expertise, innovation, and creative problem-solving for the benefit of the client.
• Provide input into early review proposals and documentation, ensuring they are presented in the agreed format.

Transacting and Deal Structuring

• In collaboration with the Head of Transacting, structure and negotiate detailed transaction terms with Treasury, Legal, and Loan Administration Teams to secure transaction approvals.
• Obtain relevant internal approvals and lead or actively participate in the successful conclusion of negotiations to close transactions.
• Actively monitor the transaction unit to drive the credit approval process from early review to the relevant approval committees.
• Submit well-structured and documented proposals to the approval committees for effective decision-making.
• Facilitate the preparation of complex multi-jurisdictional documents and ensure compliance with all required procedures, laws, and regulations.
• Work with the Head of Transacting to address any potential constraints in the lending value chain.
• Monitor all risk aspects related to the financing delivery function for State-Owned Entities (SOEs) and Sovereigns, ensuring appropriate risk structuring and ongoing risk mitigation.
• Ensure sound financial capital management by stewarding the capital under management and efficiently utilising financial resources.
• Record and capture learning opportunities post-transaction to enable continuous improvement and successful deal delivery.
• Appraise new investment and non-investment proposals (early-stage screening and due diligence).
• Perform detailed analysis of investment opportunities, including commercial analysis, financial modelling and risk and institutional analysis.
• Keep abreast of disbursements to approved projects as well as monitor a project’s progress post-investment.
• Coordinate the implementation of investments and monitor the performance of investment projects through progressive investment and income reports; monitor collection and recording of income on investments.

Relationship Management and Stakeholder Relations

• 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.
• Manage relationships at various levels with the relevant project stakeholders, partners, and lead promoters, following the project’s development objectives.
• Ensure continuous communication with clients/ projects that the DBSA has funded to adequately support the division’s monitoring function.
• Identify clients’ pain points together with the front-line divisions and coordinate DBSA’s solution offerings to address them.
• Management of client relationships and key stakeholders.
• Network and maintain relationships with key internal and external stakeholders to further develop specific investment opportunities.
• Undertake other tasks as assigned by the line manager, from time to time.

Key Measurements of Outputs

• Revenue performance in terms of Interest Income and/or Fees generated.
• Delivery on the agreed Operations Mandate; these include:
• Growth rate in assets of loan book
• Annual disbursements, commitments and approvals
• Quality of loan book
• % of loan book in priority geographies and sectors
• Number of new clients
• Number of potential deals and pipeline

Minimum Requirements

• A Bachelor's degree in Finance, Business, Accounting, Mathematics, Statistics, Engineering or Economics.
• A minimum of 2-5 years’ experience relevant work experience in appraising, negotiating and closing project finance, corporate finance, or structured finance transactions in a financial institution.
• Experience in working on investment projects through an established approval process.
• Successful track record in leading project teams with high-level stakeholders and qualified professionals.
• Strong credit, financial, analytical, and modelling skills.
• Experience in financial analysis and/or financial modelling.
• Experience in securing infrastructure investment deals in relevant sectors/geographies in Africa.
• Experience in initiating and developing new business opportunities to create a pipeline of development impact projects ensuring deal flow and bankability.
• Good networks and relations with clients, particularly state-owned entities (SOEs) and Sovereigns, and stakeholders/partners e.g., local, regional, and global 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.

Desired requirements

• A postgraduate qualification or equivalent in Business or Finance (CA or CFA), or Engineering, or Economics.
• Comprehensive knowledge of the complex financial and regulatory environments in Africa.