Principal Investment Officer at Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA)

Key Responsibilities:

Conduct Transaction Assessment and meets DBSA’s Mandate

• Evaluate the feasibility of investment opportunities / project transactions with a view to ensuring that they are commercially sound prospects for financing and is aligned to the DBSA’s strategy and mandate.
• Make transactions bankable by identifying and mitigating key risk issues by working closely with the Chief
• Investment Office and Financing Operations Team (Sector Specialists, Country Risk Specialists, Financial Analysts, etc.)
• Provide value to transactions for the benefit of and/or the client through knowledge of the subject, innovation and lateral thinking.
• Prepare early review proposals and documentation in the agreed format.
• Execute Transactions & Drive the Credit Approval Process to ensure best class output
• In liaison with the Head: Transactions, structure and negotiate the detailed terms of the deal / transaction with Treasury, Legal, and Loan Administration Teams to drive the approval of transactions.
• Close deal / transactions by obtaining the relevant internal approvals for the transactions and leading or actively participating in the successful conclusion of negotiations.
• Actively manage the transaction unit to drive the credit approval process in its entirety from early review to the relevant approval committees.
• Ensure proposals submitted to these committees are well structured and documented for effective decision making.
• Implement transactions by facilitating the preparation or managing the preparation of complex multiple
• jurisdiction documents and compliance with all required procedures, laws and regulations.
• In liaison with the Head: Transactions resolve any potential constraints in the lending value chain.
• Manage all risk aspects of the continent wide financing delivery function, in terms of ensuring appropriate structuring of investment risks and on-going mitigations of operations-related risks.
• Ensure sound financial capital management through assuming responsibility for stewardship over the capital under management, as well as efficient utilisation of financial resources.
• Ensure the capturing of learning opportunities post transaction conclusion for continuous improvement and ensuring successful delivery of deals.

Monitor Client Performance

• Record and continuously monitor country/industry/client performance i.e. revenues

Principal Investment Officer Lead Function

• Lead transaction teams to conduct transaction assessments, execute transactions and drive credit approval processes.
• Serve as a sounding board for other Senior and Investment Officers in terms of concluding transactions to bankability.
• Coach and mentor Senior and Investment Officers.

Key Measures:

• Revenue performance in terms of Interest Income and 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 worked on 
• Management of Client Relationships and key Stakeholders. 

Expertise & Technical Competencies

Minimum Requirements

• An Honours degree in Finance, Business, Accounting, Engineering or Economics;
• 10-12 years’ experience in appraising, negotiating and closing Project Finance, Corporate Finance
• Structured Finance transactions in a financial institution;
• Experience in securing infrastructure investment deals in relevant sectors/geographies in SA and/or Africa.
• 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 deals of appropriate size for sectors and geographies in question.
• Strong networks and relations with clients, global and regional private investors and banks in order to identify and source viable projects/investments.
• Successful track record in leading project teams with high level stakeholders and qualified professionals;
• Experience in using Financial models;
• Comprehensive knowledge of the complex financial and regulatory environments across Africa.
• In depth knowledge and understanding of infrastructure market, financial markets and the macro landscape.
• Demonstrable experience in identifying client challenges and playing an active part in finding innovative solutions.
• Experienced communicator and negotiator (expertise at senior level).
• Strong negotiation skills with the ability to close deals.
• Proven experience in working with senior stakeholders in highly political environments in South Africa and the rest of Africa
• Role requires flexibility to be deployed to other business units within Coverage division, if required
• Ability to mentor junior members of the team

Desirable Requirements:

• A post-graduate qualification such as a CA, CFA or MBA