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

Job Description    

• The Principal Investment Officer is responsible for formulating and executing the strategic objectives of the business in collaboration with the Transacting Head whilst being accountable to move investment opportunities / projects (provided by the Coverage Team) from early review to bankability.

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, or 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

TECHNICAL COMPETENCIES

Risk Identification & Assessment skills

• Advises on applicable aspects of risk identification and assessment.
• Assesses and links short-term tasks in the context of long-term business strategies or perspectives.

Business Development

• Takes overall lead for pro-active business development at national and international level.
• Initiates, reviews and interprets competitor environment reviews and take actions accordingly.
• Formulates and modify market approaches on the basis of 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 develop 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.
• Promote compliance and alignment with the strategic imperatives of both individual clients and the organisation of investment and development interventions.
• Builds capacity to coordinate, control and manage the activities and efforts required for the implementation of the plan.
• Builds capacity to conduct project origination exercises.

Business Acumen

• Deep understanding of commercial drivers and is able to take decisions based on an assessment of alternatives concerning complex business situations.
• Deep understanding of economic priorities of South Africa and Africa and how they can be implemented to meet the organisations’ strategic objectives.
• Deep understanding of the need to coordinate efforts with many government entities, private sector, community groups and individuals to ensure effective implementation of new policies and regulations.
• Takes actions to fit business strategy.
• Assesses and links short-term tasks in the context of long-term business strategies or perspectives.
• Reviews own actions against the organisation's strategic plan; includes the big picture when considering possible opportunities or projects or thinks about long-term applications of current activities.
• Anticipates possible responses to different initiatives.
• Understands the projected direction of the industry and how changes might impact the organisation.

Deal Origination

• Utilises extensive networks with developers, sponsors and consultants in DBSA-mandated sectors to identify project preparation opportunities.
• Conducts project identification, conceptualisation and preliminary structuring of projects structuring and value preposition for DBSA.
• Applies analytical skills to understand the technical, environmental, institutional, financial and legal components of projects to present a structure to prepare the project.
• Understands the regulatory and policy environments and offers advice in preparing/structuring of projects.
• Conducts market research, business analysis and profiling to identify opportunities for infrastructure development in SA, SADC and selected African countries.
• Provides and grows the opportunity for DBSA equity investments.
• Independently structures and negotiates and concludes engagement letters, term sheets and facility agreements.

Project Management

• Initiates project plans and secures resources for projects that span area or department boundaries.
• Uses estimating techniques and develops project risk management approaches.
• Has an in-depth and practical understanding of how to maximize the effectiveness of project teams.

Planning & Organizing

• Is relied on to helps other plan and organise their workload.
• Uses effectively advance time management processes to deal with high workload and tight deadlines.
• Organises, prioritises and schedules tasks so they can be performed within budget and with the efficient use of time and resources.
• Achieves goals in a timely manner, despite obstacles encountered, by organising, reprioritizing and re-planning

Financial Acumen

• Makes sound financial decisions after having analysed their impacts on the organisation, partner agencies, and community.
• Effectively prepares budgetary submissions and forecasts for own department.
• Knows the internal and external factors that impact on resource and asset availability.
• Is able to interpret management account reports in an operational/commercial context and take action as appropriate to maximize revenues and control costs.

Reporting & Communication

• Designs / customizes reports to meet user needs.
• Prepares complex or tailored reports, gathers information from a variety of sources, analyses and includes in a report.
• Keeps standard reports under review and proposes improvements to meet user needs

Presentation Skills

• Knows how to deliver arguments persuasively by employing a range of advanced presentation techniques (e.g. the appropriate use of body language, how to close a presentation so that the audience continues to think about the subject matter etc.).
• Has knowledge of various feedback mechanisms to check levels of audience understanding.

Negotiation

• Has an appreciation of cultural sensitivities and differences.
• Effectively employs a variety of advanced behavioural/interpersonal competencies to control the negotiation situation.
• Is able to take the lead in a variety of sensitive negotiation situations requiring high levels of tact and diplomacy.
• Is able to place a discrete negotiation situation within the context of a broader long-term relationship and is not threatened by conceding ground to protect the longer-term interests of DBSA.

Deadline:5th September,2025