Project Preparation Specialist X2 at Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA)

Job Description    

• The role is responsible for preparing and/or assisting with completing bankable feasibility studies. This entails, amongst other things, scope or defining a project that is in post pre-feasibility phase, and contributing to preparing, managing and completing feasibility studies required to present a bankable Project Information Memorandum (PIM). Provide support to the transaction advisor on commercial considerations relevant to lenders.

Key Responsibilities    
Project Assessment and Preparation

• Contribute to the development of the operational and strategic direction of preparing projects in partnership with the Head of the business unit in South Africa, SADC and selected countries in Africa.
• Identify potential bankable projects in collaboration with government entities and project owners/sponsors by:
• Conducting comprehensive feasibility studies (covering economic, technical, financial, social,
• environmental, and legal aspects);
• Performing economic cost-benefit analysis, if necessary;
• Confirming the project's development impact and its structure;
• Offering innovative and flexible financial structures for transactions; and
• Structuring transactions as either project finance or corporate finance.
• Provide input in selecting a DBSA project preparation pipeline of priority infrastructure projects. Typical preparation activities would include per project identified:
• Communicate the “products” that the Project Preparation Division offers to prospective DBSA clients in the public and private sectors;
• Consult with SA Government departments, regional institutions, SOE and other DBSA clients by reviewing master plans/development plans to present to DBSA potential bankable projects that are eligible for preparation; and
• Perform a project gap analysis of projects selected to determine the level of project preparation required as per DBSA tools.
• Identify sectoral and product experts needed to analyse the project preparation requirements.
• Appraise accepted projects (prepare an appraisal report) for the preparation facility and present it to the DBSA decision-making structures for approval. The appraisal includes the terms of reference for the outstanding preparation work required to make the project bankable, along with an implementation agreement and monitoring plan
• Negotiate the preparation facility agreement with the sponsor and oversee the implementation of the facility following the agreed-upon implementation plan.
• Oversee disbursements under the approved facility agreements.

Project communication and stakeholder engagement

• Build and maintain strong relationships with clients at global, regional, and local levels including businesses, banking and multilateral partners and government officials to further develop specific project preparation opportunities.
• Manage relationships at various levels with the relevant project stakeholders, partners, and lead promoters, following the project’s preparation objectives and products.
• Provide feedback on the status of clients' applications timeously and advise them on the bank’s processes and procedures.
• Ensure continuous communication with clients/ projects that the DBSA has funded to adequately support the division’s monitoring function.
• Present regular monitoring and progress reports as per the implementation plan.
• Build client portfolio to leverage the business needs of the Bank.
• Monitor the maintenance of the documentation management system.

Key Measurements of Outputs

• Contribution to and quality of bankable feasibility studies contributed.
• Number and quality of Project Preparation Appraisal Reports (PAR) submitted, approved and committed.
• Number of projects successfully prepared and committed for implementation.
• Disbursements on project preparation facilities.
• Management of relationships with new/existing clients and service providers.
• Team behavioural KPI’s.
• Quality of presentations and reports.
• Clean audit.

Expertise & Technical Competencies    
Minimum requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Economics, Engineering or Finance.
• A minimum of 5-7 years’ experience, working in a credit assessment team or transaction team at a
• commercial bank or finance institute in corporate finance and/or project finance.
• In-depth experience in project finance, mergers and acquisitions, equity finance experience and or property
• finance structuring.
• Experience in using financial models and project finance / investment banking and development finance.

Desirable Requirements

• A relevant postgraduate qualification in either Development Finance, Business, Engineering or Finance
• CA, CFA or MBA qualification.

Technical Requirements
Project Preparation:

• Demonstrates a sound understanding of limited recourse and balance sheet funding, the process required to prepare projects, and financing documentation required to present projects for investment decision.
• Leads an internal team of sector specials and analysts to appraise and present transaction to internal committees.
• Appoints and leads a team of external consultants/advisors (technical, environmental, financial and legal) to prepare and present the Project Information Memorandum (PIM) to prospective financiers.
• Analyses sponsors’ financial statements, understands and reviews financial models.
• Demonstrates a sound understanding of the water, transport and energy sectors to identify potential fatal flaws generally associated in these sectors in projects presented and key risks to be mitigated.

Financial Analysis:

• Interprets, analyses and/or evaluates compliance with applicable legislation, sound regulatory practices and procedures, generally accepted accounting principles, and other such rules and regulations.
• Analyses or interprets financial records and develops program procedures, financial models and databases.
• Demonstrates a thorough knowledge and understanding of applicable regulations, rules, entity/company practices, concepts, and industry issues.
• Demonstrates a thorough knowledge or experience working with legal and regulatory issues in their subject area.
• Develops and maintains effective working relationships with regulated industries, government officials, administrators, and civic leaders.

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.

Business Acumen:

• 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.

Business Development:

• Identifies lucrative market opportunities through an excellent understanding and interpretation of sector analyses, including market structure, supply and demand aspects, competitor environment, gap analysis.
• Actively participates in formulating, developing and implementing the business development strategy/ies to generate new investment opportunities in public and private sector (delivery of infrastructure services).
• Constructs business plan of bankable multi-dimensional projects, using standard and/or customised templates and processes.
• Assesses Project/ Programme Feasibility through interrogation of resource requirements (including financing, capacity, capability and related issues).
• Coordinates, controls and manages the activities and efforts required for the implementation of the plan.

Detailed Oriented:

• Quickly identifies relevant and irrelevant information to support accurate decision making.
• Maps out all the logistics and details of a situation to ensure smooth and flawless implementation.
• Consistently identifies all relevant details that are not obvious in complex situations.
• Requires the highest standards for accuracy and quality for their work.
• Establishes processes to ensure accuracy and quality of services delivered by the team.

Planning & Organizing:

• Coaches’ others on advanced planning and organising skills.
• Plays a role in transferring advanced planning and organising skills and knowledge to others.
• Identifies and acts on opportunities to partner with other units in the department to achieve desired results.
• Develops partnership agreements that ensure win-win outcomes for all parties. Develops integrated
• plans for the work unit and others that interfaces with the function’s budget.

Reporting & Communication:

• Designs, reviews and improves reporting processes and provides guidance.
• Leads production of complex environment reports, takes an editorial role, determines content and level of detail, and ensures consistent messaging and branding.
• Is relied on by others to help them write complex technical and non-technical documents and briefs.
• Can determine which aspects of this knowledge area need to be transferred to others to achieve organisational goals.
• Coaches’ others and transfers communication skills and knowledge to others.
• Able to communicate complex problems or concepts, by making them simple and understandable for others.
• Adapts language to the level of the audience to ensure that the message has a positive impact and is interesting to the audience.
• Is articulate, demonstrates a wide range of vocabulary, and is confident when talking to large/high-level audiences.

Negotiation:

• Understands and can apply basic negotiating skills and techniques, e.g., obtaining a full understanding of the other party's agenda and needs before disclosing own perspectives.
• Possesses an understanding of various unspoken communications from other parties and can decipher hidden agendas.
• Is able to successfully conclude negotiations which require the development of an emotional as well as factual argument.
• Is able to develop mutually beneficial potential solutions.

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.

Problem Solving:

• Identifies complex problems based on a broad range of factors, many of which are ambiguous or difficult to define.
• While remaining guided by organizational values, identifies optimal solutions, thinking first in terms of possible approaches and flexibilities in the system vs. blind adherence to rules or procedures.
• Implements solutions to complex problems, then evaluates the effectiveness and efficiency of solutions and identifies needed changes.

Written communication:

• Understands that different writing styles are required for different documents or audiences.
• Write effective correspondence, prepares questions and reports, statements of circumstance and briefing notes.
• Reviews others’ documents for clarity and impact.
• Has a solid mastery of writing principles such as grammar, sentence construction etc.

Verbal communication:

• Able to present a theme in writing in an ordered, intelligible manner with well-structured and relevant supporting detail.
• Able to understand topic switches and use vocabulary of attitude.
• Reasonably fluent in speaking.

Required Personal Attributes    
Behavioural Competencies

• Teamwork & Cooperation:
• Acts to promote a friendly climate and good morale and resolves conflicts.
• Creates opportunities for cross-functional working.
• Encourages others to network outside of their team/department and learn from their experience.

Leading and empowering others:

• Creates the conditions that enables the team to perform at its best (e.g., setting clear directions, providing appropriate structure, getting the right people, obtain needed resources).
• Monitors performance against clear standards, and addresses performance issues promptly and takes action to get performance back to desired levels.
• Proactively asks for feedback on own performance from team members, aiming to become more effective.

Driving delivery of results:

• Identifies and implements a business opportunity that will have a long-term impact on the business (which may include the organisation’s reputation or brand image). Monitors progress and adapts the plan, if necessary, to ensure optimal benefit to the business.
• Makes decisions, sets priorities, or chooses goals based on inputs and outputs: makes explicit considerations of potential profit, return on investment, or cost benefit analysis.
• Based on the cost-benefit analysis, makes decisions of entrepreneurial risk nature.

Achievement orientation:

• Undertakes challenging assignment and strives to complete them.
• Sets priorities and chooses goals on the basis of calculated costs, anticipated benefits and improvement of performance.
• Aims at exceptional performance, setting out to achieve a unique standard.
• Constantly analysis outcomes to ensure the achievements of business goal.
• Identifies short-term opportunity or potential problems aiming to achieve better outcomes.

Customer Orientation:

• Tries to understand the underlying needs of customers and match these needs to available or customized products and service.
• Adapts processes and procedures to meet on-going customer needs.
• Utilises the feedback received from customers, in order to develop new and / or improving existing services / products that relates to their on-going needs.
• Thinks of new ways to align DBSA’s offering with future customer needs.

Integrity:

• Is willing to end a business relationship because it was associated with unethical business practice.
• Is capable of challenging senior management (in an appropriate and respectable manner) in order to act on espoused values.

Self-awareness & self-control:

• Withholds effects of strong emotions in difficult situations.
• Keeps functioning or responds constructively despite stress.
• May apply special techniques or plan ahead of time to manage emotions or stress

Deadline:18th June,2025