Senior Investment Officer: SOE, Sovereigns & Corporate at Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA)

Key Responsibilities

Business Development

• Undertake business development in Africa and position DBSA as the preferred lender/investor/partner.
• Initiate and develop new business strategies and opportunities to create a pipeline of development impact projects.
• Identify opportunities to initiate viable projects, and project origination through the facilitation of project preparation, scoping, feasibility studies, and business plans to close investment deals.
• Develop strategies to attract concessional funding for projects and reconstruction efforts to improve Africa’s infrastructure.
• Increase client base in allocated countries and secure revenue streams that provide the impetus for sustainable profit growth, increased client contact, and building of sustainable long-term relationships on multiple levels.
• Devise structured and targeted marketing strategies for the DBSA service offering, where growth opportunities have been identified.
• Offer a broad range of advisory and consulting services to private and public sector investors, businesses, and client-country governments.

These services amongst others include:

• Broadening access to finance.
• Provide investment promotion intermediaries in Africa to receive technical assistance to build institutional capacity in areas such as strategic planning, investor marketing, and sector targeting to improve responsiveness to investor needs through information services.
• Assist clients in developing and implementing targeted investor outreach campaigns on a country and/or regional basis.
• Undertake continuous research and provide recommendations on significant developments, emerging opportunities and challenges in areas of responsibility.
• Provide information to potential clients and document the same to provide information on customer requirements/ areas of interest.

Transacting and Deal Structuring

• 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.
• Oversee disbursements to approved projects as well as monitor a project’s progress post-investment.
• Negotiate project documents and ensure deal closure by taking responsibility for optimal financial, institutional and legal structuring.
• Provide innovative and flexible financial structures for complex transactions.
• Prepare Investment Committee and Board papers on investment opportunities and feasibility studies for management and the Board of Directors to consider.
• Coordinate closely with specialists in the Financing Operations division to add value to clients' businesses; find pragmatic solutions to the specific sector challenges to achieve sustainable development impact.
• 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.
• Leverage international and regional partners to provide capital for new business 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.
• Maintain communication with clients and manage client relations; ensure that they submit all the Bank’s requirements to facilitate the appraisal process; Provide feedback on the status of their application timeously and advise them on the bank’s processes and procedures, and in liaison with Finance, resolve payment and / repayment related issues.
• 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.
• Network and maintain relationships with key internal and external stakeholders to further develop specific investment opportunities.
• Provide value to the Division for the benefit of and/or the client through knowledge of the subject, innovation, and lateral thinking.
• Undertake other tasks as assigned by the line manager, from time to time.

Minimum Requirements

• A post-graduate qualification/ honours degree in Finance, Business, Accounting, Engineering or Economics.
• A minimum of 5-7 years’ experience of relevant work experience in appraising, negotiating and closing project finance, corporate finance, or structured finance transactions in a financial institution.
• Experience in investment, appraisal, analysis and implementation.
• 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 doing business across Africa.

Desired requirements

• A postgraduate qualification or equivalent in Business or Finance (CA or CFA), or Engineering, or Economics.