Vacancies at Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA)

Job Description    

• Lead and manage proactive and reactive forensic audits and investigations into allegations of fraud, corruption, financial misconduct, procurement irregularities, and conflicts of interest. The role aims to protect DBSA’s integrity and ensure accountability through evidence-based reporting and preventative controls.

Key Responsibilities    

• Strategic Focus
• Develop and lead the strategic direction of the Forensic Audit function, ensuring alignment with organisational goals and risk mitigation priorities.
• Establish and continuously improve investigation frameworks, methodologies, and protocols.
• Champion organisation-wide fraud awareness and anti-corruption initiatives, ensuring broad engagement and impact.
• Oversee the design and delivery of training programs tailored to different business units and risk profiles.

Investigation Management

• Oversee and guide the full lifecycle of forensic audits and investigations, from initial allegation to resolution.
• Ensure investigations are conducted ethically and in compliance with legal, regulatory, and internal standards.
• Risk Mitigation and Internal Controls
• Provide strategic oversight in identifying systemic risks and control failures uncovered during investigations.
• Lead the development of organisation-wide preventive measures and internal control enhancements.
• Collaborate with senior leadership and risk management teams to embed forensic insights into enterprise risk strategies.
• Monitor the effectiveness of implemented controls and recommend further improvements as needed.

Stakeholder Management

• Serve as the primary liaison for forensic matters with Exco, Audit Committee, Board, and external stakeholders.
• Engage with law enforcement, legal advisors, and regulatory bodies to support investigations and legal processes.
• Represent the organisation in disciplinary hearings and court proceedings, ensuring procedural fairness and reputational protection.
• Reporting and Governance
• Review and approve comprehensive reports with findings and recommendations for disciplinary, civil, or criminal proceedings.
• Present high-level forensic findings and strategic insights to governance bodies, ensuring clarity and impact.
• Ensure timely and accurate quarterly reporting to the Social and Ethics Committee (SEC) and Audit and Risk Committee (ARC).
• Ensure forensic case management systems are robust, secure, and aligned with governance standards.
• Monitor compliance with forensic policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements, and drive continuous improvement.

People Management

• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing team, fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous learning to maximise individual and collective potential.
• Drive talent development initiatives, including coaching, performance management, and career pathing, to build and retain a skilled and motivated team.
• Provide direction and management to the Division, to enable strategy execution.
• Attract, retain, develop talent and ensure succession planning and sufficient capacity and capability in all critical function 
• Promote DBSA values and a culture of high performance through implementing performance management in line with the planned strategic objectives, goals, quality standards and agreed key performance measures using sound performance management principles.
• Contribute to building synergies & cooperation across functions in the DBSA.
• Live the DBSA values.

Key Measurements of Outputs

• Accuracy and quality of forensic investigations and audit findings
• Average time taken to complete investigations and audits from initiation to closure
• Quality, clarity, and impact of forensic reports and presentations submitted to governance bodies
• Number of systemic risks and control failures identified and addressed through investigations
• Effectiveness of implemented internal controls (measured through follow-up audits or control testing)
• Compliance rate with forensic policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements
• Number and quality of fraud awareness and anti-corruption initiatives delivered across the organisation
• Management of team performance, talent development, and succession planning using the performance management systems, supporting diversity strategies and initiatives as well.
• Expertise & Technical Competencies    

Qualifications

Minimum Requirements

• Postgraduate degree in Accounting or Auditing.
• Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) and/or Certified Commercial Forensic Practitioner (FP) SA.
• Membership with the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) or the Institute of Commercial Forensic Practitioners (ICFP) (mandatory).

Desirable Requirements

• Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) certification is advantageous.
• Legal postgraduate degree is advantageous.
• Experience

Minimum Experience

• Minimum of 12 years’ experience in forensic auditing and investigations, with at least 5 years in a management role.
• Expert knowledge of relevant legislation, including the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA), Municipal Finance
• Management Act (MFMA), Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act (PRECCA), Consumer Protection
• Act (CPA), Public Audit Act (PAA), Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), Protected Disclosures Act
• (PDA), and the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa.
• Knowledge of the Municipal Systems Act (MSA) and National Treasury Regulations including Supply Chain Management and Procurement.
• Knowledge of the South African legal framework.
• Strong understanding of fraud typologies, forensic methodologies, evidence gathering, and internal control frameworks.
• Proven track record in managing complex forensic cases and leading both internal and external investigation teams.
• Demonstrable experience writing comprehensive forensic reports and presenting these to EXCO/Board Audit Committee level and defending findings at meetings with senior management stakeholders.
• Experience in financial statement analysis and conducting forensic risk assessments.
• Experience in identifying control gaps during investigations and recommending mitigating measures.
• Proficient in Microsoft 365 suite, including advanced Excel skills.

Desirable Experience

• Knowledge of SAP or other ERP systems will be an advantage.
• Previous experience in a banking or development finance environment will be an advantage.

TECHNICAL COMPETENCIES

Audit

• Serves as a subject matter expert and/or technical point of contact for quality assurance activities in the organisation.
• Stays current with and shapes the evolution of QA by participating in standards committees.
• Performs highly complex financial and/or management audits in all areas of the organisation to identify, resolve, and/or recommend solutions to management control problems, standards, and test the financial and budgetary controls, documenting any weaknesses.
• Outlines task schedules which comply with general audit programme guidelines.
• Knowledge and experience to serve as a project leader in working with external auditors, providing them with the required financial information, and collaborating widely to facilitate change.
• Ensures that correct procedures are followed, and that documentation is prepared in accordance with international best practice standards.
• Provides ad-hoc advice to help departments achieve compliance.

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.

Reporting

• 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.

Detailed Orientation

• 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.

Solution Focused

• Identifies broad, highly complex problems based on a multitude of factors, many of which are complex and sweeping in nature, difficult to define and often contradictory.
• Creates procedures to articulate the nature of problems and to identify and weigh alternate solutions.
• Evaluates the effectiveness of solutions using approaches tailored to the situation.

Risk Management Policies and Procedures

• Drives integration and standardisation of risk management processes across the organisation
• Advises on the application of the organisation’s risk management policies, industry best practices and constructs organisation guidelines
• Analyses trends in risk management and internal control, evaluates implications, defines and implements organisation-wide response.
• The KPA’s, competencies and relationships listed in this document, is not exhaustive and the incumbent will be expected to undertake additional duties within their capacity to meet the needs of business and/or the business unit.

Required Personal Attributes    

LEADERSHIP/BEHAVIOURAL COMPETENCIES

• Strategic and Innovative Thinking
• Understands connections and trade-offs of strategic choices to evaluate which ideas are practical and possible by considering business and/or scientific implications.
• Develops innovative business and/or customer solutions that shape industry practices.

Leading and Empowering Others

• Identifies long-term goals for the team and communicates them to team members, ensuring their buy in.
• Sets a good example by personally exercising desired behaviour, acts on values and beliefs.
• Communicates a vision for the team and future success that inspires team members.
• After assessing others’ competence, one delegates full authority and responsibility to others to do a task in their own way.
• Ensures that competent employees are given opportunities to further their careers.

Leading and Managing Change

• Anticipates the need for change when not obvious and influences others to gain support.
• Builds sustainable business and organisational capacity to embrace and thrive on change.
• Re-engineers and aligns structures, processes and practices to support and sustain the desired change.

Teamwork and 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 own team/department and learn from their experience.

Decisiveness

• Makes timely decisions about complex issues even when some information is missing.
• Makes decisions and stands by them even when they are controversial or unpopular.
• Grasps critical business opportunities when they arise by making timely decisions.

Developing Others

• Gives specific positive or mixed feedback for developmental purposes.
• Gives negative feedback in behavioural rather than personal terms.
• Reassures and/or expresses positive expectations for future performance when giving corrective feedback.
• Gives individualised suggestions to individuals for their improvement.

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 on the basis of 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.

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Job Description

• The Senior Corporate Performance Management & Reporting Specialist is responsible for leading the design, execution, and continuous enhancement of corporate performance reporting. This role is responsible for ensuring the integrity, accuracy, and timeliness of all performance-related reporting to both internal and external stakeholders. A critical aspect
• includes leading the end-to-end coordination and development of the Bank’s Integrated Annual Report (IAR) and Sustainability Review Report in alignment with legislative, regulatory, and audit requirements.
• The incumbent oversees strategic performance monitoring, scenario tracking, B-BBEE reporting, and the reporting of key strategic initiatives to ensure alignment with the Bank’s strategic objectives and performance targets.
• The role also focuses on strengthening internal reporting capabilities and frameworks, embedding best practices and ensuring compliance with relevant standards.

Key Responsibilities

• Corporate Performance Reporting
• Lead the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of the Bank’s corporate performance reporting
• management and reporting frameworks.
• Maintain compliance with all legislative, regulatory, and internal governance requirements related to performance reporting.
• Deliver timely, accurate, analytical and insightful performance reports for Exco, Board Committees, the Shareholder, and other stakeholders.
• Translate performance data, including BSC indicators, into actionable insights and strategic recommendations.
• Conduct benchmarking, trend analysis and strategic reviews to inform long-term planning and corporate priorities.
• Oversee and deliver timely and high-quality presentations and reports for Exco, the Board, Board Sub-committees the Shareholder, Parliament and other external stakeholders.
• Long-Term Strategy & Scenario Tracking
• Conceptualise and guide the application of relevant tools and instruments for monitoring and measuring strategy implementation throughout the Bank.
• Monitor and report on DBSA’s long-term strategy outcomes and scenario planning outputs.
• Provide detailed analysis and recommendations for strategy review based on the monitoring results.
• Support monthly, quarterly, and annual reporting on strategy execution.
• Design and maintain dashboards and reporting systems to track implementation efforts.
• Obtaining and evaluating information about industry and market trends, competitive threats and possible business opportunities to inform strategy/ies.
• Collaborate with Risk, Economics, and Sector Specialists to integrate scenario insights into strategic tracking.
• Develop sector deep dive reports and make recommendations on sectoral focus.

Integrated Annual / Mid-term Reporting Coordination

• Develop internal capabilities, frameworks and systems to produce the DBSA’s Integrated Annual Report.
• Lead the planning, coordination, and production of the Bank’s Integrated Annual and Mid-term Reporting in line with the relevant framework, including the PFMA, IIRC Framework, King IV, and relevant ESG standards.
• Lead the compilation of a Sustainability Review Report in line with the relevant standards.
• Contribute to the development and finalisation of the Annual Financial Statements (AFS) in collaboration with
• Finance and ensure alignment with the Annual Performance Report.
• Confirm that all reporting outputs are audit-ready, compliant with PFMA, IFRS, and other regulatory standards.
• Develop internal reporting frameworks and guidelines to support annual and mid-term reporting cycles.
• Facilitate cohesive and high-quality input from all business units through clear guidance and project management.
• Strategic Initiatives Monitoring and Reporting
• Drive tracking and performance reporting of strategic initiatives and flagship projects.
• Maintain alignment between strategic initiative outcomes and corporate objectives.
• Analyse performance against key milestones and recommend interventions where required.
• Inform future-year strategic initiative planning based on historical performance data and strategic priorities.

B-BBEE Performance Reporting

• Prepare comprehensive performance reports aligned to B-BBEE compliance requirements, and submit to the BEE Commission within prescribed timeframes.
• Track and report on B-BBEE performance across divisions, identifying areas for improvement.
• Support the implementation and monitoring of B-BBEE improvement plans to ensure measurable impact.
• Provide strategic guidance to business units on compliance and performance enhancements.

Audit & Regulatory Reporting Coordination

• Manage and ensure that all statutory reporting is audit-compliant and delivered within prescribed timelines.
• Serve as liaison between Strategy, Finance, Internal Audit, relevant Divisions and External Auditors to address
• queries related to performance and integrated reporting.
• Oversee the collation and submission of documentation required for performance-related audit processes.
• Maintain an up-to-date repository of reports, policies, and evidence to support audit readiness.

People Management

• Lead and develop team members by setting clear objectives, providing constructive feedback, and fostering a
• supportive and collaborative work environment.
• Recognising individual strengths, facilitating professional growth, and aligning team efforts with organisational
• goals to enhance overall performance and engagement.
• Provide technical assistance and mentorship to subordinates.
• Facilitate training and capacity building within the team on corporate performance management and reporting.

Key Measurements of Outputs

• Quality, accuracy, and timeliness of performance and strategic reporting.
• Successful and compliant submission of the Integrated Annual Report and Annual Financial Statements.
• Level of engagement and satisfaction from internal and external stakeholders (Board, Exco, Auditors, Shareholder).
• Effective implementation tracking of strategic initiatives.
• Compliance with regulatory, ESG, B-BBEE, and audit requirements.
• Quality and relevance of strategic insights provided to the executive team.
• Achievement of B-BBEE improvement targets and measurable transformation outcomes.
• Expertise & Technical Competencies

Reporting

• Designs, reviews and improves reporting processes and provides guidance.
• Leads production of complex reports, takes an editorial role, determines content and level of detail, and ensures consistent messaging and branding.

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.
• Can reinforce key presentation points with examples.
• Business acumen
• Thinks and plans in future-oriented terms.
• Develops annual business plans that consider longer-term activities, issues, problems or opportunities.
• Develops and establishes broad scale, longer-term objectives, goals or projects (e.g., affecting a business, department, or organisation).
• Planning and Organising
• Is relied on to help others 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, reprioritising and replanning.

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.
• Solutions Focused
• Identifies complex problems based on a broad range of factors, many of which are ambiguous or difficult to define.
• While remaining guided by organisational values, identifies optimal solutions, thinking first in terms of possible approaches and flexibilities in the system vs. blind adherence to rules or procedures.
• Evaluates the effectiveness and efficiency of solutions after they have been implemented and identifies needed changes.
• 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.

Qualifications

• A postgraduate degree in Strategy, Finance, Economics, Business, or a related field.

Experience

• Minimum 10 years’ experience in monitoring and evaluation, corporate performance reporting, strategic execution, and corporate governance within development finance institutions, financial services, or the public sector.
• Proven leadership experience in coordinating and delivering Annual Reports aligned with regulatory and audit requirements.
• Strong knowledge of ESG principles, King IV, the IIRC Framework, B-BBEE Codes, and public finance legislation (e.g., PFMA).
• Skilled in designing and implementing performance management frameworks, reporting systems, and dashboards to support strategic decision-making.
• Experience in developing both internal and external reporting capabilities, with a focus on regulatory compliance and stakeholder alignment.
• Deep understanding of infrastructure development, financial markets, political economy, macroeconomics, and socio-economic challenges and opportunities across South Africa and the African continent.
• Strategic thinker with a demonstrated ability to translate data and analysis into actionable insights that drive organisational performance and transformation.
• Proven ability to successfully lead complex, cross-functional strategic initiatives and corporate reporting projects from planning to execution.
• Demonstrated writing and analytical skills with the ability to produce high-impact reports, strategy documents, and presentations for executive and board audiences.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills, with experience presenting at executive, board, and shareholder levels.
• Solid understanding of the financial and regulatory landscape relevant to development finance institutions.
• *The KPA’s, competencies and relationships listed in this document, is not exhaustive and the incumbent will be expected to undertake additional duties within their capacity to meet the needs of business and/or the business unit.

Required Personal Attributes

Analytical Thinking

• Identifies multiple elements of a problem and breaks down each of those elements in detail, showing causal relationships between them.
• Uses several analytical techniques to identify several solutions and weighs the value of each.
• Driving Delivery of Results
• Identifies and implements a business opportunity that will have a long-term impact on the business. Monitors progress and adapt 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.
• Attention to Detail
• Double-checks the accuracy of information or work.
• Ensure that the work produced doesn’t contain any errors.

Achievement Orientation

• Delivers work on time and quality and follows through on agreed commitments.
• Views new work experiences as an opportunity for growth.
• Reacts immediately to overcome setbacks or/and obstacles in order to meet goals.
• Recognises and acts upon current opportunities.

Self-Awareness and 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.

Strategic and Innovative Thinking

• Experiments with new approaches, tests scenarios, questions assumptions and challenges conventional thinking.
• Creates new concepts that are not obvious to others, leveraging internal and external sources of information, to build incremental revenue and growth opportunities.

Teamwork and 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 own team/department and learn from their experience.

Closing date: Novemeber 21, 2025

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Job Description

• The Technical Specialist: Property is responsible for ensuring that infrastructure investments in the property sector are technically sound, environmentally sustainable, socially responsible, and financially viable. This role blends sector expertise with financial acumen to support loan origination, due diligence, and portfolio management. In addition, provide expert technical guidance and sector-specific insights to support the development, appraisal, and monitoring of property projects financed and/or delivered by the DBSA. The aim is to enhance the quality, sustainability, and impact of investments in the sector, ensuring alignment with the institution’s development mandate.

Key Responsibilities

• Technical Advisory and Expertise
• Provide expert technical support and apply advanced sector knowledge to develop innovative, practical solutions analysis and implementation support for projects and initiatives
• Stay current on emerging technologies, policy developments, and global best practices to ensure cutting-edge insights and continuous improvement in project delivery.
• Diagnose complex sector challenges and identify opportunities, designing context-appropriate, sustainable, and cost-effective solutions to support project preparation and implementation.
• Promote institutional learning by leading or contributing to training sessions, technical consultations, and knowledge-sharing initiatives with internal teams and external stakeholders.
• Drive technical excellence and innovation in the sector, reinforcing the Bank’s position as a leader in sustainable and resilient infrastructure development.
• Collaborate effectively with multidisciplinary teams and stakeholders to gather insights, build consensus, and ensure technical alignment across project stages.
• Investments and Programmes
• Conduct rigorous technical due diligence on infrastructure transactions applying strategic thinking and innovative approaches to deliver value to both the client and the DBSA.
• Enhance the bankability of transactions by identifying and mitigating technical and sector specific risks, working collaboratively with Credit Risk, Country Risk Officers, and other relevant units across the Bank.
• Support the preparation of potential investments by delivering innovative and sustainable infrastructure solutions that inform project scoping, feasibility studies, and business planning.
• Conceptualise and contribute to the design of new products and services aligned with DBSA mandate and proactively identifying and guiding the DBSA toward emerging sector opportunities.
• Assess the sector impact of proposed DBSA investment transactions across South Africa the African region, including:
• Appraising the macro macro and sector-specific market environment.
• Assessing the impact of sectoral policy, legislation, strategy, and tariff regimes
• Analysing sector risks and developing appropriate mitigation measures
• Demonstrating the economic rationale of projects through demand/supply analysis and cost-benefit assessments.
• Validating the technical feasibility / assumptions and projections including design assumptions, technology options, operations, and maintenance plans
• Providing structuring recommendations to support investment approvals by internal decision-making committees.
• Developing sector-specific conditions to be embedded with investment structures.
• Monitor and evaluate the sectoral outcomes and impact of DBSA’s property investment portfolio.
• Track compliance within agreed sector conditionalities and mitigation measures, recommending timely corrective actions in cases of deviation or underperformance.
• Sector Governance
• Present sector research findings on business and product development, sector targets, and investment strategies to the Investment Committee and Board of Directors.
• Develop, implement, and review sector strategies, guidelines, and technical frameworks to embed Generally Accepted Industry Practice (GIIP) in DBSA investment decision making.
• Clients, Governments and Finance Partnerships
• Provide credible sectoral advice to the DBSA, its clients and sector role players including private and public sector investors, businesses, and client-country governments
• Influence relevant sectoral investment decision making structures including DBSA, national government, SOCs, sector fora, Regional Economic Communities (e.g. SADC, IIPSA) to enhance sectoral infrastructure investments
• Interface with finance partners locally, regionally, and internationally to catalyse sustainable financing, align and incorporate GIIP, the Sustainable Development Goals and global, regional, and local sector policy frameworks into DBSA operations and investment decision making.
• Build strong relationships with key stakeholders to align expectations and gather insights and ensure successful engagements.
• Innovation and Continuous Improvement
• Champion innovation and fostering a culture of continuous improvement within their area of expertise.
• Identify opportunities to enhance processes, products, or services, leveraging technical knowledge, creativity, and industry insights.
• Explore and implement cutting-edge technologies or methodologies to drive efficiency, quality, and value for the organisation.
• Facilitate idea generation promoting a collaborative environment where innovative solutions can flourish.
• Develop the organisation’s competitive edge and adapt to evolving market demands within the sector.
• Reporting and Analytics
• Prepare and present high-quality, data-driven technical reports, assessments, and recommendations to support decision-making, anticipate risks, and enhance project outcomes.
• Analyse complex data and deliver accurate, stakeholder-focused reports with clear, actionable insights and visualisations.
• Identify trends, anomalies, and key insights that influence strategic planning and operational adjustments.
• Key Measurement of Output
• Number of innovative and sustainable property financing opportunities identified and brought into the business pipeline.
• Number and quality of technically sound, bankable projects and innovative financing solutions developed for investment approval.
• Number of due diligence assignments and investment-ready projects concluded with full technical compliance.
• Percentage of the loan book aligned with priority geographies/sectors and annual investment metrics (disbursements, commitments, approvals).
• Number and quality of projects monitored and evaluated, ensuring application of Good International Industry Practice (GIIP) and lessons learned.
• Number of sector strategies, technical frameworks, knowledge products, and partnerships developed to inform investment decisions and strengthen sector impact.

Expertise & Technical Competencies

Qualification

• Bachelor’s degree in Property Development, Real Estate, Architecture, Quantity Surveying, Civil Engineering,
• Construction Management, Urban Planning, or a closely related field.
• Experience
• Minimum of 10 years’ property sector experience in structuring and preparing investment-ready infrastructure projects, ideally within development finance, commercial banking, or infrastructure advisory environment.
• Proven track record in infrastructure finance and investment, including work on public-private partnerships (PPPs) and transaction advisory services for large-scale property related projects.
• Strong professional network and extensive relationships with senior stakeholders in the property sector across South Africa and the wider African continent.
• Sound understanding of critical development challenges and opportunities across the property investment value chain, including service delivery models, regulatory frameworks, and climate resilience.
• In-depth knowledge of sustainable development principles, particularly as they relate to infrastructure financing, climate adaptation, and inclusive service delivery.
• Experience in designing technical and financial solutions to enable deal closure and mobilise private or blended finance.

Desirable

• Postgraduate qualification in a relevant field such as Engineering, Finance, Economics, Development Studies, Sustainable Development, Infrastructure Planning, or an MBA.
• Professional registration with a recognized engineering or sectoral professional body (e.g., ECSA).

TECHNICAL COMPETENCIES

Sector Expertise

• Demonstrates global thought leadership, including speaking at international conferences, sharing work via knowledge management, documenting business cases, white papers, and articles.
• Understands dynamics of other sectors and uses that knowledge to draw comparisons and insights about the given sector.
• Foresees trends in the given sector industry at a global level and actively communicates/publishes opinions and insights.
• Understands sector industry dynamics, trends and key players at the global level and uses that knowledge to position DBSA as an economic policies authority of repute within the global market.

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.

Project Management

• Seasoned ability to plan, initiate, execute, control and close projects aligned to DBSA sustainable infrastructure investment mandate.
• Translates business objectives into practical, prioritised and organised action plans; ensures plans are safely and successfully implemented.
• Makes effective use of resources when executing; ensures processes are in place to achieve outcomes aligned to operational excellence standards.
• Risk Identification & Assessment skills
• Advises on applicable aspects of risk identification and assessments
• Assesses and links short-term tasks in the context of long-term business strategies or perspectives

Financial Acumen

• Makes sound financial decisions after having analysed their impacts on the organisation, partner agencies, and community.
• 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 maximise sustainable development outcomes, revenues, and control costs.

Business Development

• Takes overall lead for pro-active business development at national and regional 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.
• Positions the DBSA as the preferred development partner, lender, and advisor.
• Leads the participation and presentation of the DBSA 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 DBSA 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.

Analytical Ability

• Ability to propose solutions to support investment through analysis and solutioning.
• Thorough and in-depth understanding of the business environment, reviews outputs of analysis to identify anomalies and draw conclusions, and able to relate these to operational circumstances.
• High level of skill in the use of advanced/complex analytical techniques and able to use judgement to decide upon the most appropriate analytical techniques to solution according to the situation.
• Proven ability to apply relevant estimating techniques, tools and models covering all potential business circumstances (such as cost benefit analysis) and highlight potential risks/opportunities.
• Able to translate findings into reports and present findings to key stakeholders.
• *The KPA’s, competencies and relationships listed in this document, is not exhaustive and the incumbent will be expected to undertake additional duties within their capacity to meet the needs of business and/or the business unit.

Required Personal Attributes

BEHAVIOURAL COMPETENCIES

• Customer Service Orientation
• Tries to understand the underlying needs of customers and matches these needs to available or customised products and services.
• Adapts processes and procedures to meet on-going customer needs.
• Utilises the feedback received by customers, in order to develop new and/or improve existing services / products that relate to their on-going needs.
• Thinks of new ways to align DBSA’s offerings with future customer needs.
• Strategic and Innovative Thinking
• Experiments with new approaches, tests scenarios, questions assumptions and challenges conventional thinking.
• Creates new concepts that are not obvious to others, leveraging internal and external sources of information, to build incremental revenue and growth opportunities.
• Driving Delivery of Results
• Sets challenging goals that will have a significant impact on the business or support the organisational strategy.
• Commits significant resources and/or time to ensure that challenging goals are achieved, while also taking action to mitigate risk.

Organisational Awareness

• Recognises unspoken organisational limitations, what is and is not possible at certain times or in certain positions.
• Recognises and/or uses the corporate culture (language, etc.) that will produce the best response.
• Recognises and/or uses ongoing power and political relationships within the organisation (alliances, rivalries) with a clear sense of organisational impact.

Impact and Influence

• Adapts a presentation or discussion to appeal to the interest and level of others.
• Anticipates and prepares for others’ reactions.

Teamwork and 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 own team/department and learn from their experience.

Closing date: Novemeber 21, 2025