The Investment Officer is responsible for 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.

Conduct Transaction Assessment and meets DBSA’s Mandate
Evaluate the feasibility of investment opportunities / project transactions with a view of ensuring that they are commercially sound prospects for debt 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 Investment Support Team (Sector Specialists, Country Risk Specialists, Financial Analysts, etc.)
Provide value to transactions for the benefit of the client through knowledge of the subject, innovation and lateral thinking.
Provide input into 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: Transacting, 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: Transacting 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, and 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

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.

Minimum Requirements
A Bachelor’s degree i.e. Finance, Business, Accounting, or Economics;
2-5 years’ experience in appraising, negotiating and closing Project Finance, Corporate Finance, or Structured Finance transactions in a financial institution;
2-5 years’ experience in appraising, negotiating and closing Public Private Partnership (PPP) and/ or Municipal IPPs in a financial institution;
Experience in securing infrastructure investment deals in relevant sectors/geographies in SA (particularly municipalities) and/or Africa.
Experience in 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.
Good 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
Strong negotiation skills with the ability to close deals.
Proven experience in working with snr stakeholders in highly political environments in South Africa and the rest of Africa
Role requires flexibility to be deployed to other business units if required

Desirable Requirements

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 an 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 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, 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.

BEHAVIOURAL COMPETENCIES
Customer Service Orientation:
Tries to understand the underlying needs of customers and matches these needs to available or customized 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.

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.

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.

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 own team/department and learn from their experience.