Job Description

The Principal Deal Originator is responsible for formulating and executing the strategic objectives of the business in collaboration with the Head Coverage, whilst being accountable for deal origination, building and owning client and partnerships and developing projects for the DBSA, ultimately leading to bankable deals.
Key Responsibilities
Deal Origination

• Lead the development and execution of origination strategies and sector initiatives to drive infrastructure investment.
• Identify, prioritise, and manage key client relationships to maximise revenue and strategic impact.
• Build and maintain a robust pipeline of high-quality investment opportunities through proactive business development and deep sector expertise.
• Collaborate with project preparation and transaction teams to ensure successful deal structuring and closure.
• Navigate and resolve partnership challenges, staying informed on market products and competitor offerings.
• Leverage political, sectoral, and regional insights to inform strategies and broaden business opportunities.
• Foster strong networks with internal and external stakeholders to position the bank as a leader in infrastructure finance.
• Lead competitor and market analysis to inform strategic decision-making and maintain competitive advantage.
• Drive new business development, including fee-generating projects, ensuring consistent deal flow and bankability.
• Provide leadership, mentorship, and expert guidance to junior team members and represent deals at Investment committees and boards.
• Prepare and provide documentation/reports for EXCO and Board(s) decision-making where applicable.
• Present at deal screen reports at Investment Committees where applicable, as and when required.

Business Development

• Drive business development to establish DBSA as the preferred lender, investor, and partner.
• Lead the drafting, approval and execution of strategies to build a strong pipeline of projects.
• Identify and originate viable projects by facilitating preparation, scoping, feasibility studies, and business plans to close deals.
• Develop approaches to secure concessional funding for infrastructure projects across Africa.
• Expand client base in target countries, fostering long-term relationships.
• Design and implement targeted marketing strategies to capitalise on growth opportunities for DBSA.

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.
• Facilitate continuous communication with clients/ projects that the DBSA has funded to adequately support the Division's monitoring function.
• Network and maintain relationships with key internal and external stakeholders to develop specific investment opportunities further.
• Identify clients' pain points and coordinate DBSA's solution offerings to address them.
• Undertake other tasks as assigned by the line manager, from time to time.

Key Measurements of Outputs (*The list is not exhaustive)

• Value and number of new business deals originated.
• Value and number of project approvals, commitments, and disbursements.
• Value of infrastructure catalysed.
• Value of projects prepared and committed for DBSA approval.
• Value of funds under management secured (Infrastructure Delivery business).
• Quality of investment book (e.g., NPL ratio).
• Number of transactions that are committed for DBSA funding to black-owned entities.
• Number of jobs created or "to be created" by projects - Direct and Indirect jobs.
• Quality of signed agreements/mandates.
• Clean Audit.

Expertise & Technical Competencies
Minimum Requirements

• A postgraduate qualification or equivalent in Business (such as an MBA) or Finance (CA or CFA), or Engineering, or Economics.
• A minimum of 10 years of experience in infrastructure project financing, structured finance or corporate lending, preferably in a development bank, commercial bank or financial institution focusing on infrastructure.
• 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.
• Proven track record in originating, structuring and closing large-scale infrastructure deals.
• Experience in securing deals of appropriate size for the sectors and geographies in question.
• Strong networks and relations with clients, global and regional private investors and banks to identify and source viable projects/investments.
• Successful track record in leading project teams with high-level stakeholders and qualified professionals.
• Comprehensive knowledge of the complex financial and regulatory environments across Africa.
• In-depth knowledge and understanding of the infrastructure market, financial markets and the macro landscape.
• Demonstrable experience in identifying client challenges and playing an active part in developing/structuring 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.

TECHNICAL COMPETENCIES (Please refer to job profile for details)

• Business Development
• Business Acumen
• Deal Origination
• Project Management
• Solution Focus
• Financial Analysis
• Risk Management
• Attention to detail
• Negotiation
• Commercial Awareness
• Research
• Communication and Reporting
• Innovation
• Presentation Skills

Required Personal Attributes
BEHAVIOURAL COMPETENCIES
Achievement Orientation

• Focuses on new or more effective ways of improving own work and meeting targets.
• Focuses on raising quality, customer satisfaction and revenues.
• Makes specific changes to systems and processes to improve efficiency and quality.
• Formulates own objectives and action plans to achieve a measurable improvement in the future.

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.

Conceptual thinking

• Creates new concepts that are not obvious to others and not learned from previous education or experience to explain situations or resolve problems.
• Looks at things in a significantly novel way, breakthrough thinking.

Strategic and Innovative thinking

• Recognises opportunities or problems emerging in patterns and trends, and their impact on the business and profitability drivers.
• Applies learning from previous situations and experiences.
• Sees underlying causality in the current situation. Applies business acumen to make sound decisions.
• Recognises opportunities or potential problems, before they become obvious, by seeing the connections in a range of sources of information, including insights from outside DBSA.
• Restates complex knowledge in a way that makes it easier for others to understand.

Commercial Business Acumen

• Understands business fundamentals.
• Analyses and comprehends organisational goals and strategies.
• Understands tactical business fundamentals in the public sector environment and incorporates them into decision-making.

Teamwork

• 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.

Skills Required