Synopsis
Infrastructure South Africa (ISA) has the mandate to act as an Aggregator: Single Window of Entry & Custodian of the Country’s Infrastructure Project Pipeline. These compromises of national, provincial, municipal, public and or private sector role players.
Job Description JOB PURPOSE:
The Project Finance Specialist will be responsible for identifying, developing, and advocating for the implementation of innovative project finance instruments and structuring, inclusive of public-private partnerships (PPP) frameworks that leverage resources from the private sector to expand the delivery of infrastructure within South Africa through coordinating and supporting public sector entities.
The Specialist will possess solid project finance experience across various projects and sectors from a private sector financing perspective, as well as experience in understanding the project risks to both public and private sector participants.
Qualification and Experience QUALIFICATION:
- Degree or Honours degree (NQF Level 8) in Finance, Accounting, Actuarial Science, Economics (Related to Project Finance).
- Registered professionally with the relevant bodies recognized in South Africa will be an added advantage.
- A PPP Recognised Certification programme will be an added advantage.
EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE:
- 5 – 8 years industry/sector(s) specific experience in project finance or structured finance (Above 8 years’ experience will be an added advantage).
- Experience in monitoring and evaluating infrastructure projects.
- Experience in working on PPP/ESG/Green Bonds projects will be an added advantage.
- Infrastructure project development and/or project appraisal.
- Monitoring major infrastructure projects in implementation.
- Knowledge of applicable legislation, which includes (but is not limited to) the Infrastructure Development Act, the Public Finance Management Act, the Municipal Finance Management Act, GIAMA, PPP Framework, Standards for Infrastructure Procurement and Delivery.
- Solid understanding of both South Africa and further international experience and understanding with respect to Project Finance, project preparation, structuring, and transaction management, legal, policy, and institutional frameworks for innovative financing (inclusive of PPPs) and other forms of private participation in infrastructure, broader public investment and fiscal risk management.
Roles and Responsibilities MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Keep abreast of developments in the Project Finance and PPP framework and the regulatory environment, and position ISA's value-add in this context.
- Research relevant innovative project financing instruments.
- Draw on South African project experience and best international practices in providing guidance to government departments, provinces, and municipalities seeking to develop and implement Project Finance instruments on their projects.
- Advocate for the expansion of Project Finance options (inclusive of Blended finance options, PPP structuring, Green Bonds, ESG, and Impact Finance, etc.) in South Africa through actively matching projects to the most suitable finance options in the infrastructure space.
- Provide assistance to line departments in the preparation of initial project investment proposals for potential Innovative Financing & PPP projects, while cognizant of requirements to demonstrate affordability, value for money, and optimized risk allocation.
- Advise on the appropriate financial structure for projects based on knowledge of the market’s ability to provide finance and bear risk, on a per project/programme basis.
- Advise government departments and other government entities on feasibility studies required to demonstrate project/programme viability (financial).
- Evaluate the feasibility of investment opportunities/project transactions to ensure that they are sound prospects for financing.
- Ensure that government’s explicit and implicit fiscal obligations and risks are determined in the feasibility study stage and that these are communicated from a risk and debt management unit and managed appropriately. This includes guarantees and other security instruments.
- Analyse all financial models, both in the feasibility studies and in proposals submitted as part of the competitive bidding process to ensure that the projects are affordable, financially sound, and sustainable with appropriate risk allocation.
- Support the procurement and briefing of external financial advisors or subject matter experts, as necessary, for identified projects or research.
- Collaborate with the ISA Technical Services Office to ensure that the financing structure of projects is sound and the involvement of state financial institutions is appropriate.
- Provide assistance in the appointment of transaction advisors to assist in the project preparation feasibility study, ensuring that the study is of adequate quality for review.
- Where relevant, assist line departments with bidding processes as well as the negotiation and award of the PPP contracts and contract management.
- Compile progress reports on innovative Project Finance (inclusive of PPP) projects receiving support from ISA and identify unblocking challenges experienced.
- Conduct financial and economic analysis, which needs to include the public sector’s fiscal capacity assessment, PPP risk analysis with PPP risk allocation matrix.
- Provide recommendations for the final innovative financing implementation model based on evaluation of the results analysed.
- Record and continuously monitor industry/client performance as it relates to the project.
- Perform related tasks as required by the Programme Manager.
Job Requirements BEHAVIOURAL COMPETENCY:
Strong interpersonal ability.
Attention to technical detail.
Task-oriented.
Reliability.
Positive work ethic.
Problem-solving orientation.
Good stakeholder engagement & networking ability.
Technical interpretation ability.
TECHNICAL COMPETENCY:
Problem identification & resolution skills.
Process analysis and improvement skills.
Project Finance and modelling software skills.
Risk analysis and mitigation skills.
Project planning skills.
Microsoft Office suite skills.
Technical report writing skills.
Technical information analysis skills.
Job Reference: IDC00377
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