Investment Analyst

ABOUT GUARANTCO, THE TEAM AND WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

GuarantCo Ltd (GuarantCo) mobilises private sector local currency investment for infrastructure projects and supports the development of financial markets in lower income countries across Africa and Asia. GuarantCo is part of the Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG) and is funded by the governments of the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Australia, and Sweden, through the PIDG Trust, the Netherlands, through FMO, the Dutch Development Bank and the PIDG Trust, and France through a stand-by facility.

GuarantCo is rated AA- by Fitch and A1 by Moody’s. The company’s vision is to become a centre of excellence for local currency credit solutions for infrastructure finance in lower income countries thereby assisting with the alleviation of poverty.

GuarantCo’s funds, through GuarantCo Management Company (GMC), are managed by Cardano Development, a Dutch foundation with charitable status. GMC is the day-to-day manager of GuarantCo and is head-quartered in the City of London, with regional hubs in Nairobi and Singapore. The GMC team is small, diverse, focused, collaborative and action orientated. We are looking for candidates who have the experience to deliver against the responsibilities of the role and who are passionate about making a difference whilst working in an entrepreneurial and innovative environment.

ROLE SUMMARY

The ideal candidate will have at least two years of work experience in a major financial institution, accountancy firm, financial advisory firm, private risk insurance market, or a project sponsor/operator ideally focused on infrastructure and project finance, and preferably with a focus on Asian frontier markets.

The candidate will have experience of conducting due diligence on complex transactions and preferably can demonstrate experience working with satellite telecommunications projects.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

Origination/Execution

1. Assist in originating opportunities in their various regions and assisting with the preparation and presentation of early-stage New Business Committee (NBC) approvals.
2. Assist deal teams (or lead workstreams) through due diligence of transactions following NBC approval. Work collaboratively with respective transaction leads to ensure a transaction is appropriately structured and presented to Credit Committee for approval.
3. Assist or oversee deal team members in conducting due diligence for deals, including credit analysis, financial modelling (review, stress-testing, and carrying out of scenario analysis), structuring, and review of commercial and legal documentation.
4. Support the Investment Team in the drafting, preparation, and presentation of credit proposals to the GuarantCo Credit Committee.
5. Assist (and in some circumstances oversee) in executing due diligence tasks and reviews in appointing and liaising with advisers (e.g., environmental and social, technical, legal, etc).
6. Support senior members of the team in reviewing project documentation to ensure that GuarantCo’s position is appropriately protected and reflects credit approved terms.
7. Coordinate with various internal teams on client on-boarding and various other related administrative tasks.
8. Responsible for the coordination with the Sustainable Developmental Impact (SDI) and Health Safety Environmental and Social (HSES) teams, including participating in putting together the SDI rationale and HSES requirements for transactions.
9. Oversee or support on delivering any other ad-hoc tasks and research required to help develop the Investment Team or work in partnership with other departments on business initiatives, e.g., new product development, country regulatory analysis.

Client Relationship Management

1. Develop and demonstrate a strong grasp of their deal portfolio.
2. Monitor/report/operationally track the performance of transactions against various covenants, including financial performance and environmental and social, and impact objectives.
3. Assist Client Relationship Manager/Director in developing and managing all transaction relationships (borrower, sponsors, guarantee beneficiary, banks, agents, etc.).
4. Assist Client Relationship Manager / Director writing and presenting reports and requests to Portfolio Committee. Contribute to the analysis and arguments being presented, recommendations and rationale.
5. Work as a close-knit unit with the Client Relationship Manager / Director on assigned transactions, and with the Director of Restructuring, as required.
6. Work with and assist the Client Relationship Manager / Director to ensure smooth handover of transactions on financial close.
7. Demonstrate ability to take up transaction management responsibilities independently.
8. Assist Finance when required to follow up on collection of persistent unpaid amounts with management; and
9. Any other duties as may be assigned from time to time.

CORE EXPERIENCE

Essential experience

1. Undergraduate degree level in Economics and/or Finance.
2. At least 2 years work experience in a financial institution, particularly in investment projects.
3. Understanding of structured finance transactions, including in corporate and project finance.
4. Strong credit risk assessment skills, including financial accounting and financial statement analysis skills.
5. Ability to develop complex financial models and carry out financial model analysis.
6. Good knowledge of transaction legal documentation.
7. Experience in delivering a client-focused service and effective stakeholder management.
8. Experience of overseeing and supporting less experienced team members.
9. Strong Microsoft Office skills (ideally Microsoft Excel financial modelling skills).
10. Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Desirable experience

1. An advanced degree (post graduate) / has started or completed a professional qualification.
2. Familiarity with guarantees and similar products from GuarantCo/PIDG, Export Credit Agencies, multilateral and bilateral development institutions, monoline insurers, etc.
3. Familiarity with corporate and project finance in Emerging and Frontier Markets in infrastructure sectors (with some experience of working in Mekong region, Indonesia and rest of SE Asia).
4. Experience working in the satellite telecommunications industry, from a project investment perspective.
5. Solid understanding of frontier markets (ideally in Africa and Asia).
6. Knowledge and experience of restructuring problem assets.
7. Experience in syndication & distribution of credit exposures.
8. Understanding of lending and fixed income products.

Interpersonal

1. Proactive, able to work in a team and without others, take ownership of and complete tasks in a timely and accurate manner.
2. Team player but able to work self-sufficiently.
3. Good networker and relationship builder.
4. Cultural awareness and curiosity.
5. Strong verbal and written communication skills.
6. Ability to effectively manage relationships between internal and external stakeholders.

Personal

1. Fluency in oral and written English is essential.
2. Passion for sustainable development impact and work on projects in frontier markets.
3. Self-starter, able to collaborate closely with colleagues.
4. Entrepreneurial but with a strong ethical foundation.
5. Resilient, not put off by set-backs.
6. Attention to detail.
7. Analytical ability.
8. Problem solving, ability to think laterally.
9. Ability to develop understanding and navigate complex and novel scenarios and issues.
10. Ability to manage own time and juggle different tasks accordingly.
11. Capable of developing and communicating their own point of view.

Applications

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of colour are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At GMC, we are dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive workplace and culture, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Valuing diversity is essential to our work. We aim to act in accordance with and promote equality legislation by avoiding unjustified discrimination and recognising discrimination as a barrier to equality of opportunity, inclusion, and human rights. All GMC employees are required to ensure their behaviour is consistent with our policies. GMC is committed to a policy of equal opportunity and is keen to reflect diversity at every level within the organisation.