Programme Management Specialist (IF) at Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) , Midrand

Programme Management Specialist (Infrastructure Fund)

Job Description

The Infrastructure Fund (IF), established to address the critical need for dedicated blended financing for infrastructure projects, aims to transform public infrastructure financial provisioning. This is achieved by combining capital from the public sector, private sector, and Development Finance Institutions (DFIs)/Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) to finance hybrid projects.

The Programme Management Specialist (IF) will be a key driver in executing this mandate. This role is responsible for the design and implementation of multiple, large-scale infrastructure programmes, many of which involve Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs), to generate and secure funding opportunities for the Infrastructure Fund. This position requires a specialist who can navigate complex stakeholder landscapes and deliver bankable infrastructure solutions from conception to completion.

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic Support & Deal Flow Origination

• Develop, implement, and monitor a portfolio of large-scale infrastructure programmes involving multiple stakeholders from inception to completion.
• Facilitate early and privileged access to the infrastructure project pipeline to enhance the organization’s funding opportunities and strategic deal participation.
• Prepare detailed investment proposals for consideration by management and the Board of Directors.

2. Project Preparation and Technical Due Diligence (Bankability)

• Project Preparation: Partner with project owners, sponsors, and public institutions to transform early-stage concepts into bankable opportunities. Provide technical input into pre-feasibility and feasibility studies, and support project structuring to attract blended finance.
• Technical Due Diligence & Appraisal: Conduct independent technical due diligence for projects under investment review, assessing design, technology choices, cost assumptions, and construction/operational plans. Ensure alignment with international standards (e.g., FIDIC, IFC Performance Standards).
• Risk Assessment & De-risking: Identify, evaluate, and recommend mitigation measures for technical, commercial, regulatory, and implementation risks. De-risk technical and commercial project aspects to support accurate risk pricing and overall bankability.
• Monitoring & Implementation Oversight: Verify the fulfillment of technical Conditions Precedent (CPs) for disbursement, monitor construction progress, and conduct site visits. Identify and flag deviations (cost overruns, delays, technical failures) and recommend corrective actions.
• Portfolio-Level Support: Provide deep sector technical insights to guide portfolio strategy, develop cost libraries and sector benchmarks, and capture lessons learned to strengthen institutional knowledge.

3. Programme Management & Execution

• Design, develop, and implement comprehensive project/programme plans, budgets, resource allocations, and deliverables in alignment with client and funder agreements.
• Proactively engage and manage multiple project/programme offices to prevent delays and ensure smooth execution.
• Develop and implement project costing methodologies, cost control procedures, and financial monitoring systems to ensure projects are completed on time and within budget.
• Prepare detailed programme documentation, including phased plans, implementation schedules, budgets, variance reports, and status reports for leadership and key stakeholders.
• Lead the procurement of resources necessary to achieve programme objectives within planned timeframes.

Key Measures of Outputs (KPIs)

• Value of bankable projects generated.
• Quality of the investment book.
• Management of client relationships and key stakeholder satisfaction.
• Investor satisfaction with invested projects/programmes.
• Achievement of a clean audit.

Expertise & Technical Competencies

Minimum Requirements

• A Bachelor’s Degree or BTech in Engineering.
• A minimum of 8 years’ experience in infrastructure projects/programmes implementation.
• Proven ability to manage large-scale infrastructure projects/programmes, PPPs, and project finance.
• Demonstrated experience working on new or innovative projects/programmes.
• In-depth knowledge of South African legislation, regulations, policies, and procedures governing infrastructure planning and development (e.g., PFMA).
• Excellent understanding of the infrastructure landscape, financial markets, and the socio-economic development challenges and opportunities in South Africa and Africa.

Desirable Requirements

• A Postgraduate qualification in Engineering.
• A qualification in Project / Programme Management.
• Project / Programme Management experience in the public infrastructure sector.

Technical Competencies

• Deal Origination: Ability to identify, conceptualize, structure, and develop new and alternative financing mechanisms (equity, mezzanine, debt, securitisation) for infrastructure projects.
• Business Acumen: Good understanding of commercial drivers, economic priorities, and the ability to link short-term tasks to long-term business strategies within a complex regulatory environment.
• Business Development: Proactively pursue business development opportunities, review competitor environments, and support the formulation of strategies to generate new business.
• Reporting & Communication: Ability to design, customize, and prepare complex technical and non-technical reports and briefs for Executive Management and high-level stakeholders, adapting language to ensure impact.
• Project / Programme Management: Advanced skills in defining, planning, and managing large, strategic, and technically complex projects with national implications.

Required Personal Attributes

• Strategic and Innovative Thinking: Proactively experiments with new approaches, challenges conventional thinking, and creates new concepts to build revenue and growth opportunities.
• Driving Delivery of Results: Sets challenging, high-impact goals and commits significant resources and time to achieve them while actively mitigating risk.
• Customer Service Orientation: Proactively seeks to understand underlying customer needs and adapts processes, procedures, and offerings to align with future requirements.
• Self-awareness and Self-Control: Maintains composure and functions constructively under stress or in difficult situations.