Investment Associate – Project Development – Transport & ICT – Casablanca, Morocco

Our client is a pan-African infrastructure investor and asset manager established to help bridge Africa's infrastructure gap by developing, financing and investing in bankable projects, mobilizing public and private capital, and accelerating the delivery of sustainable infrastructure.

Their Project Development Fund operates at the front end of the investment cycle. It works with governments, public authorities, sponsors, developers, lenders, investors and technical partners to originate, structure, de-risk and advance projects toward investment readiness and financial close.

Within the Project Development Fund , the Transport and ICT vertical focuses on transport, logistics and digital infrastructure, including roads, bridges, railways, ports, airports, urban mobility, e-mobility, logistics platforms, regional corridors, digital connectivity, data centres, telecommunications infrastructure, fibre networks and other ICT-enabled infrastructure, as well as infrastructure asset recycling.

Purpose of the Role:

Principal Responsibilities:

• Support the development of a strong pipeline of transport and ICT infrastructure opportunities by conducting sector, country, market, sponsor and policy research and monitoring relevant market trends.
• Assess potential opportunities against the clients mandate, transport and ICT strategy, development impact objectives and risk-return requirements, and contribute to preliminary screening and prioritisation recommendations.
• Build, maintain and own complex project finance models, including traffic or demand assumptions, tariff, toll, user-fee or availability-payment revenues, capital expenditure, operating costs, financing structures, cash flows, returns and sensitivity scenarios.
• Develop the transaction structure for project development and equity investments, including PPPs, concessions, asset-recycling transactions and other public-private delivery models.
• Manage due diligence workstreams, liaising with internal teams and external advisers and tracking findings, actions and deliverables.
• Review key project and transaction documentation, including concession agreements, development agreements, EPC and O&M contracts, financing documents, government support arrangements and other relevant agreements, and summarise key commercial and risk issues.
• Prepare high-quality opportunity notes, screening memoranda, investment committee papers, financial analyses, presentations, term sheets and other materials for internal and external audiences.
• Participate actively in negotiations and discussions with public authorities, sponsors, co-developers, strategic partners, contractors, lenders, DFIs and other investors.
• Support debt and equity mobilisation, including lender and investor engagement, assessment of guarantee or blended-finance solutions and coordination of information requests.
• Monitor project development plans, budgets, adviser deliverables, approval requirements, conditions precedent and transaction timelines, and escalate issues to senior team members when required.
• Build and maintain effective working-level relationships with transport and ICT infrastructure companies, public-sector counterparts, financial institutions, advisers and technical partners.
• Collaborate closely with the clients Legal, ESG, Finance, Risk and other investment teams to ensure an integrated approach to project development and execution.
• Contribute to the monitoring of approved projects and portfolio companies and support knowledge sharing and other corporate or team initiatives as required.

Candidate Profile:

• Four to seven years of relevant professional experience in transport and/or digital infrastructure project development, project finance, investment, PPP or concession advisory, infrastructure private equity, a DFI, an investment bank, a transport and/or digital infrastructure operator or developer, or a related institution.
• Relevant experience in one or more transport and/or ICT subsectors such as roads, bridges, railways, ports, airports, logistics, urban mobility, e-mobility, regional corridors, digital connectivity, datacentres, other ICT related infrastructure or infrastructure asset recycling.
• Demonstrated experience contributing to infrastructure transactions or projects across several stages of the development and investment cycle, including financial analysis, due diligence, structuring, documentation or financing.
• Bachelor's degree in finance, economics, business, engineering, law or another relevant discipline. An MBA, MSc or equivalent postgraduate qualification is preferred.
• Experience working in African or other emerging markets is strongly preferred.

Knowledge and Skills:

• Strong financial modelling, valuation and analytical skills, with the ability to translate operational and commercial assumptions into robust project finance analysis.
• Good understanding of infrastructure project finance, PPP and concession structures, risk allocation and the principal commercial drivers of transport and/or ICT projects.
• Ability to assess traffic and demand risk, tariff or toll structures, availability-payment mechanisms, capital and operating costs, financing plans and project returns.
• Good project management and organisational skills, including the ability to coordinate multiple workstreams, advisers and deadlines.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and the ability to prepare clear, concise and decision-oriented materials.
• Excellent command of English. French, Portuguese or another relevant African language is an advantage.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work effectively with colleagues and stakeholders from diverse cultural and professional backgrounds.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint and Word.

Essential Qualities:

• High integrity and sound professional judgement.
• Strong analytical rigour and attention to detail.
• Initiative, ownership and a solution-oriented mindset.
• Collaborative approach and willingness to learn from senior colleagues and multidisciplinary teams.
• Ability to work effectively under pressure, manage competing priorities and travel as required across Africa and internationally.
• Strong interest in the client's mission and a clear commitment to an Africa-focused career.

Location:

The position will be based in Casablanca, Morocco, and will require travel across Africa and internationally as needed.

If you wish to apply for the position, please send your CV to Justin Peach at jpeach@caglobalint.com.

Please visit www.caglobalint.com for more exciting opportunities.