R HIGHLY NEGOTIABLE PLUS ANNUAL PERFORMANCE BONUS
Our client builds flourishing and financially attractive investment opportunities by supporting and growing agribusinesses that are responsible to communities and the environment – what they call Agriconomy.
They now seek an investment analyst to join their private equity team. You will report to the investment manager. NEW ROLE!
JOB DESCRIPTION WILL INCLUDE BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO:
- You will be responsible for identifying, executing and managing investments in large-scale farming and primary production across South Africa. The strategy focuses strictly on permanent crop portfolios, specifically citrus, table and wine grapes, avocados, macadamia / pecan nuts, and berries;
- You will be required to combine robust corporate finance skills with an understanding of South African agricultural dynamics, including climate risks, water rights and export market access;
- Financial modelling & valuation:
- You will be required to build complex, dynamic cash flow models reflecting biological asset valuations and long-term crop development cycles (J-curve / gestation periods);
- You will be required to perform leveraged buyout (LBO) analysis and capital structure optimization for farm acquisitions;
- You will be required to run sensitivity analyses for variable inputs like weather shocks, yield fluctuations, packhouse pack-out rates and global commodity prices;
- Data analytics & portfolio benchmarking:
- You will be required to maintain internal benchmarking tools to track and compare farm-level KPIs (e.g., yield per hectare, water use efficiency, chemical inputs and export grading percentages) across the portfolio;
- You will be required to consolidate operational data from various farming units into structured dashboards to drive investment decisions and operational interventions;
- Due diligence & execution:
- You will be required to conduct comprehensive financial, operational and commercial due diligence on target estates;
- You will be required to review critical asset components including water licenses, soil quality reports, trellising / netting infrastructure and pack-house capacities;
- You will be required to assist in drafting investment committee memorandums and presenting investment theses;
- Market research & strategy:
- You will be required to track South African and global export markets, phytosanitary requirements, shipping logistics and currency fluctuations (ZAR / USD / EUR);
- You will be required to monitor local regulatory changes including land reform policies, water caps and global retail compliance standards;
- Portfolio management:
- You will be required to monitor financial and operational performance against investment case benchmarks;
- You will be required to work with farm management teams to optimise seasonal working capital, nursery orders and CAPEX schedules.
- You are highly analytical and commercially minded.
CORE QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:
- You have a bachelor’s degree in finance, economics, agricultural economics, or agronomy/agronomical engineering at honours level;
- You are progressing towards or completion of the CFA charter – this is preferred;
- You have a minimum of 2 – 4 years current, relevant experience in investment banking, private equity, corporate finance, or management consulting;
- You ideally have experience in permanent crops, agribusiness export logistics, or rural asset management in South Africa – this would be a distinct advantage;
- You have advanced Excel financial modelling skills;
- You have a deep understanding of accounting principles specific to farming (e.g., IAS 41 Agriculture);
- You are proficient in Power BI or similar data visualization tools to manage, build and scale portfolio benchmarking models;
- You have familiarity with South African commercial and water law frameworks would be a distinct advantage
Lovely team – great culture – superb opportunity and wonderful leadership – passionate about making meaningful change in SA.