R HIGHLY NEGOTIABLE PLUS ANNUAL PERFORMANCE BONUS
Our client is a leading asset manager and specialist investment company which manages the full range of interest bearing and developmental investments in an ethical and sustainable way. The company is dedicated to the development and empowerment of South Africa and its people, with many of their investment offerings geared towards a meaningful difference to their world.
They now seek a principal to join their private equity and venture capital team. The Private Equity & Venture Capital team invests across five verticals: Private Real Estate, Infrastructure, Venture Capital, Mid-Market Private Equity and Agriculture. The company backs businesses and assets that deliver strong risk-adjusted returns alongside genuine developmental impact, in line with the mandate the investors trust them with. As the fund scales, they are deepening their senior investment bench and investing in the people who will lead it.
This is a senior, hands-on investment seat for a professional who is ready to run deals end to end and step into real ownership. You will operate in a high-calibre team where individuals carry meaningful responsibility and autonomy and where the standard of work is benchmarked against the best in the industry, locally and globally. It is a role with breadth across the team’s verticals, depth in the deals you lead, and a clear trajectory toward the most senior levels of the fund.
JOB DESCRIPTION WILL INCLUDE BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO:
- You will be required to lead transactions and play a central role in the next phase of the fund’s growth;
- Deal origination and execution:
- You will be responsible for generating proprietary deal flow through your own network, sector relationships, intermediaries and direct origination;
- You will be responsible for developing and testing the investment thesis for each opportunity, and form an early, well-reasoned view on whether to pursue, restructure, or pass;
- You will be responsible for leading transactions across the full lifecycle: due diligence, valuation, financial modelling, structuring, negotiation and close;
- You will be responsible for leading smaller deals outright and run senior workstreams on larger transactions alongside the team’s leadership;
- You will be responsible for leading commercial negotiations on price, terms, governance and structure, with sound judgement on where to push and where to walk away;
- Investment analysis and committee:
- You will be responsible for owning the investment case for the deals you lead, from initial screening through to the final committee paper and presentation;
- You will be responsible for bringing analytical rigour to every model and recommendation; and act as a senior check on the quality of the team’s analysis;
- You will be responsible for writing clear, persuasive investment papers that present the thesis, the risks and the recommendation with conviction;
- Portfolio value creation and board representation:
- You will be responsible for representing the team on the boards of portfolio companies, as lead or in support and treat the period between investment and exit as where returns are protected and created;
- You will be responsible for partnering with management teams to drive governance discipline, execute value creation plans and hold companies accountable to the investment case;
- You will be responsible for monitoring portfolio performance, identify issues early and lead remedial action and exit planning where needed;
- Team leadership and development:
- You will be responsible for developing and mentoring Associates and Analysts, raising the capability and standard of the people you work alongside;
- You will be responsible for contributing to building a high-performing, collaborative investment culture;
- Network and firm contribution:
- You will be responsible for maintaining and expanding a strong professional network that compounds the team’s origination and execution capability;
- You will be responsible for contributing to investment strategy, process and represent the company credibly with investors and in the market.
CORE COMPETENCIES REQUIRED, BUT NOT LIMITED TO:
- You have a committed work ethic and high personal standards;
- You have entrepreneurial drive and the initiative to build, not just execute;
- You have the maturity to challenge constructively and to collaborate;
- You have a genuine alignment with the dual mandate of commercial returns and developmental impact;
- You have excellent communication (verbal and written) skills in English;
- You have strong financial modelling and valuation skills, including the ability to build and critically review integrated models and apply multiple valuation methodologies;
- You have the ability to write a clear, rigorous and persuasive investment case;
- You have sound commercial judgement, strong negotiation skills and the credibility to lead in a room.
CORE QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:
- You are a postgraduate qualification (MBA or Masters); CFA Charter and ideally a CA(SA) –
- You have board experience with portfolio or investee companies;
- You have sector depth in one or more of the team’s verticals;
- You have a minimum of 7 – 10 years current, relevant experience in private equity, venture capital, corporate finance, investment banking, or a comparable deal environment;
- You have a demonstrable track record of leading or co-leading transactions through to close and experience at the investment committee table.
Outstanding opportunity. Massive deal flow. Smart team who work hard and enjoy significant exposure! Great deal flow!