Group Business Development Director - MENA - Private Equity

Role Overview

Origination and Relationships

• Lead regional deal origination and maintain a pipeline of infrastructure investment opportunities.
• Develop and execute a regional business development strategy through direct engagement with governments, asset owners, operators, strategic partners, and project developers.
• Build relationships with government officials, regulators, public-sector stakeholders, asset owners, operators, co-investors, and strategic partners.

Opportunity Assessment

• Identify and qualify opportunities through market research and direct stakeholder engagement.
• Assess commercial and structural feasibility and prepare investment opportunity assessments and memoranda for the Investment Committee.
• Partner with sector verticals on project maturation, stage gates, decision criteria, and approval protocols.

Project Development and Governance

• Support cost-estimation methodologies from preliminary Class 4 through Class 1 bankable estimates.
• Develop project governance templates, escalation protocols, bankability assessment frameworks, and gate-review criteria.
• Maintain project intake, tracking, and documentation systems and report on project maturation, gate approvals, cost confidence, and bankability metrics.

Deal Execution

• Lead commercial negotiations for term sheets, framework agreements, and transaction arrangements.
• Coordinate financial, technical, legal, tax, regulatory, sanctions, and integrity diligence.
• Support transaction structuring, financial analysis, term-sheet review, documentation, and closing.
• Build relationships with co-investors and financial institutions to facilitate syndication.

Market and Team Leadership

• Travel across assigned regions, estimated at 20 to 30 percent of time, to maintain relationships and manage negotiations.
• Monitor market, regulatory, competitive, and sector trends and provide strategic recommendations to senior management.
• Lead and mentor the business development team.

Experience and Education

• At least 15 years of professional experience in infrastructure investment, project development, or related sectors.
• At least 10 years in a senior business development, deal origination, or investment role focused on infrastructure, private equity, or project finance.
• Bachelor's degree in finance, accounting, economics, public administration, business administration, or a related field.
• Master's degree in finance, accounting, economics, public administration, business administration, or a related field.
• Proven record of originating and closing major infrastructure deals exceeding USD 100 million in transaction value.

Knowledge and Capabilities

• Deep infrastructure investment knowledge across sector dynamics, risk profiles, return drivers, and greenfield, brownfield, and acquisition opportunities.
• Ability to originate opportunities, assess commercial viability, negotiate terms, and structure transactions.
• Knowledge of project stage gates, cost classification, bankability assessment, project documentation, permitting, and governance frameworks.
• Deep knowledge of Middle East, North Africa, and Sub-Saharan Africa political economy, macroeconomic trends, regulatory frameworks, currency dynamics, and key sectors.
• Ability to lead and mentor a business development team.
• Fluency in English is required.

Sector and Transaction Experience

• Experience originating and closing major infrastructure transactions exceeding USD 100 million is required.
• Experience with energy, mining, ports, airports, water, agriculture, or transportation infrastructure is required.
• Experience with public-private partnerships, concessions, and complex multi-stakeholder negotiations is required.

Language Advantage

• Arabic language capability is a significant advantage.