Director - Infrastructure

Major Accountabilities/Principal Responsibilities:

The Infrastructure Finance group provides a full range of project finance and advisory services in the following sectors: digital assets (data centers, fiber and telco), transport, grids and regulated utilities, social infrastructure, energy transition assets (smart meters and EV charging), waste and water, social infrastructure and PPPs.

The Infrastructure Finance group covers the APAC region from Sydney and Singapore. It works closely with our TMT and Energy Plus Group teams.

The Director – Infrastructure will be responsible for:

• Contributing directly to the business in Asia Pacific with a focus on the Australian business.
• Leading the origination and execution of mandates to advise and/or arrange tailor-made finance transactions for clients.
• Introducing other internal departments to clients or transactions (i.e. cross-sales).

As such, they will focus on:

• Maintaining and building relationships with target clients.
• Originating advisory and lead arranging roles in the Infrastructure and Digital Assets sectors.
• Overseeing the successful execution of advisory and arranging mandates through the entire lifecycle of the mandate (including the determination and negotiation of financing terms & conditions, the management of the due diligence process, reviewing and providing senior input into credit applications, term sheet drafting and preparation of offers and agreements, negotiating and executing loan documentation assisted by external and/or internal lawyers).
• Coordinating and working jointly with teams internally in the primary and/or secondary distribution of loans in accordance with the agreed strategy.   
• Managing cross border transactions with teams based in Asia Pacific and in other global locations.
• Leading client pitches.
• Monitoring and providing follow-up in the client relationship and providing business line input in respect of the monitoring of transactions and their documented terms and conditions throughout the life of transactions. 
• Managing lending mandates from interaction with clients and advisors, review and negotiation of documentation, analysis of the profitability, identification and analysis of risks, coordination and support of other internal teams involved in the transaction and the supervision of the closing process.
• Maintaining a thorough knowledge of developments and current trends in the Australian market.
• Maintaining a strong personal network of industry, client and peer contacts.
• Playing an active role in the on-the-job training and development of the business line’s junior staff.

Qualifications, Experience & Knowledge Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, Engineering or Business Studies or a professional financial qualification.
• At least 10 years structured finance experience, a large part of which in Australia and in the Infrastructure and Digital Assets sectors.
• Solid experience (including structuring capabilities) in project finance experience transactions, notably in the Infrastructure and Digital Assets sectors; advisory experience will be considered favorably.
• Established network of industry contacts in the Infrastructure and Digital Assets sectors.
• Capacity to generate pitch material that is clear, structured, compelling, and comprehensive in addressing clients’ needs.
• Pro-active, results-driven and client-focused, with strong ethics such as integrity and transparency and strong risk awareness.
• Strong communication skills. 
• Ability to lead deal teams (across various locations) and develop junior staff.

 Behavioral Competencies Required:

• Ability to build and maintain trusted client relationships in a lead role
• Commercial acumen and persistence in addressing clients’ needs
• Proactive approach to develop business adapted to clients’ and markets’ needs
• Ability to develop new client base, advisory, and products in line with Societe Generale priorities and strategy
• Strong negotiation and influencing skills with proven commercial know-how
• Ability to work in a small team environment and with teams based in different geographical locations
• Ability to manage self and juniors in prioritizing tasks and managing competing deadlines
• Ability to deliver coherent messages to team members and other stakeholders
• Proven ability to work in an evolving multicultural environment with people with diverse, international backgrounds

Functional Relationships:

Internal: staff from business divisions and support functions locally, regionally and globally        

External: clients, prospects and external advisors (e.g. legal counsel, insurers, advisors, technical consultants)

Environment:

Founded by a group of entrepreneurs in 1864 “to promote the development of trade and industry in France”, Societe Generale is today one of the leading European financial services groups. Based on a diversified and integrated banking model, the Group combines financial strength and proven expertise in innovation with a strategy of sustainable growth, aiming to be the trusted partner for its clients, and committed to the positive transformations of society and the economy.

Active in the real economy for over 160 years, with a solid position in Europe and connected to the rest of the world, Societe Generale has over 117,500 members of staff in 66 countries and supports on a daily basis 25 million individual clients, businesses and institutional investors around the world by offering a wide range of advisory services and tailored financial solutions.

Societe Generale has been present in Australia since 1981. Located in Sydney, it provides financing and advisory, as well as global markets solutions. Leveraging the strength of its client coverage and leadership in structured finance together with product and service offerings such as debt capital markets and asset-backed products, Societe Generale supports its Australian wholesale clients in their financing and advisory needs and serves its global clients who wish to access the Australian market with global banking services. Societe Generale also provides its global markets solutions by offering futures execution and clearing, equity derivatives sales and structured product distribution. Working with us means being part of an exciting collective vision: “Building together, with our clients, a better and sustainable future through responsible and innovative financial solutions”. Here, you can challenge yourself in a stimulating, flexible and inclusive workplace with numerous career prospects. You can make a positive impact in the societies where we operate and evolve in a people-oriented workplace. With us, you can merge your career aspirations with your personal commitments through the values that bring us together: Commitment, Innovation, Responsibility and Team Spirit. Societe Generale actively encourages internal and international mobility, offering staff at all stages of their career the opportunity to explore new functional and geographic opportunities.

We are currently recruiting a director to join our Infrastructure Finance team based in Sydney, Australia. This is an exciting opportunity within a fast-paced, results focused, global organization that values diversity. The successful candidate will lead origination and execution activities across a broad range of structured finance transactions in the Australian and Asian market and will have the opportunity to build close relationships with the teams onshore and within the organization more broadly on a regional and global basis.