Real Estate Finance Senior Project Manager/Valuations, Credit Risk, CIB

Liberty, a prominent financial services group with a significant presence across Africa and on the global stage, is seeking a seasoned professional to join their Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB) division in Johannesburg. This role is central to managing and mitigating risks within the real estate finance portfolio, ensuring sound credit and investment decisions are made throughout the lifecycle of property development and investment transactions.

About the Role

The core function of this position is to offer specialised expertise in real estate project management, development risk assessment, and valuation oversight. You will act as an independent assessor, closely monitoring and managing the technical, developmental, and valuation risks inherent in real estate transactions. This involves scrutinising aspects from initial feasibility studies and construction cost estimations to project timelines, statutory approvals, contractual agreements, the capabilities of professional teams, funding requirements, and ultimately, project completion. The insights you provide will be crucial for informed decision-making within the CIB Real Estate Finance unit.

Your responsibilities will encompass a broad range of activities focused on ensuring the successful and low-risk progression of real estate finance projects. This includes:

• **Risk Assessment and Management:** Conducting thorough evaluations of development feasibility, construction costs, project timelines, and potential challenges.
• **Valuation Oversight:** Independently assessing property valuations to ensure accuracy and alignment with market realities and project requirements.
• **Project Monitoring:** Continuously tracking the progress of real estate developments, identifying deviations from plan, and reporting on key milestones and potential issues.
• **Due Diligence:** Scrutinising contractual arrangements, statutory approvals, and the competency of appointed professional teams (engineers, architects, quantity surveyors, etc.).
• **Funding Requirements Analysis:** Evaluating project funding structures and ensuring they adequately meet development needs while managing financial risk.
• **Reporting:** Providing clear, concise, and insightful reports to relevant stakeholders, facilitating informed credit and investment decisions.
• **Advisory Services:** Offering expert advice on technical, development, and valuation matters to support the CIB team.

What They're Looking For

Liberty is looking for an individual with a substantial track record and a deep understanding of the real estate development and finance landscape. Essential qualifications and experience include:

• A first-degree qualification in Property Studies, Civil Engineering, Construction Management, or Quantity Surveying.
• A minimum of 10 years of experience in construction project management, providing a practical understanding of industry principles and practices.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, Word) and MS Project.
• Familiarity with shared drive systems for document management.
• Demonstrated competencies in:
• Development Risk Assessment
• Real Estate Development oversight
• Project Monitoring and Reporting
• Construction Cost Management
• Property Valuation
• Strong behavioural competencies, including the ability to adopt practical approaches, articulate information clearly, challenge ideas constructively, check details meticulously, embrace change, follow procedures, generate new ideas, interpret data effectively, make sound decisions, meet deadlines, maintain composure under pressure, and uphold high professional standards.

This role offers an excellent opportunity to contribute to a leading financial institution and play a vital part in shaping its real estate finance activities. In South Africa, senior project management roles within real estate finance, particularly those involving significant risk assessment and valuation expertise, typically command competitive remuneration packages, reflecting the specialised skills and experience required. Major banks, property development firms, and investment houses are common employers for such positions. Career progression can lead to more senior management roles in risk, property finance, or investment oversight.

Type of Qualification: First Degree
Field of Study: Property Studies / Civil Engineering / Construction and Quantity Surveyor


Experience Required

More than 10 years experience in Construction Project Management experience is preferable to understand the practical principles and practices of the project management discipline. Microsoft Package (Outlook, Excel, Power Point and Word, MS Project), knowledge of share drive.

Behavioural Competencies:

• Adopting Practical Approaches
• Articulating Information
• Challenging Ideas
• Checking Things
• Embracing Change
• Following Procedures
• Generating Ideas
• Interpreting Data
• Making Decisions
• Meeting Timescales
• Showing Composure
• Upholding Standards

Technical Competencies:

• Development Risk Assessment
• Real Estate Development
• Project Monitoring & Reporting
• Project Management
• Construction Cost Management
• Property Valuation