Senior Vice President, Real Estate Finance, Investment Banking

Liberty, a prominent player in the South African financial services landscape, is seeking a seasoned professional to lead its Real Estate Finance (REF) initiatives within Investment Banking. This senior role, based in Johannesburg, calls for a strategic and execution-focused individual to drive significant growth in real estate finance solutions for a diverse client base, ranging from core customers to franchise-building entities. The incumbent will be instrumental in originating, structuring, and overseeing the delivery of complex debt solutions, contributing directly to the bank's revenue targets and shareholder value.

About the Role

This is a high-impact position focused on the proactive origination and meticulous structuring of real estate finance solutions. You will collaborate closely with Client Coverage teams, the Regional Head, and Sub-Segment Leads to ensure a holistic approach to client engagement within the investment banking sphere. A significant aspect of the role involves providing end-to-end execution oversight, coordinating efforts, and offering coaching to internal teams. The ultimate goal is to deliver superior investment banking solutions that meet and exceed client needs while maximising commercial objectives.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Leading negotiations for both standard and structured debt solutions in the real estate sector.
• Coordinating various internal and external stakeholders to finalise all contractual requirements, commercial terms, and closing procedures.
• Driving the realisation of commercial targets, optimising shareholder returns, and enhancing Investment Banking revenue.
• Conducting in-depth research and providing critical insights to support the team in defining client segments and implementing continuous improvement initiatives.
• Managing and delivering against assigned deal revenue targets.
• Measuring, monitoring, and reporting on the financial performance of your portfolio of deals against budgetary expectations.

A core function of this role involves the conceptual design and ownership of Real Estate Finance financial models. This includes developing valuations, financial projections, and transactional models, ensuring they are regularly updated and tested for reliability and validity. Your expertise will be crucial in effectively structuring both vanilla and complex structured debt solutions. Furthermore, you will be responsible for the finalisation of all supporting documentation. This encompasses a range of critical documents such as offering memorandums, engagement letters, term sheets, pricing supplements, and legal agreements. This meticulous attention to detail ensures that all proposed solutions are not only aligned with client requirements but also adhere strictly to the bank's commercial, risk, and regulatory frameworks.

Your responsibilities extend to fostering a culture of expertise and development within the team. This involves leveraging your extensive experience to mentor and coach team members, particularly in areas of deal appraisal, negotiation, economic research, financial analysis, and understanding local market nuances. Your strategic planning abilities will be vital in shaping the future direction of the real estate finance offering.

What They're Looking For

Liberty seeks a candidate with a robust track record, evidenced by 8-10 years of experience in originating and executing real estate finance solutions. A proven ability to act as a trusted advisor to C-suite management and Boards of clients, providing sophisticated insights and solutions, is essential. Advanced experience within the property sector is a prerequisite.

The ideal candidate will also possess significant experience (8-10 years) in developing and implementing learning and development initiatives, including demonstrated experience as a coach and mentor. A deep understanding of risk management practices and regulatory frameworks within financial services, specifically in Corporate & Investment Banking, is required (8-10 years of experience).

Essential behavioural competencies include the ability to challenge ideas constructively, convince stakeholders, develop expertise, formulate strategies, establish rapport, generate innovative ideas, interact effectively with others, provide valuable insights, seize opportunities, maintain composure under pressure, and demonstrate strong teamwork and interpersonal skills.

In terms of qualifications, a first-degree in Business Commerce, Finance, or Accounting is required.

For individuals looking to enter this field in South Africa, senior roles in real estate finance within investment banking typically command competitive remuneration packages, often including substantial bonuses tied to performance. Major banks and established financial institutions are the primary employers. Career progression can lead to broader leadership roles within banking, or specialisation in areas like real estate private equity or fund management.

Type of Qualification: First Degree
Field of Study: Business Commerce / Finance / Accounting

Experience Required

8-10 years experience in originating and executing Real Estate Finance solutions.

8-10 years experience acting as a trusted advisor to C-suite management and Boards of clients through the rendering of Real Estate Finance insights and solutions Advanced experience within the property sector.

8-10 years experience in the development and implementation of learning and development initiatives including experience as a coach and mentor.

8-10 years experience and in-depth knowledge of risk management practices and regulatory frameworks within Financial Services institutions, specifically Corporate & Investment Banking.