Lead, Sovereign Debt Advisory

The Lead, Sovereign Debt Advisory is responsible for driving FSD Africa’s sovereign debt advisory initiatives, ensuring that governments and financial institutions receive expert guidance in debt sustainability, liability management, and investor relations. The role focuses on structuring and implementing catalytic interventions that enhance sovereign debt markets, strengthen institutional capacity, and promote financial stability.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND ROLE REQUIREMENTS

Thought Leadership & Strategy Development

Act as a thought leader on how sovereign debt management and advisory can result in measurable benefits for African people, economies, and for the environment; developing a profound understanding of the sovereign debt landscape and potential change levers:

• Act as a thought leader on sovereign debt advisory, liability management, and investor relations, ensuring these areas drive financial market development and investment mobilisation in support of FSD Africa’s strategic goals.
• Lead the team in analysing market dynamics, synthesising existing research, and commissioning targeted studies to develop a deep understanding of sovereign debt frameworks, liability management structures, and financial market infrastructure; apply these insights to shape impactful interventions. 
• Continuously monitor the sovereign debt market and institutional frameworks for emerging risks and opportunities:
• Provide strategic insights to inform FSD Africa’s debt advisory interventions and investment strategies.
• Develop actionable insights and recommendations for investment opportunities to enhance the performance of the Debt Advisory Programme portfolio.
• Develop and refine financial models for sovereign debt structuring, credit enhancement mechanisms, and liability management strategies; produce reports and presentations for the Chief Financial Markets Officer to support decision-making.
• Act as FSD Africa's key advisor on sovereign debt structuring, market infrastructure, and credit enhancement mechanisms providing advice or support to Pillar Heads and Deal teams in line with FSD Africa's / FSD Africa Investments (FSDAi) strategy.

Portfolio Development & Implementation

Drive the execution of the Debt Advisory Programme’s investment and project portfolio, in line with FSD Africa’s 5-year strategy; ensure that each individual investment, and the portfolio as a whole, achieves targeted results:

• In collaboration with the Chief Financial Markets Officer, develop the sections of the overall Pillar Strategy and Theory of Change that pertain to Debt Advisory; ensure a comprehensive understanding of the overall Pillar strategy, including the goals and targets for all thematic areas.
• Lead on scanning, prospecting, and evaluating potential investments for inclusion in the Debt Advisory’s portfolio; ensure that comprehensive Financial and Development Impact modelling is carried out to forecast investment returns.
• Lead the process of conceptualising, designing and writing high-quality investment proposals, integrating structuring of sovereign debt instruments and blended finance approaches to enhance financial sustainability and market resilience.
• Following approval, ensure that detailed implementation plans are developed, including budgets and procurement of consultants / implementing partners as required; as projects/investments progress, ensure that the accountability requirements of donors are met.
• Oversee the effective implementation of projects, holding the team accountable for implementing project plans, executing monitoring touchpoints and achieving project milestones on time and to standard; ensure that all required data entry and reporting is carried out on time and to standard.

 Fund Management

Lead the financial planning and resource mobilisation strategy for the Debt Advisory Programme, ensuring financial sustainability and value for money in the deployment of resources:

• Identify potential donors and funding leads, building relationships and co-designing project concepts if appropriate; support the Director by leading the development of funding proposals for the Debt Advisory Pillar.
• Lead the analysis of both individual investment and overall portfolio performance; encourage the team to identify and implement opportunities for improvement and to explore possibilities for scaling up successful approaches.
• Track and monitor budget spend and associated activities ensuring cost-effective utilisation of resources and timely achievement of financial targets.
• Conceptualise how funds and other limited resources may be best allocated to achieve optimum impact; including supervising the work of consultants to optimise value for money.
• Work collaboratively with the Chief Financial Markets Officer and the Risk team to develop and role model a culture of effective risk and compliance management; take personal responsibility for managing risk and ensuring compliance of the projects being supervised.

PERSON SPECIFICATIONS

Qualifications and Education

• Master’s degree and 12 years of experience or Bachelor’s degree and 14 years of experience.
• Extensive experience in sovereign debt management, liability management, capital markets, or public finance.
• At least 5 years in a senior advisory or leadership role, with expertise in sovereign debt markets, liability management, and policy reform.
• Exceptional skills in written and spoken English.