Project Finance Specialist

About Us: U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) is America’s development finance institution. DFC partners with the private sector to finance solutions to the most critical challenges facing the developing world today. We invest across sectors including energy, healthcare, critical infrastructure, and technology. DFC also provides financing for small businesses and women entrepreneurs in order to create jobs in emerging markets. DFC investments adhere to high standards and respect the environment, human rights, and worker rights.

Why DFC? As part of our team, you’ll apply your talents to projects with global reach, helping to move markets and improve lives. We are on the lookout for individuals with the brightest minds, ready to bring innovative ideas and bold approaches to support our mission. By joining DFC, you’ll contribute to advancing global development and U.S. foreign policy while working on collaborative projects that enhance private-sector investment in areas like climate action, healthcare, gender equity, and digital connectivity. 

Our Culture: DFC is committed to keeping our mission at the heart of what we do. Our team comprises some of the brightest minds in government, and we pride ourselves on being a place where diverse talent can thrive. We value different perspectives and abilities and are dedicated to tackling big challenges with resourcefulness and an inclusive entrepreneurial spirit.

About the role:

Located in the Office of Energy, you will manage complex, sensitive, and precedent-setting finance projects. You will carry out the full range of new project financings and undertake all tasks required to process transactions from initial screening to due diligence, negotiating & structuring, approval, documentation, closing & funding.

What you’ll do:

As a Project Finance Specialist (Associate/Associate Director), you will:

Handle a range of activities in the structured debt finance origination process, including reviewing business plans, off-take agreements and other contracts of a project including Engineering, Procurement & Construction (EPC) and Operation & Maintenance (O&M), market studies, financial model projections, and financial model sensitivities for structured debt finance applications.

Analyze the nature of the investment, equity and debt instruments involved in projects overseas.

Summarizes clearly and concisely due diligence finding as part of credit packages and other documents and memoranda required in the Agency’s approval process and presents loan credit proposals to committees to obtain approvals.

Negotiate terms and conditions in contracts and structured debt finance agreements to achieve execution of commitment letters, financing agreements and disbursements.

Conduct research and analysis on relevant industry, sector, market, country and key participants.

Conduct outreach to expand the prospective structured debt finance pipeline.

Serve as point of contact for day-to-day advancement of transactions, including scheduling and attending calls; project management and planning; coordinating among the client, internal parties, external advisors and financing partners; and generally managing the multifaceted workstreams required to advance transactions to commitment., financial close and disbursement.

Oversee ancillary workstreams related to transactions including liaising with client, intradepartmental tasks and external consultants. Work with clients to complete DFC forms, liaising with DFC’s environmental and social team, reviewing know-your-customer diligence results, and similar routine tasks that must be completed on all transactions.

Experience we’re looking for:

Applicants must meet all eligibility and qualification requirements no later than the closing date of this announcement.

You may qualify at the GS-12 level, if you fulfill the following qualification requirements:

One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service that demonstrates your experience in all of the following:

• Experience working with a team on international projects or investments while working at a commercial bank, investment bank, international financial institution, multilateral organization, or other comparable governmental entity;
• Experience reviewing financial statements for businesses located in developing countries;
• Experience building financial models to determine ability of a company to repay its debt and sensitivity analyses to test those assumptions;

Experience conducting analyses in THREE of the following four areas:

• financial analysis of international ventures,
• calculating credit risk exposure of international ventures,
• detailed credit analysis of international ventures, or
• market analysis of business ventures in developing countries; and
• Experience identifying international financial or investment policy issues to identify TWO of the following three areas: political, economic or credit risks of projects located outside the United States.

Note: Education is not substitutional at this grade level.

You may qualify at the GS-13 level, if you fulfill the following qualification requirements:

One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service that demonstrates your experience in all of the following:

Conducting and reviewing project finance loan origination, including FIVE of the following:

• financial analysis
• legal structuring
• financial or political risk analysis
• detailed credit analysis
• presentation of loan packages to credit approval committees as part of a team
• loan negotiations of limited recourse project finance transactions in developing countries;
• Experience creating, analyzing, auditing, and running sensitivities on financial models for debt finance in the project finance manner for projects located in developing markets;
• Working on international investments or international financial transactions in a commercial bank, investment bank, international financial institution, multilateral organization, or other comparable governmental entity; and
• Experience in the financial services industry with experience gained in at least THREE of the following areas:
• project finance
• corporate finance
• accounting
• credit analysis
• international investments
• commercial/investment banking

Note: Education is not substitutional at this grade level.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Requirements:

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service
• Must submit resume and supporting documents (See How To Apply)
• Suitability for Federal employment, as determined by a background investigation
• May be required to successfully complete a probationary period
• Within 30 days of your start date, you will be required to file a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 450)
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a secret security clearance
• This position will require foreign travel to developing countries

How to Apply: To apply for this position, you must review the job announcement and complete the online application through USAJOBS. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date to receive consideration.

Benefits: As a DFC federal employee, you will enjoy a comprehensive benefits package that supports a healthy work-life balance. Benefits include Paid Vacation & Leave Programs, Federal Employee Health Benefits, Life Insurance, Retirement and Savings Plans, Subsidies for Transit and Childcare, an On-site Fitness Center, and a host of Work-Life Balance programs designed to support your professional and personal growth.

We look forward to your application and the potential of you joining our dynamic team at DFC!

The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor.