Executive Director - Infrastructure & Development Finance Group - Africa

Standard Chartered; London; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading international bank is seeking a senior strategic advisor for its Africa team, focusing on project finance in the oil & gas sector. The ideal candidate will have 10–15 years of experience and a strong network in Sub-Saharan Africa, capable of leading complex transactions and engaging with senior stakeholders. The role offers competitive pay and benefits and promotes a continuous learning culture.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Flexible working options

Time-off for parental leave

Proactive wellbeing support

Continuous learning opportunities

Qualifications

• 10–15 years of experience in project finance with a proven track record.
• Strong presenter with ability to engage senior clients.
• Experience in overseeing complex projects.

Responsibilities

• Act as a trusted advisor providing strategic insight across sectors.
• Lead origination and execution of finance transactions.
• Ensure transactions meet credit and compliance requirements.
• Foster high-performance culture and mentor team members.
• Engage with credit partners and manage transaction risks.

Skills

Deep expertise in oil & gas

Strong communication skills

Understanding of African political landscape

Experience in project finance

Ability to lead transactions

Job description

Job Summary

The Infrastructure & Development Finance Group (“IDFG”) team is the bank’s project finance division, with a core focus on export commodities, particularly within the oil & gas and broader natural resources sectors.

The Africa coverage team is based in London and is responsible for Sub-Saharan Africa. The team provides multi-sector debt structuring, lending, and advisory services, supporting clients with complex investment and financing needs across the region.

Key Responsibilities

Strategy

• Act as a trusted advisor to clients, providing strategic insight and thought leadership across oil & gas (upstream and LNG), infrastructure, and natural resources in Sub-Saharan Africa.

• Support IDFG Regional Heads in shaping and delivering the regional business strategy, aligned with client needs and market developments

Business

• Lead origination and execution of project and structured finance transactions across the African energy, infrastructure, and natural resources sectors.

• Identify new business opportunities, support client penetration strategies, and contribute to revenue and balance sheet growth.

• Independently lead deal teams, deliver transactions to the highest standards, and oversee financial modelling and deal structurin

Processes

• Ensure all transactions meet IDFG credit, underwriting, and compliance requirements, with rigorous documentation and execution standards.

• Support the Africa IDFG strategy through effective, end-to-end process management and operational discipline.

People & Talent

• Foster a high-performance, inclusive culture by leading by example, mentoring junior team members, and upholding the bank’s values and conduct standards.

Risk Management & Governance

• Deliver business safely within risk appetite, ensuring robust credit assessments, compliance with underwriting standards, and timely risk escalation.

• Engage with credit partners to manage transaction risks, negotiate legal documentation, and ensure high-quality credit submissions.

• Provide oversight on loan administration and portfolio management in coordination with relevant internal teams.

• Ensure full compliance with local regulatory requirements and internal policies, embedding the Group’s values, code of conduct, and highest ethical standards in all activity.

Skills and Experience

We are seeking a senior strategic advisor for the Africa team, with deep expertise in oil & gas (including upstream and LNG) and natural resources.

The ideal candidate will have 10–15 years of experience in the project finance space, with a proven track record across origination, business development, and execution.

This individual must be a strong communicator with presence and credibility, capable of engaging with senior clients and stakeholders.

A strong understanding of the African political and geopolitical landscape is essential, as is the ability to deliver clear, compelling presentations and lead transactions with strategic insight.

The candidate should also have demonstrated experience in overseeing complex projects and maintaining strong client relationships across the region.

About Standard Chartered

We're an international bank, nimble enough to act, big enough for impact. For more than 170 years, we've worked to make a positive difference for our clients, communities, and each other. We question the status quo, love a challenge and enjoy finding new opportunities to grow and do better than before. If you're looking for a career with purpose and you want to work for a bank making a difference, we want to hear from you. You can count on us to celebrate your unique talents and we can't wait to see the talents you can bring us.

Our purpose, to drive commerce and prosperity through our unique diversity, together with our brand promise, to be here for good are achieved by how we each live our valued behaviours. When you work with us, you'll see how we value difference and advocate inclusion.

Together we:

• Do the right thingand are assertive, challenge one another, and live with integrity, while putting the client at the heart of what we do
• Never settle,continuously striving to improve and innovate, keeping things simple and learning from doing well, and not so well
• Are better together,we can be ourselves, be inclusive, see more good in others, and work collectively to build for the long term

What we offer

In line with our Fair Pay Charter,we offer a competitive salary and benefits to support your mental, physical, financial and social wellbeing.

• Core bank funding for retirement savings, medical and life insurance,with flexible and voluntary benefits available in some locations.
• Time-offincluding annual leave, parental/maternity (20 weeks), sabbatical (12 months maximum) and volunteering leave (3 days), along with minimum global standards for annual and public holiday, which is combined to 30 days minimum.
• Flexible workingoptions based around home and office locations, with flexible working patterns.
• Proactive wellbeing supportthrough Unmind, a market-leading digital wellbeing platform, development courses for resilience and other human skills,global Employee Assistance Programme, sick leave, mental health first-aiders and all sorts of self-help toolkits
• A continuous learning cultureto support your growth, with opportunities to reskill and upskill and access to physical, virtual and digital learning.
• Being part of an inclusive and values driven organisation,one that embraces and celebrates our unique diversity, across our teams, business functions and geographies - everyone feels respected and can realise their full potential.