Your Role

As a locally based Investment Officer, you will help expand FMO’s energy investment activities across West-Africa and other sub-Saharan African regions as may be required. In addition to core investment duties, you will play a key role in supporting the establishment and operational integration of FMO’s new regional office in Abidjan. You’ll report jointly to the Regional Manager in Johannesburg and the Energy West-Africa Manager in The Hague, working closely with the West-Africa MENA Energy team in the Netherlands.

Your responsibilities will include:

Investment activities (primary focus)

As part of FMO’s broader Energy department and Regional office team, the Investment Officer will play a key role in identifying and advancing impactful investment opportunities. Responsibilities include:

• Networking, Market Engagement & Opportunity Development: Proactively engage with energy clients, developers and other stakeholders to identify promising investment opportunities aligned with FMO’s strategic priorities, including growing FMO’s investments in Least Developed Countries (“LDCs”).
• Client Relationship Management: Build and maintain strong relationships with clients and prospects, gaining deep insight into their operations, market dynamics, and strategic ambitions.
• Transaction Advancement: Steer promising opportunities through FMO’s internal processes, coordinating with sector experts and credit teams to ensure alignment and quality.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Act as a bridge between local market insights and FMO’s global investment teams, contributing to the development of tailored financial solutions.
• Strategic Input: Provide informed perspectives on regional trends, risks, and opportunities to support investment decisions and portfolio development.

Regional office support & representation (supplementary focus)

• Support Office Establishment: Assist the project team in setting up the Abidjan office, including operational integration, local stakeholder engagement, and embedding the office into FMO’s broader organization.
• Market Intelligence & Stakeholder Engagement: Gather market intelligence from local sources, represent FMO at conferences and events, and connect investment teams to relevant prospects, partners, and stakeholders.
• Promote FMO’s Brand: Advocate for FMO’s mission and impact agenda in regional forums and dialogues, supporting the roll-out of new products and initiatives.
• Operational Collaboration: Liaise with internal departments (e.g., Finance, HR, Operations) to ensure smooth operations and strong collaboration between the regional office and head office.
• Cross-Departmental Coordination: Champion cross-departmental collaboration to enable the successful establishment and functioning of the new office.

Our Offer

• The gross yearly salary ranges from EUR 90K–100K for a 40-hour work week, including holiday allowance. This depends on experience and background.
• We offer meaningful and impactful work in an international working environment.
• 31 days of holiday.
• Flexible work arrangements and hybrid ways of working may be considered, subject to team requirements.
• A 24/7 NS transport card and an individual training budget.
• Our offices are a 5-minute walk from Laan van NOI station in The Hague.

Good to know

Location: FMO’s new regional office in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. External candidates new to FMO will start for a period of 6-12 months at FMO Headquarter in The Hague, Netherlands after which you will relocate to Abidjan with adequate relocation support

Your Team

FMO's Energy department focuses on driving and supporting sustainable energy transition and access. Clean energy investments in emerging markets need to continue to increase; we will continue financing utility-scale clean energy generation projects (solar, BESS, wind, hydropower and distributed energy). These efforts are an important driver behind our climate mitigation and resilience goals.​

The department is organized via four regional investment teams: West-Africa MENA, East-Africa, Asia Eastern Europe, Latin-America. The West-Africa MENA team consists of 12 investment professionals (including this vacancy) with diverse backgrounds. The team is responsible for a portfolio of around 34 clients comprising EUR 700 million exposure and is supported by a team of environmental, social, insurance, legal and compliance specialists.

Your Background

• Master’s degree in economics, Business Administration, or comparable studies.
• Minimum of 7 years banking experience with at least 5 years' experience in Energy.
• Experience with project finance is a prerequisite.
• Proven track-record in sourcing, structuring, writing high quality credit proposals and designing and documenting of finance products.
• Client relationship management experience and in-depth credit knowledge.
• Existing network in Western Africa (e.g., energy developers, banks, funds, consultants etc.).
• Regional working experience would be a strong advantage.

Personal skills and requirements

• Strong networker with good social skills and affinity with sales.
• Fluent in both French and English, with excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Extensive banking experience, with a solid understanding of financial products, services, and market dynamics.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with a high degree of independence, balanced by a strong ability to collaborate effectively within teams.
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, enabling productive relationships with clients, colleagues, and stakeholders.
• Proven ability to source and close impactful transactions aligned with FMO’s mission to be a leading impact investor.
• Strong affinity with the energy sector, with the ability to engage and build trust with clients in this domain.
• Commercially driven self-starter with sound business acumen and a proactive approach to identifying opportunities.
• Team-oriented and motivational, capable of inspiring colleagues and partners toward shared goals.
• Robust networking and analytical capabilities, with a strategic mindset and attention to detail.
• Willingness and flexibility to travel, both domestically and internationally, as required.
• Willingness and ability to relocate to Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire for at least 2 years.

Do you fit these criteria and are ready to embark on an exciting journey with us, where you can learn, grow, and make a meaningful impact? We invite you to apply for this position. We look forward to learning more about you and your contribution to our team and mission.

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