Senior Project Finance Analyst - Equity

๐Ÿ“† Full-time
๐Ÿš€ Senior
๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฌ Abuja, Nigeria
N/A
๐Ÿ” Hybrid
USD 23000 to 31000 /year (gross)
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Okraโ€™s context

At Okra Solar, weโ€™re on a mission to bring Power to the People by unlocking opportunities through energy access for everyone in the world.

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Over 650 million people still live without electricity. At a time where technology such as mobile devices, productive agritech and AI are becoming more accessible than ever, we believe that access to energy is the first step toward opportunity and growth.

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Thatโ€™s why we built Mesh-Grid technology that energizes off-grid households at a fraction of the cost of traditional off-grid energy solutions. We supply the tech we specialise in to local energy companies, who go out and deliver affordable, reliable energy to last mile communities.

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In order to execute on the mission to 100% energy access for all - we are looking for a Project Finance Specialist - Equity. Your role would be to help our customers raise up to $50M of equity for their mesh-grid portfolios in the next 24 months that would be leveraged to develop over $250M of mesh-grid projects. This role requires a strong network of equity investors, deep knowledge of structuring and packaging businesses for equity, and the ability to run a competitive fundraising process that drives projects to financial close.

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If youโ€™re excited about using technology to create a tangible impact in rural electrification and want to help shape the future of energy access, join us.

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Responsibilities

  • Be a custodian of the truth (understand the entire business and back your understanding)
    • Work deeply with our customers to understand their business model, strategy, and unique value proposition.
    • Holistically understand their business - from energy consumption behaviour, load growth potential, complementary business models such as appliance financing, e-mobility integration, on the ground operations and maintenance, seasonal behaviour, logistics risks and put all of it together in cohesive communication through financial models, presentations and discussions.
    • Work with the customer to tweak the strategy so that the business being communicated to investors is aspirational but indeed achievable in reality.
  • Financial Modelling
    • Build and adapt project finance models that highlight equity returns (IRR, valuation multiples, etc).
    • Integrate capex, opex, tariff structures, and performance assumptions (e.g., energy consumption, downtime, service costs, seasonal variation).
    • Evaluate equity structures - shareholding dilution and waterfall distributions for different investment scenarios.
    • Familiar with DCF, comparable transactions, precedent deal multiples, and how these apply to infrastructure/energy equity.
    • Can convert technical/financial assumptions into concise, equity-investor-friendly dashboards, charts, and outputs (payback periods, exit valuations, IRR curves).
  • Equity Fundraising
    • Identify, map, and engage equity investors (DFIs, infra funds, climate-tech VCs, family offices, strategic investors) that are a strong fit for our customers, keep an eye out for relevant grants too.
    • Qualify and segment investors by ticket size, risk appetite, and strategic focus.
    • Help customers plan the timeline and process to close their required equity investments.
    • Advise customers on equity structuring, valuation, and term sheet negotiation.
    • Help customers go through the due diligence and Q&A process smoothly and efficiently - supporting where necessary from first pitch to financial close.

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Required Experience

  • University Graduate (Finance Preferred)
  • 3+ years of experience in financing or raising funding for projects or businesses (preferably related to renewable energy and/or infrastructure).
  • Advanced skills in Google Sheets, specifically in building and maintaining financial models.
  • You can build presentations and materials for customers and investors.
  • A high level of literacy with digital tools, ideally ;
    • Airtable for managing tasks, structuring data, creating automations.
    • Confluence / Notion for documentation.
    • Slack for chat / communications.
    • Google Drive for document storage.
    • Google Slides for slide design. ย 
    • Docsend to create datarooms.
    • AI Tools : Claude / ChatGPT / Gemini: for research, building context folders, GPTs and tools.

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Hard Skills

  • Financial Modeling
    • Extensive experience evaluating and manipulating financial models with the ability to update and improve existing models.
  • Investor strategy and negotiation.
    • Evaluating business dynamics and matching investors based on specific biz model.
    • Preparing investment memoranda, pitch decks, and due diligence data rooms.
    • Supporting negotiations with term sheets, SHA drafts, and side letters.
  • Strong control Google Sheets and Excel.
    • Itโ€™s important to note that Okra operates on Google Sheets, and fluency would be expected from day-1.
  • Understanding of Infrastructure Projects
    • Deep understanding of infrastructure projects, including typical deal terms and financing structures, critical for evaluating and structuring deals.

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Soft Skills

  • Relentless Relationship Builder: Proactive in reaching out to stakeholders, willing to take initiative and engage in calls to gather critical information as needed.
  • Deal Closer: Focused on driving deals forward and securing outcomes, prioritizing impact over merely completing tasks.
  • Holistic Business Understanding: Eager to gain a comprehensive understanding of the business, including energy projects, on-the-ground operations, end-user behavior, product nuances, and supply chain dynamics. Skilled at synthesizing this information into clear, cohesive communication through models, presentations, and discussions.
  • Collaborative mindset: Ability to work effectively with others, lifting teammates up, learning together, and sharing wins and failures.
  • Transparency and openness: Open to sharing and receiving ideas and feedback candidly.
  • Integrity and respect: Ability to make ethical decisions even during challenges, acting with honesty and respect.

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Nice to Have

  • Masters Degree
  • CAIA/CFA or Related Qualifications

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DEI Statement
At Okra we are dedicated to creating a diverse and inclusive environment where everyone feels valued, respected, supported and empowered. Our workplace is an interconnected network, where each individual contributes to the energy that drives innovation, fosters collaboration, and illuminates new possibilities. We are committed to recruiting, retaining, and developing a diverse team of talented professionals, and we welcome candidates of all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives to join us in our mission. Diversity brings power to our teams so we can bring #PowerToThePeople.

Benefits At Okra

๐Ÿ•’ Flexible Location & Hours

Weโ€™re an output-focused organisation, which means that for the most part, you can choose where and when you work as long as your team has been communicated to and is on board with it. Most commonly, we ask everyone to be in the office at least 2 to 3 days a week to foster connections.

๐Ÿ“ˆ Professional Growth

With mentorship from our investors (At One Ventures, Schneider Electric) and a range of experienced leaders and change-makers in our network, you get the opportunity to take on leadership responsibilities.

๐Ÿ›ก๏ธ Weโ€™ve Got You Covered

Cover for work travel, health insurance, sick leave, and equipment.

๐ŸŒด Unlimited Paid Time Off

We burn bright, not out โ€“ we offer unlimited paid time off so you can rest, recharge, support your loved ones, and bring your best self to work.

๐ŸŒˆ Dynamic & Diverse Workplace

Youโ€™ll work in a fast-paced startup environment with multinational staff โ€“ expect to learn a lot while finding creative solutions to complex problems, all while enjoying a great office vibe.

๐Ÿผ Flexible Parental Leave

At Okra, we support parents with fully paid, flexible leave: +60 days in Portugal, 120 in Nigeria, up to 178 in China. Take it your way - before or after birth, in blocks or part-time. Your career wonโ€™t stall; we make sure family and growth go hand in hand.

Process Timeline

More About Okra

At Okra Solar, weโ€™re on a mission to bring Power to the People by unlocking opportunities through energy access for everyone in the world.

Over 650 million people still live without electricity. At a time where technology such as mobile devices, productive agritech and AI are becoming more accessible than ever, we believe that access to energy is the first step toward opportunity and growth.

Thatโ€™s why we built Mesh-Grid technology that energizes off-grid households at a fraction of the cost of traditional off-grid energy solutions. We supply the tech we specialize in to local energy companies, who go out and deliver affordable, reliable energy to last mile communities.

Okra is currently in its high-growth phase, after raising over $11M for our Series A in 2023 from our investors At One Ventures, FMO, Autodesk, King Philanthropies and Susquehanna. We have rolled out multiple Mesh Grid projects across Africa, Southeast Asia and Central America, but in order for us to achieve our mission of 100% electrification, we need to continue engineering and deploying disruptive energy access technology at scale, so this is an exciting time for everyone!