As we all are aware there are many job opportunities in the area of finance, but somehow many of us are not aware or don’t have any idea of as such jobs in finance which do exist and amongst those few jobs is Project Finance Jobs. It is one of those jobs in finance which is in high demand today. Project Finance specifies how a company or a business obtains funds in order to complete a project. A project finance consultant is a high level professional who informs to higher executives and who is accountable for determining how a company can get funding for a project and how much funds is required in a project in order to reach in its completion stage. The consultant also tracks the projects and all that resources which will be used effectively to achieve the greatest levels of efficiency. A project finance consultant also tends to have years upon years of experience performing management and financial analysis duties within a certain industry. So, in this article we will learn about criteria, skills required, different positions in Project Finance Jobs and also salaries of project finance professionals and companies who are looking forward for such professionals.

Main streams in Project Finance Jobs

There are two main streams in project finance jobs i.e. advisory and lending. Project Finance Group basically advises clients and/or lends funds for the debt used in huge investments.

Advisory:

Project Finance Individuals or Group acts as an advisor to the client. The prior thing for every client is to achieve the funding goals for their project. So, the advisor will help the client for arranging the funds requirement. The ideal situation for any client would be maximized debt period, maximized debt load, a quick financial close and low debt pricing. The advisor will help by providing each debt funding source and will prioritize the elements which are most important for the client. For this purpose, the work of an advisor will involve intensive modeling, developing marketing materials such as information memorandum and running various scenarios. After finalizing the deal structure, advisor would then knock into the banking market to raise the required financing for the project.

Lending:

In this part, Project Finance Group serves as the lender for huge investment deals. The lending role is alike role that huge banks play in leveraged buyouts when raising debt for the private equity firms, except project finance group work with investments in infrastructure assets instead of normal companies. Overall, the giving role is still more similar to purchase-side roles than it is to sell-side investment banking jobs because the group is investing their own funds. The main difference is that as a lender, project finance group focus heavily on the disadvantage risk of deals, as the key purposes are capital protection and covering the debt service.

Various Jobs in Project Finance

There are various numbers of jobs in project finance which generally ranges from positions such as analyst to director of project and infrastructure finance. These all jobs involve infrastructure financing and various industrial projects financing over the long period of time. A project finance jobs wants that professional in this field who plans long term cash flow rather than just analyzing and balancing the income statement and balance sheets of those corporates which are financing the projects. The following are the description of different positions in Project Finance:

Director:

Director Position requires those candidates who have experience in working with financial modeling, financial analysis and debt flow. This position requires that professionals who understand varied range of factors which may influence the success of a project. So, it is important for a candidate to have experience in the areas of sales & marketing too. In many cases, a director of project finance will need to lead a team; therefore a director must also possess sharpened leadership skills.

Managers:

Senior Manager of Project Finance will undertake all the necessary activities for meeting the funding requirements of projects of a company. Senior Manager will coordinate with banks, financial institutions, PE funds, rating of agencies and other participants in the financial communal to ensure timely accessibility of financing for projects at the most competitive terms. Senior Managers will also coordinate with finance providers on due diligence, term sheet negotiations and documentation. The candidate will also work with project development team to identify, analyze & execute the most optimum financing solutions for projects (including debt & equity).

Analyst:

An analyst of project finance will generally assist a director of project finance or a vice president of the organization. The candidate for analyst jobs should be able to assist in the setting up of various contracts. Analysts will also be required to designate billing terms such as payments and dates. Analysts will also be accountable for making reports that examine factors such as projected earnings, risk and cash flow.

Not every project finance jobs requires leadership experiences but it requires management skills because even an analyst who assists in creating financial structures must manage teams as well as contract negotiations. The responsibility level, scope, complexity differs amongst project finance jobs since there are some key skills which of the professionals do possess. As project finance professionals have education & experience in accounting or finance and they also have understanding of cost management, communication management and resource management and also professionals tends to have an aptitude for negotiation & business communication.

Skills Required for Project Finance Jobs

Between three to five years of professional experience in infrastructure project finance, learned primarily within project finance bank or a corporate house focused on project development/financing.
Earlier experience in financing of utility projects such as water supply, waste management, etc.
Particularly strong financial modeling skills, capable of building from scratch sophisticated “project finance” financial models;
Earlier experience in use of VB and Macro tools with MS-Excel.
Knowledge of project finance documentation and experience of handling financial closing work either as project developer or as lender.
Desire to work in the infrastructure sector and emphasis on long-term shareholder value creation
Done Masters in Finance preferred with background of mechanical/chemical/civil engineering.
Chartered Accountant (CA) / MBA (Finance) / ICWA with 8 to 13 years of practice in project proposals, project finance management all the financial accountabilities related Multiple Projects

Responsibilities in Project Finance Jobs

To make inclusive financial models for several projects to deliver cash flow forecast, scenario analysis, risk assessment and return analysis.
Individuals has to work closely with the project development team to identify, analyze and execute the most optimum financing solution for projects which includes debt & equity.
Individuals have to coordinate the drawdown/repayment formalities for debt facilities and to monitor compliance with financing conditions and obligations.
Even individuals have to coordinate with finance providers on due diligence, term sheet negotiations and documentation.
Coordinate with banks, financial institutions and consultants to arrange syndication of and raise funds from various financial institutions/banks/lease finance companies.
To evaluate capital investment proposals and calculation of project/dividend IRR’s, DSCR’s, and Sensitivity Analysis etc.
To compile and prepare cost and performance reports as per cost accounting records rule (CARR), cost benefit analysis and critical analysis of cost reports; recommending necessary corrective actions.
Investigate into historical dealings to categorize pricing, debt levels, trends and greatest practice. Also has to conduct financial analysis of similar companies and/or projects for benchmarking ratios and performance tracking.

Project Finance Salaries

Project Finance Professionals are still in high demand, the salaries of project finance professionals differs as per the position, role and years of experience but still project finance jobs is been highly paid up jobs compared to other jobs of finance. The following table will give the details of salaries of project finance professionals:

Role / Experience	Basic Salary Range (£)	Bonus (%’age)
Analyst 1-3 years	40,000 – 65,000	30-70%
Associate 3-5 years	60,000 – 90,000	30-100%
Vice President	80,000 – 130,000	50-120%
Director	120,000 – 220,000	50-200%
Managing Director	150,000 – 350,000	100-300%

The survey found that at large investment banks some senior project finance professionals earn basic salaries of 200,000 (€316,000). Many of people had attained bonuses getting seven figures. And also in energy sector project finance directors earn a median salary of 100,000 (€158,000), with a bonus of typically 100%. Even at assistant director level, salaries are 70,000 (€111,000) and average bonus of 80%.

Companies hiring Project Finance Professionals

There are many companies who hire project finance professionals as this field is still in great demand today. Various infrastructure companies, energy and power companies, large investment banks, steel companies, oil & gas companies etc. who requires comparatively huge amount of funds for their projects compared to other sectors or companies are looking forward for project finance professionals. Following is the list of companies who are looking for project finance professionals and they are:

Reliance Infrastructure
IDFC
Xylem Water Solutions India
JSW Steel
BNP Paribas
ONGC
Reliance Power
Shipping Corporation of India
Tata Steel
Goldman Sachs

Project Finance Jobs Infographics

Learn the juice of this article in just a single minute, Project Finance Jobs Infographics

Planning to make a career in Project Finance? edu CBA offers Project Finance Training to help you gain insights into this field and kick-start your journey in this world.

Quiz Result
Total Questions	Correct Answers	Wrong Answers	Percentage