Investment Specialist - Private Credit
Ninety One
Cape Town, South Africa · Pan-African
Role type
Private Credit / Asset Management
Experience
Leadership
Language
English
Summary
Senior private-credit origination and execution role covering leveraged finance, structured credit, direct lending and infrastructure, primarily in South Africa with broader African exposure.
About the role
Ninety One is an independent, active investment manager with a strong focus on emerging markets and Africa. This Investment Specialist role sits within the EM Alternative Credit (EMAC) platform, one of Ninety One's highest-growth investment businesses. The team deploys private credit across South Africa, the rest of Africa, broader emerging markets, and select developed market opportunities, investing across the capital structure in leveraged finance, infrastructure debt, direct lending, high yield, and structured credit. Investment professionals remain embedded in transactions from initial origination through close and ongoing portfolio management.
Key responsibilities
Own end-to-end origination of private credit transactions across sector coverage, with a minimum 80% focus on the South African market and selective cross-border activity
Independently source, screen, and progress opportunities from first contact through investment committee approval
Build and maintain relationships with deal-sourcing counterparties including private equity sponsors, corporates, banks, intermediaries, and development finance institutions
Lead deal structuring, credit analysis, and transaction execution across leveraged finance, structured finance, and direct lending in consumer, services, real estate, industrials, and infrastructure sectors
Serve as deal lead and primary investment professional from origination through credit committee, documentation, and close
Prepare and present investment papers, credit committee materials, and portfolio monitoring reports to internal governance forums
Contribute to platform development including fund strategy, investor reporting, and sector views
Mentor and develop junior investment team members
Key requirements
7-10 years of relevant experience in leveraged finance, structured finance, principal credit investing, or a closely related discipline
Demonstrable track record of originating and closing privately negotiated credit transactions with genuinely portable relationships
Deep sector expertise across at least two of: consumer and retail, business services, real estate, industrials, or core infrastructure
Strong credit structuring skills including capital structure design, security packages, financial covenant setting, and relative value assessment
Experience working on South African transactions with understanding of local market dynamics and regulatory frameworks
Comfort operating across the full deal cycle from teaser review through documentation oversight
Nice to have
CFA, CA(SA), MBA, or equivalent professional qualification
Strong undergraduate foundation in finance, economics, or law
Apply via the Ninety One LinkedIn job posting.