Business Development Consultant

About the role

The Business Development Consultant is responsible for driving project origination and leading project development activities across Southeast Asia, with a particular focus on Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.

Leveraging strong local and regional market knowledge, the role will support originating, structuring and progressing infrastructure projects from early-stage development through to financial close, working in close coordination with the Business Development team in Singapore and other functional teams in PIDG.

The Consultant will liaise with external stakeholders in collaboration with Communications and Investor Relations teams of PIDG, assist with monitoring market and macro-economic developments, advising on opportunities and risks, and contributing to the visibility and positioning of the PIDG brand in the region.

Role and responsibilities

Origination and Business Development

• Lead origination efforts across Vietnam and Southeast Asian markets, developing and maintaining strong relationships with project sponsors, developers, financiers, advisers, government agencies and development partners.
• Build, maintain and share market intelligence, including sector trends, regulatory developments and macro-economic conditions, identifying priority opportunities aligned with the PIDG mandate.
• Drive and manage a robust, prioritised pipeline of infrastructure development opportunities.
• Position the InfraCo business of PIDG as a value-adding, long-term development partner with project sponsors, co-developers and public-sector stakeholders.
• Prepare and present screening, shortlisting and investment papers for senior management and Investment Committee consideration.
• Participate at industry conferences, roundtables and external events to promote PIDG’s capabilities.
• Serve as a local liaison to support PIDG’s engagement with external stakeholders and partners locally.

Project Development and Due Diligence

• Lead project development activities from JDA/JIDA stage through to Financial Close for assigned projects, taking ownership of delivery against agreed milestones, timelines and budgets.
• Plan, coordinate and contribute to multi-disciplinary due diligence, including commercial, financial, legal, technical, environmental and social assessments, partner due diligence and KYC, stakeholder engagement and site visits.
• Review, challenge and validate financial models, development budgets and implementation plans, identifying key assumptions, sensitivities and risks.
• Synthesize due diligence outputs into clear recommendations, including proposed risk mitigation measures, for internal approvals.
• Provide advice to the Business Development team on assigned projects.

Transaction Structuring and Execution

• Lead, or coordinate where appropriate, the structuring and negotiation of term sheets, JDAs/JIDAs, shareholders’ agreements and other transaction documentation, working closely with Legal, Finance, Asset Management and Impact/HSES teams.
• Drive coordination with internal teams and external advisors to ensure transactions progress efficiently toward financial close.
• Identify and engage potential debt and equity financing sources, including development finance institutions and commercial lenders, working in coordination with other relevant PIDG functions.
• Contribute to exit or divestment processes at or before financial close where applicable.

Project Management, Risk and Governance

• Manage day-to-day project progress against approved plans, milestones, budgets and disbursement forecasts.
• Identify, assess and escalate key project and portfolio risks, proposing mitigation actions and adjustments as required.
• Act as the primary interface between project companies PIDG, ensuring alignment with PIDG policies, procedures and approval processes.
• Prepare regular project updates, investment papers and decision memoranda for senior management and committees.
• Demonstrate high ethical standards, sound judgement and professionalism.

Qualifications and education requirements

• Have a degree and/or professional qualification in a relevant discipline such as engineering, finance or economics from a reputable university;
• A Master’s degree in related discipline or MBA is advantage.

Skills

• Strong commercial judgement, analytical capability and problem-solving skills, with the ability to assess opportunities, risks and trade-offs across infrastructure project development.
• Ability to operate effectively across origination, structuring and execution phases, taking ownership of delivery while coordinating inputs from multiple stakeholders.
• Strong planning, prioritisation and organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple workstreams in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
• Demonstrated leadership capability in managing projects and motivating contributors, providing advice to the Business Development Asia team.
• Effective decision-making within area of responsibility, exercising sound judgement and escalating issues appropriately.
• Strong stakeholder engagement, communication and negotiation skills, with the ability to engage credibly with senior public and private sector counterparts.
• Comfortable operating in, and able to thrive within, ambiguous and evolving environments, applying judgement and structure where processes or information may be incomplete.
• High proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint; financial modelling capability is expected.
• Excellent written and spoken English; Vietnamese and/or other regional languages are an advantage.
• Resilient, adaptable and able to operate effectively in complex, cross-cultural environments.

Experience

• Minimum of 10 years of proven experience in infrastructure project development (including IPP/PPP structuring), investment, or business development in Asia, gained within a dynamic and fast-paced multinational environment.
• Demonstrated experience leading infrastructure project development workstreams and progressing transactions from early-stage development through to financial close.
• Strong understanding of project finance principles, including debt and equity structures, financial modelling considerations, and key infrastructure development documentation.
• Sound understanding of market risk analysis and risk management as it relates to infrastructure projects and financial transactions.
• Experience working with development finance institutions and/or development-oriented investors is advantageous.
• Proven experience engaging with government authorities, regulators and senior public- and private-sector stakeholders.
• Exposure to board-level or project governance arrangements, including participation in SPVs or steering committees, is a plus.
• Strong alignment with PIDG’s development mandate, values and commitment to high standards of governance and integrity.

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