Business Development Manager

Etihad Development Company is an Etihad Water & Electricity subsidiary, acting as a leading developer for infrastructure projects including power and water. We are focused on delivering major infrastructure projects across the GCC and CIS regions, spanning Conventional Power, Environment, and Renewable technologies.

Role Overview

We are looking for a Business Development Manager to support the origination, evaluation and development of investment opportunities across the Water (Desalination, Wastewater treatment), Power (Renewables or Conventional) and associated transmission or pipeline network sectors.

The role will support bilateral/G2G projects, IPP/PPP opportunities, strategic partnerships and M&A activities across key markets including the Middle East, CIS and Levant region. Candidates may come from either a Project Finance / Transaction Advisory or a Techno-Commercial Project & Business Development background.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the origination and development of IPP, PPP and bilateral/G2G opportunities across the power, renewables and utilities sectors.
• Identify, screen and evaluate new market opportunities, strategic partnerships and acquisition prospects.
• Coordinate project development activities from early-stage origination through to Ready to Build and Financial Close.
• Coordinate inputs across Technical, Legal, Project Finance and Delivery teams.
• Support the development of technical, commercial and financial business cases.
• Support project feasibility, financial modelling, CAPEX/OPEX analysis, risk assessment and project structuring.
• Manage engagement with government entities, partners, lenders, investors and external advisors.
• Support the preparation and negotiation of key project and financing agreements, competitive tenders, offer submissions and partnerships.
• Monitor project progress against key milestones and support the transition from Business development to Delivery team.
• Experience

Required

Demonstrated experience supporting or leading projects in international markets with preference for Middle East experience. Candidates should demonstrate experience in one of the following two areas:

Option 1: Project Finance / Transaction Advisory BackgroundExperience in project finance, transaction execution or investment development within the water, wastewater, power, renewables, utilities or infrastructure sectors.

Strong experience in financial modelling, project bankability, risk allocation and transaction structuring.

Strong knowledge of PPA/ WPA/ STA structures, EPC contracting, O&M arrangements, risk management and financing structures.

Experience supporting or negotiating PPAs, SPAs, JDAs, term sheets and loan documentation.

Experience in competitive tenders, bid submissions and consortium development.

Option 2: Techno-Commercial / Project & Business Development BackgroundMandatory Engineering background with preference for core engineering studies. Experience in the origination and development of IPP, PPP, bilateral/G2G or other large-scale energy and infrastructure projects.

Strong experience in techno-commercial evaluation, project feasibility and project structuring.

Experience assessing resource availability, grid connectivity, land availability, offtake structures and regulatory environments.

Strong understanding of project bankability, PPA structures, EPC contracting, O&M arrangements and risk allocation.

Experience in competitive tenders, bid submissions and consortium development.

Strong commercial acumen especially on benchmarking cost structures applicable for various water treatment or power generation technologies from EPC and O&M perspective.

Core Requirements for Both BackgroundsExperience in Water/ Wastewater, Power, renewables, other utilities or infrastructure sectors.

Strong understanding of project development and investment processes.

Experience working across multidisciplinary teams and senior stakeholders.

Strong analytical, financial modelling and presentation skills.

Constructive, problem-solving attitude with strong determination and commitment to excellence. Experience in the GCC region is highly preferred. Exposure to the CIS region would be advantageous.

Relevant experience ranging from 4 – 10 years.