Programme Lead - Green Affordable Housing Finance Kenya at Reall

Job role: To drive forward Reall’s work in Kenya to unlock green affordable housing at scale. Represent Reall with target stakeholders and deliver programmes with an emphasis on innovative financial products and forging strategic deals.

Key Responsibilities

• To lead the Kenya pilot of Reall’s flagship Green Affordable Housing Finance (GAHF) initiative, working closely with the wider GAHF team (UK-based).

Leadership

• Advise on and implement the structuring and institutional arrangements as GAHF rolls out. Ensure an up to date and actionable plan for the GAHF pilot in Kenya.
• Understand the barriers that hinder a functioning green and affordable housing market, ensuring finger on the pulse with developments across the sector in Kenya (regulatory, financial, delivery innovation). Evolve the GAHF strategy accordingly.
• Identify a viable housing project pipeline, that could be supported by GAHF-enabled deals and/or through Reall direct investment. Push hard on green standards and price point.
• Pursue opportunities for local housing offtake finance to be unlocked through GAHF-enabled guarantees and fintech solutions. Push hard on affordability and gender-focussed products.
• Harness data, including from Reall-commissioned research, to build upon the GAHF financial model in the Kenyan context. Draw on the modelling to structure and negotiate deals.

Stakeholder management

• Forge strong relations with key sector players, including finance institutions, housing developers, government, investors, guarantee providers and donors. Negotiate deals to leverage local finance for housing delivery and offtake.
• Engage banks and work with actors in the financial inclusion space, to identify and pilot catalytic alternative credit assessment and/or other fintech solutions to underwrite housing lending to previously unmet groups.

Representation

• Represent Reall and the GAHF initiative at high level meetings and events. Raise profile, influence change and secure endorsement and resources to scale. Catalyse opportunities for strategic collaboration.

Fundraising

• Work with UK-based colleagues on GAHF fundraising and investor relations, including providing input into bids and delivering on and monitoring existing funding contract(s).
• Lead the pursuit of local financing for GAHF, complementing international efforts.

Learning and replication

• Track and report on GAHF progress, and capture learnings to feed into the further development of the initiative. Lay the ground work for further scale-up and replication across other markets.
• Work with Reall’s Commercial Build and Investments teams as required on:
  • Housing investment pipeline development in Kenya
  • Monitoring of projects / investments in Kenya
• Support Reall’s Programme & Business Development team as required on:
  • Collaborations with peer organisations in Kenya around innovation, market data and advocacy.
  • Funding collateral, bids and negotiations relevant to Reall’s work in Kenya.

Changes to Responsibilities

• Any required changes in responsibilities, to meet the strategic objectives of the role, will be discussed and agreed between Reall and the Consultant.

Compliance

• Comply with the policies and procedures as set out in Reall’s Handbook and all relevant procedures and processes.
• Adhere to all relevant Data Protection legislation.
• At all times to work in a manner that ensures the health and safety of the post-holder, Reall colleagues and others.
• To uphold and promote the values and mission of the organisation in all aspects of work by displaying the behaviours we expect of colleagues in Reall:

Person Specification

• Education: Degree level in relevant field (finance, infrastructure, real estate). Further qualifications, MBA or equivalent preferred.   
• Experience: Minimum 10 years’ experience in a relevant field (finance, investment, infrastructure, real estate), including at least 5 years experience working in the Kenyan market. 

Key Competencies

Essential

• Strong understanding and experience of finance, financial instruments, investment, blended finance.
• Financial modelling capability and understanding of financial product design.
• Proven experience successfully negotiating complex, high value and/or impactful deals. Structuring, feasibility and due diligence capability.
• Proven ability to catalyse and drive influential and impactful collaborations across finance and real estate.
• Strong understanding of and experience working within the Kenyan housing market, preferably experience in the affordable segment. Understanding / experience of the housing finance ecosystem, market data and relevant government policy and regulations.
• Compelling representative / advocate with proven experience of articulating complex initiatives, raising profile and securing support.

Desirable

• Experience of modelling and/or managing guarantee instruments / deals.
• Understanding / experience of green construction and green certification tools.
• Understanding / experience of gender-positive finance.
• Understanding / experience of real estate-related fintech solutions.
• Direct experience working on green and affordable housing projects in Kenya.

Personal Qualities:

• Dynamic, driven, proactive
• Agile and adaptable
• Excellent communicator, confident and articulate
• Creative, solutions-oriented and optimistic
• Highly professional
• Works well under pressure and at pace
• Influential and compelling
• Strong collaborator
• Conscientious and responsible
• Organised, systematic and thorough
• Innovative and entrepreneurial
• Culturally sensitive