Director and Head of Distribution

About BII

British International Investment (BII) is the UK’s leading development finance institution, wholly owned by the UK Government. Our primary mission is to address global development challenges through strategic investments that promote sustainable and inclusive economic growth.

BII focuses on catalysing economic development, creating jobs, and building resilient economies in some of the world's most complex and underserved markets. We invest in businesses and projects that prioritise inclusive development, environmental sustainability, and innovation.

Our approach is characterised by rigorous investment standards, high governance principles, and a commitment to delivering measurable development impact. Our team consists of highly skilled and passionate professionals dedicated to making a tangible difference globally.

We foster a collaborative and intellectually stimulating work environment that values curiosity, innovation, and professional growth. Our culture balances high performance with a strong emphasis on wellbeing, ensuring our employees can achieve their full potential while contributing to our mission.

BII at a glance:

Over 75 years supporting sustainable business growth in developing and emerging markets

More than £9.9 billion in net assets

1,600+ businesses invested in

950,000+ workers in the businesses we support

650+ people in our diverse global team

3 key development objectives: Productive | Sustainable | Inclusive

Team and role overview

The Capital Markets function is responsible for designing and delivering BII’s approach to mobilising third-party capital at scale in support of development impact. It acts as the central platform for engaging institutional investors, structuring and executing investment solutions, and ensuring disciplined and effective use of catalytic capital. The team integrates investor distribution, structured credit capabilities, and mobilisation oversight to increase the flow of private capital into emerging markets—particularly in support of the energy transition and underserved economies.

Capital Markets delivers this mandate through three integrated sub-teams:

• Distribution: building and managing institutional investor relationships; enabling co-investment; and executing the distribution of BII-originated assets, while providing market intelligence on pricing, structure, and demand.
• Structured credit: originating and executing innovative financing solutions (including securitisations, pooled vehicles, and guarantee structures) to mobilise capital efficiently and at scale, while acting as a centre of excellence for blended finance across the organisation.
• Oversight of mobilisation transactions: ensuring disciplined use of concessional and catalytic capital through independent review processes; leading mobilisation measurement and reporting; and advancing thought leadership and innovation in mobilisation approaches.

Through these activities, Capital Markets strengthens BII’s investment discipline, enhances operational efficiency, and positions the organisation as a leading partner in mobilising private capital toward high-impact development opportunities.

Purpose

The Head of Distribution will lead the setup of the syndication function including processes, policies and leading the team to execute sell downs. In addition, the role will be responsible for developing and coordinating Investor Partnerships. Ensuring strategic relationships with external parties are developed with a view to investing capital together or co-creating markets.

Responsibilities

Syndication:

• Establish and oversee BII’s debt syndication function for British Climate Partners (BCP) and the broader BII balance sheet, including operating processes, governance standards, and internal policies to ensure consistent, high‑quality execution.
• Provide expert guidance to investment teams and IC on loan pricing, structures, and terms to ensure suitability for syndication across BII’s markets.
• Deliver insights on market pricing, structures, investor appetite, and bond‑market comparables to support investment decisions and portfolio strategy.
• Apply deep transaction experience across Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia in senior and mezzanine loan syndications for corporate, FI, and infrastructure borrowers.
• Build and lead a high‑performing syndication team capable of executing 5–10 sell‑downs per year, ensuring strong coordination with investment teams.
• Develop and manage a framework for seamless collaboration with deal teams, ensuring early engagement on pipeline opportunities and consistent communication.
• Lead syndication activities with 3–4 key primary origination partners (e.g., ILX, Allianz), ensuring alignment on pipeline and co‑investment opportunities.
• Maintain and manage relationships with credit insurance providers to support the use of insurance solutions on BII transactions (second order priority after setting up syndication function).

Investor Partnerships:

• Coordinate BII’s relationships with ~20 strategic investor partners (e.g., PIC, Schroders, BlackRock, M&G, AllianzGI, Temasek, PIC), overseeing engagement plans, co‑investment execution, and sell‑down processes.
• Ensure relationships with key investors are maintained at appropriately senior levels, with a view to co‑investing, co‑creating markets, and driving thought leadership.
• Work with deal teams and internal relationship owners to maintain a comprehensive overview of top‑tier investor relationships, tracking engagement actions and ensuring coordinated outreach.
• For opportunities identified through strategic partners that fall outside syndication, coordinate smooth handover to the relevant investment team while maintaining visibility and relationship continuity.
• Lead coordination of identified co‑investment and sell‑down opportunities with strategic partners, ensuring alignment with BII’s investment priorities and execution timelines.
• Enable BII to build relationships with broader investor universe (beyond top 20 names), whilst balancing the level of engagement and resources with the potential outcomes.

Team management and Leadership

• Manage the team including hiring & developing high performing team members and staffing of transactions
• Coaching and helping the team develop their knowledge and technical expertise in distribution and investor partnerships
• Work seamlessly with investment teams, credit, legal, and portfolio functions, influencing decision making.  Building investor plans and working in a matrixed way with investment teams to ensure a joined up approach to covering specific investor names.

The candidate

Background, skills, aptitude

• Successful candidates will have a background in loan syndication across emerging markets, with a track record executing senior and mezzanine transactions across BII sectors.

Essential skills:

• Strong understanding of pricing dynamics, capital structures, investor appetite, and market comparables across Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia – with more focus on Africa for this role.
• Established investor networks with demonstrated ability to manage and grow senior level relationships with global institutional investors, asset managers, insurers, and development finance partners.  Strong understanding of constraints governing asset owners such as pension funds and insurers and how this impacts the type of investments they can make.
• Proven experience coordinating multi‑stakeholder partnerships, co‑investment platforms, or strategic investor programmes.
• Strong leadership capability with experience building, managing, and developing high performing teams in a transaction driven environment.
• Strong operational understanding of processes and systems required to successfully execute and manage syndications.  Ability to manage key stakeholders to ensure that all operational aspects (Finance, Tax, Operations, Legal. Compliance etc) to ensure distribution processes – both day 1 and ongoing – are fit for purpose.
• Strong execution skills with the ability to manage multiple transactions simultaneously, prioritise effectively, and deliver under time pressure.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to engage credibly at senior levels internally and externally.

Candidates should be strongly motivated by BII’s development mission and ideally demonstrate some commitment to development or social goals through previous executive or non-executive activity.  

Our cultural values

We look for team members who aspire, as we do, to work at our best and to be:

• Impact-led, commercially rigorous
• Tenacious in the face of challenges
• Collaborative and caring

British International Investment is committed to diversity and inclusion and welcomes all applicants regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation or educational background.