Asset & Structured Finance Manager

Role Summary

The Asset & Structured Finance Manager owns the full lifecycle of heavy-asset acquisition and financing across the Saudi and GCC market - from identifying and negotiating the purchase or charter of assets, to structuring and arranging the capital that funds them. The role sits at the intersection of commercial dealmaking, structured finance, and treasury, and is central to expanding Front End's marine, logistics, and heavy-equipment fleet on commercially optimal, Shariah-compliant terms.

This is a relationship-driven, deal-intensive role. The successful candidate will bring an existing network across the region's banks, financial institutions, sovereign wealth funds, and development and sector funds, and a demonstrable record of closing complex, multi-party asset-financing transactions.

Assets in scope include marine vessels (offshore support vessels, tankers, and specialized craft), drilling rigs, logistics and port equipment, mobile and crawler cranes, cargo and ship-to-shore cranes, self-propelled modular transporters (SPMTs), heavy trucks and trailers, and related industrial equipment.

Key Responsibilities

Asset Acquisition

• Identify, evaluate, and negotiate the purchase, lease, or charter of marine vessels, logistics assets, and heavy equipment across the GCC, in line with the company's growth and project pipeline.
• Conduct commercial due diligence: valuation, condition and survey reports, residual-value analysis, total-cost-of-ownership modeling, and lifecycle/utilization forecasting.
• Manage relationships with shipyards, OEMs, brokers, vessel owners, and equipment suppliers, and lead price and contract negotiations.
• Build buy-versus-charter and own-versus-lease analyses to recommend the optimal acquisition route for each asset class.

Structured Finance & Capital Raising

• Structure and arrange complex financing packages - including Ijara (finance and operating leases), Murabaha, Istisna'a (newbuild construction financing), sale-and-leaseback, asset-backed lending, club deals, and syndicated facilities.
• Originate, lead, and close multi-party transactions with regional and international banks, Islamic financial institutions, leasing companies, export credit agencies (ECAs), sovereign wealth funds, and development and sector-specific funds across the GCC.
• Prepare financing proposals, information memoranda, and credit packages; lead negotiations on pricing, tenor, security, covenants, and balloon/residual structures.
• Optimize the capital structure and blended cost of funding across the asset portfolio while preserving liquidity and balance-sheet strength.

Deal Execution & Governance

• Coordinate transaction execution end to end alongside legal counsel, technical/marine advisors, valuers, and insurers through to financial close.
• Oversee security and documentation: vessel mortgages, charter and lease agreements, guarantees, promise-to-purchase undertakings, and asset registration.
• Ensure all transactions are Shariah-compliant where required and satisfy AAOIFI standards and the company's Shariah governance framework.
• Maintain transaction trackers, approval files, and post-close reporting for management and the board.

Portfolio & Stakeholder Management

• Monitor the financed asset portfolio: covenant compliance, repayment schedules, refinancing opportunities, and disposal of end-of-life assets.
• Partner with operations, project, and commercial teams to align asset availability with contract and project requirements.
• Support local-content commitments (IKTVA / NUSANED) within acquisition and financing structures.
• Provide management with funding forecasts, scenario analysis, and recommendations on fleet and equipment investment decisions.

Required Qualifications & Experience

This role demands a proven dealmaker with deep regional relationships. Candidates must be able to demonstrate:

• A track record of structuring, leading, and closing complex asset-acquisition and financing transactions - including multi-party, syndicated, cross-border, and Shariah-compliant deals - within the marine, logistics, or heavy-equipment sectors.
• Established, active relationships with Saudi & GCC banks, Islamic and conventional financial institutions, leasing companies, sovereign wealth funds, and development and sector funds engaged in asset financing.
• Strong, demonstrable knowledge of asset-finance and structured-finance instruments (Ijara, Murabaha, Istisna'a, sukuk, sale-and-leaseback, ECA-backed and syndicated facilities) and the associated security and documentation.
• 8+ years of experience in asset finance, structured finance, ship/maritime finance, equipment leasing, corporate/investment banking, or capital procurement - ideally within energy, marine, oilfield services, logistics, or heavy industry in the GCC.
• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Engineering, or a related field; a Master's (MBA/MSc Finance) or professional qualification (CFA, CA, ACCA) is an advantage.
• Strong financial modeling, valuation, and credit-analysis capabilities.

Preferred Attributes

• Direct familiarity with marine vessel markets (OSVs, tankers), logistics/port equipment, and heavy lifting and transport equipment (cranes, SPMTs).
• Experience with sovereign and development funders and cross-border GCC transactions.
• Understanding of Saudi and wider GCC regulatory, tax/Zakat, and local-content frameworks.
• Excellent negotiation, stakeholder management, and commercial judgment.
• Fluency in English; Arabic is a strong advantage.