Manager – Debt Management

JOB PURPOSE

The Debt Management Manager is responsible for leading the execution of the funding strategy and capital structures of Oman Investment Authority (OIA) and its portfolio companies, while managing relationships with financial markets and key stakeholders. The role ensures efficient access to both domestic and international capital markets and optimizes borrowing costs within defined risk parameters. It focuses on evaluating financing terms, monitoring portfolio debt activities, and advising on capital structure decisions to support sustainable funding and alignment with OIA’s investment objectives.

The role supports the assessment of financing implications for strategic investments and transactions, while providing insights on funding markets and capital structures. It plays a critical role in evaluating investment proposals submitted to the Investment Committee (IC), particularly those involving debt, ensuring that debt across Oman Investment Authority (OIA) and its portfolio entities remains sustainable and aligned with optimal capital structure principles.

Furthermore, the Debt Management team plays a strategic role in safeguarding OIA and its portfolio companies from potential legal and financial risks. It ensures that all financing covenants are carefully structured to prevent contingent liabilities, while protecting OIA’s cash flows and assets from unnecessary or restrictive obligations imposed by banks and financial institutions.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead the implementation of OIA companies annual borrowing plan and medium term debt strategy. Execute domestic and international debt issuances, including bonds, sukuk, and syndicated loans. Identify optimal timing, instruments, currencies, and tenors for issuances based on market conditions. Ensure cost-risk optimization of OIA companies debt portfolio.
• Lead the end-to-end structuring of OIA companies debt transactions across instruments, including: Conventional bonds (fixed, floating rate, inflation-linked), Sukuk (Ijara, Murabaha, Wakala structures) and Syndicated loans and private placements. Determine optimal transaction parameters: currency selection (local vs. hard currency), tenor and maturity profile (benchmark vs. off-curve) and size and tranche strategy (single vs. multi-tranche issuance) based on market conditions and company requirements. Evaluate funding alternatives under different market scenarios to ensure alignment with cost-risk objectives.
• Ensure and oversee OIA companies pre-issuance market soundings with key investors and banks to assess: demand appetite, pricing expectations and preferred structures and maturities
• Analyze secondary market performance of outstanding sovereign bonds and peers. Recommend optimal RFP windows based on: market liquidity conditions, interest rate environment and geopolitical and macroeconomic factors. Continuously monitor execution risks (e.g., volatility spikes, rate movements).
• Oversee the selection and appointment of: Lead managers / bookrunners, Legal advisors (international & local counsel) and Other transaction parties (trustees, paying agents). Ensure companies structure and manage the syndicate group to ensure: strong distribution capability, geographic diversification and competitive tension among banks. Ensure and oversee that companies negotiate commercial terms, fees, and roles with participating institutions; and negotiate on behalf of the companies where necessary.
• Oversee and ensure the review of all transaction documentation, including: offering circular/prospectus, legal agreements and term sheets and shariah compliance documentation by OIA Legal department. Ensure compliance with: International capital market regulations (e.g., Reg S / 144A) and Listing requirements (e.g., London Stock Exchange, Irish Stock Exchange). Coordinate internal approvals and sign-offs prior to execution of documents.
• Oversee the transaction launch and execution process, including: announcement strategy and investor communication, pricing guidance and book opening. Monitor real-time orderbook development: investor demand by geography and type and order quality and size. Provide strategic direction on: pricing revisions (tightening/spread adjustments) and allocation strategy. Drive pricing discussions in coordination with the OIA company and DMO with bookrunners to achieve optimal pricing outcome.
• Lead the development and execution of investment financing strategies across the organization, ensuring optimal capital structuring to support private equity investments, strategic projects, and key national initiatives, including those under the Future Fund of Oman. Provide strategic direction on funding approaches by evaluating leverage capacity, cost of capital, and risk-return trade-offs to enhance long-term value creation.
• Oversee the assessment of financing risks and funding structures for new and existing investments, ensuring alignment with the organization’s capital structure objectives and financial sustainability targets. Act as a key advisor to senior leadership and investment committees, delivering insights that inform investment decisions and portfolio optimization. Drive cross-functional collaboration with investment, legal, and risk teams to design and implement innovative financing solutions, including acquisition financing, shareholder funding frameworks, and post-investment capital restructuring. Ensure consistent application of best practices across the portfolio while strengthening governance, efficiency, and scalability of funding strategies.
• Champion the continuous enhancement of financing capabilities, market intelligence, and stakeholder engagement with financial institutions to secure competitive and sustainable funding solutions
• Identify and mitigate transaction risks, including: market volatility, weak demand or book concentration, pricing misalignment. Develop contingency plans (e.g., postponement, resizing, restructuring). Ensure alignment with Treasury and Cash Management on risk parameters and limits.
• Monitor global financial markets, interest rates, and macroeconomic trends. Provide market insights to support risk management and strategy formulation. Advise senior leadership and Treasury and cash management on funding risks and market opportunities.
• Work closely with: treasury and cash management on risk analysis, portfolio strategy, settlement, reporting, and debt recording. EDI asset managers to ensure funding activity is in line with OIA objectives and board approval.
• Manage the development, communication and implementation of the Debt Management department’s policies and procedures to ensure that all relevant procedural and legislative requirements are clearly communicated and duly fulfilled.
• Maintain and develop strategic relationships with banks and financial institutions to ensure continued access to competitive banking services and products. Maintain awareness of market conditions and lender appetite to support financing discussions and funding initiatives.
• Manage the Treasury Management departmental compliance to all relevant health, safety, and quality requirements, in order to guarantee employee safety and legislative compliance.
• Manage the Contribution to the identification of opportunities for continuous improvement of systems, processes and practices taking into account ‘leading best practices’, improvement of business processes, cost reduction and productivity improvement.

Educational Qualifications

• Bachelors, preferably Master’s Degree in Finance, Economics, Accounting, or any other relevant field
• CFA, CMA, CTP, CFP, CPA or ACCA

Work Experience

11 to 13 years of debt related work experience