Sumitomo Mitsui Finance & Leasing - Project Finance, Vice President

SMBC Group is a top-tier global financial group. Headquartered in Tokyo and with a 400-year history, SMBC Group offers a diverse range of financial services, including banking, leasing, securities, credit cards, and consumer finance. The Group has more than 130 offices and 80,000 employees worldwide in nearly 40 countries. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc. (SMFG) is the holding company of SMBC Group, which is one of the three largest banking groups in Japan. SMFG’s shares trade on the Tokyo, Nagoya, and New York (NYSE: SMFG) stock exchanges.

In the Americas, SMBC Group has a presence in the US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Peru. Backed by the capital strength of SMBC Group and the value of its relationships in Asia, the Group offers a range of commercial and investment banking services to its corporate, institutional, and municipal clients. It connects a diverse client base to local markets and the organization’s extensive global network. The Group’s operating companies in the Americas include Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. (SMBC), SMBC Nikko Securities America, Inc., SMBC Capital Markets, Inc., JRI America, Inc., SMBC Leasing and Finance, Inc., Banco Sumitomo Mitsui Brasileiro S.A., and Sumitomo Mitsui Finance and Leasing Co., Ltd.

The anticipated salary range for this role is between $225,000.00 and $225,000.00. The specific salary offered to an applicant will be based on their individual qualifications, experiences, and an analysis of the current compensation paid in their geography and the market for similar roles at the time of hire. The role may also be eligible for an annual discretionary incentive award. In addition to cash compensation, SMBC offers a competitive portfolio of benefits to its employees.

Position Summary

Sumitomo Mitsui Finance & Leasing (SMFL) New York Branch is seeking an experienced Vice President to develop and expand its U.S. Infrastructure and Project Finance business. The role leads transactions from origination and structuring through transaction evaluation, internal approval, execution, and portfolio management, focusing on senior, subordinated, and mezzanine debt.

The successful candidate will work with sponsors, financial institutions, advisors, internal control functions, SMFL headquarters in Japan, and group companies. The position will be dual-hatted between the New York Branch and the Structured Finance Department at SMFL Headquarters, with reporting responsibilities to both organizations. The individual will also help develop business strategy, operating standards, team capabilities, and selected new business initiatives, with the potential to assume broader leadership responsibilities.

Responsibilities

Origination and Business Development

- Originate opportunities and maintain relationships with sponsors, developers, financial institutions, investors, and advisors.

- Screen transactions for strategic fit, credit quality, structure, risk-adjusted return, and portfolio impact; prepare preliminary recommendations.

- Coordinate with SMFL’s global network on U.S. and cross-border opportunities, and support selected new business development initiatives with group companies.

Structuring, Transaction Evaluation and Approval

- Lead the structuring of senior, subordinated, and mezzanine debt, including pricing, tenor, amortization, security, covenants, reserves, cash waterfalls, intercreditor terms, and recovery considerations.

- Lead credit and investment analysis, financial model review, downside assessment, and relevant commercial, legal, technical, insurance, and market due diligence.

- Prepare credit memoranda and investment recommendations, present transactions to U.S. and Japan-based approval authorities, and lead the process through final approval.

- Negotiate transaction terms with sponsors, arrangers, lenders, counsel, consultants, and other parties.

Documentation, Execution and Closing

- Lead execution through financial close and funding, including negotiation of material financing documents and coordination of counsel and advisors.

- Confirm alignment with approved terms and satisfaction of conditions precedent, funding requirements, equity contributions, and internal approvals.

- Coordinate with Agency, Operations, and Back Office teams to ensure accurate and timely closing, funding, fees, payments, and notifications.

Portfolio Management

- Oversee assigned investments, including financial and operating performance, construction progress, contractual obligations, covenants, reserves, distributions, and material risks.

- Lead construction monitoring, drawdowns, periodic credit reviews, internal ratings, self-assessments, and portfolio reporting.

- Identify emerging credit concerns and lead risk mitigation, waivers, consents, amendments, restructurings, and other material portfolio actions.

- Strategy, Platform and Team Development

- Contribute to sector priorities, return parameters, investment criteria, portfolio limits, capital efficiency, and disciplined transaction selection.

- Enhance transaction evaluation, approval, execution, portfolio management, governance, and reporting processes.

- Mentor junior and mid-level professionals, review their work, and promote cross-functional collaboration and team development.

Governance, Risk and Compliance

- Ensure compliance with internal policies, delegated authorities, risk limits, approval conditions, KYC, AML, sanctions, conflicts, audit, and regulatory requirements.

- Maintain accurate documentation, escalate material concerns, and promote strong risk management and accountability.

Required Qualifications

- Typically 10 or more years of relevant experience in infrastructure finance, project finance, infrastructure private credit, structured finance, or a closely related field, with full-lifecycle transaction leadership.

- Experience with senior debt and subordinated or mezzanine debt, including structuring, contractual cash flow analysis, security and covenant packages, intercreditor matters, downside analysis, and risk-adjusted return assessment.

- Advanced financial modeling, credit analysis, transaction management, documentation, and negotiation skills, including presentation of recommendations to approval authorities.

- Experience managing post-closing exposures, including amendments, waivers, restructurings, or challenged credits.

- Strong communication, independent judgment, mentoring, and multidisciplinary team leadership skills.

- Bachelor’s degree in finance, economics, accounting, engineering, business, or a related discipline.

Preferred Qualifications:

- Prior experience working at a Japanese bank or Japanese financial institution.

- Approximately 10 to 15 years of directly relevant experience at a bank, infrastructure debt or private credit fund, institutional investor, project developer, or comparable platform.

- Experience with mezzanine, subordinated, or other non-investment-grade infrastructure debt.

- Sector experience in digital infrastructure and data centers; power and renewable energy; energy transition; transportation; utilities and water; midstream; or social and public infrastructure.

- Experience with construction-stage and operating assets, global stakeholders, or development of a new investment or portfolio-management platform.

- Graduate degree, CFA designation, or other relevant professional qualification.

SMBC’s employees participate in a Hybrid workforce model that provides employees with an opportunity to work from home, as well as, from an SMBC office. SMBC requires that employees live within a reasonable commuting distance of their office location. Prospective candidates will learn more about their specific hybrid work schedule during their interview process. Hybrid work may not be permitted for certain roles, including, for example, certain FINRA-registered roles for which in-office attendance for the entire workweek is required.

SMBC provides reasonable accommodations during candidacy for applicants with disabilities consistent with applicable federal, state, and local law. If you need a reasonable accommodation during the application process, please let us know at [email protected].