Project Director/Interim CEO

Allied Talent Partners (ATP), a Three Cairns Group initiative, is a mission-driven, not-for-profit talent marketplace focused on solving the human capital bottlenecks slowing down sustainable development efforts in emerging economies, with an initial focus on Africa. ATP connects vetted, experienced, context-relevant professionals to high-impact opportunities in energy access and sustainable development – strengthening local capacity and fuelling economic vitality. We specialize in fixed-term, deliverable-driven engagements – from interim leadership and generalist projects to niche technical expertise – handling project scoping, talent vetting and matching, contracting, payroll, and compliance so that our clients can focus on impact.
Location: Zanzibar, Tanzania
Working Model: Predominantly based in Zanzibar; on-site schedule and any remote flexibility TBC
Start Date: Immediate mobilisation; exact start date to be agreed
Contract Duration: Phase 1 through equity close, targeted for March 2027, with a potential Phase 2 extension through financial close and construction start
Reports to: Client and Shareholders’ Steering Committee
Project Overview
The client is seeking a Project Director / Interim CEO to institutionalise a ferry and roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) terminal project company in Zanzibar and lead equity-close and financial-close readiness.
Phase 1A of the project is complete and interim operations have begun. Phase 1B covers the permanent passenger terminal, berths, superstructure and associated facilities. The role is intended to reduce dependence on the founder and affiliates, strengthen the project company, and prepare it for construction and permanent operations.
The ideal candidate is a senior infrastructure executive with experience across PPPs, project finance, lender coordination and EPC procurement, and who can build company systems while integrating technical, commercial and operational workstreams.
Key Responsibilities

• Lead the project through bankability, equity close and financial-close readiness.
• Coordinate construction preparation and the transition into operations across the agreed engagement phases.
• Within the first 30 days, assess governance and establish the company’s operating and management model.
• Develop the organisational structure, staffing and recruitment plan.
• Establish reporting, decision-making and document-management procedures.
• Convert existing due diligence into an integrated action plan.
• Develop and maintain a Financial Close Readiness Register.
• Establish a Conditions Precedent Tracker.
• Build and maintain a Risk Register with clear mitigations.
• Develop a stakeholder map and engagement plan.
• Within 60 days, assess Phase 1A technical and concession compliance and review interim operations.
• Identify concession gaps and define the Phase 1B technical and design roadmap.
• Define the EPC strategy and procurement packaging.
• Establish the owner’s engineering and advisory structure.
• Formalise and oversee interim operations.
• Assess the operating model and develop the O&M strategy, contracts, transition plan and risk mitigations.
• Support ferry and vessel agreements, traffic and cargo assessments, and CAPEX and maintenance assumptions.
• Coordinate lenders’ technical-adviser due diligence and grant-related engagement and documentation.
• Coordinate port authorities, engineers, designers, supervision firms and contractors against the financial-close roadmap and approval milestones.
• Hold weekly client progress meetings.
• Produce monthly steering reports and dashboards covering lender and grant milestones, design completion, EPC strategy approval and procurement readiness.
  

Experience Required

• At least 15 years of experience in infrastructure development.
• Strong experience in PPP concessions.
• Project-finance experience.
• Lender-coordination experience.
• EPC procurement experience.
• Experience leading integrated technical, commercial, governance and operational workstreams at project-company level.
• Preferred experience in ports, ferry terminals or maritime infrastructure.
• East Africa experience is preferred.
• Experience with DFI-financed projects is preferred.
  

Technical Requirements

• Ability to translate due diligence findings, concession obligations and conditions precedent into a controlled close-readiness plan.
• Ability to evaluate design and geotechnical risks.
• Experience developing and assessing procurement packaging.
• Ability to coordinate specialist advisers while maintaining clear accountability.
• Experience developing O&M and operational-transition frameworks.
• Experience structuring or assessing vessel-contract arrangements.
• Ability to assess traffic, cargo, CAPEX and maintenance assumptions.
  

Soft Skills

• Strong company-building and institutionalisation capability.
• Ability to build accountable systems and reduce reliance on founder-led decision-making.
• Strong stakeholder-management skills across shareholders, authorities, lenders, grant stakeholders, operators and advisers.
• Ability to identify and escalate risks and decisions clearly.
• Strong executive judgement across multiple simultaneous technical, commercial and operational workstreams.

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