Business Manager

Details
Reference number

439461

Salary

£61,250 - £76,671

A market supplement of 15% of the starting salary will also be payable.

A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

GBP

Job grade

Grade 7

Contract type

Permanent

Business area

UKEF - Business Group - Aero and Defence

Type of role

Finance

Working pattern

Flexible working, Full-time

Number of jobs available

1

Contents

• Location
• About the job
• Benefits
• Things you need to know
• Apply and further information

Location

Westminster, London

About the job
Job summary
The Division

UKEF's Business Group is at the very heart of what we do as a department. Due to expansion and growth of our business and customer base UKEF is looking to fill a Business Manager underwriting role in the Defence, Shipping & Space team that sits within the wider Aerospace, Defence, Shipping & Space division led by Pat Cauthery.

Typically, our support can help UK exporters win, fulfil and get paid for contracts in all sectors. We are looking for highly motivated individuals who are process driven with demonstrable finance and interpersonal skills who can originate and lead transactions through to issue working effectively with an established team.

Aerospace, Defence, Shipping and Space (ADSS)

The Aerospace, Defence, Shipping & Space team is one of two divisions within the Business Group dealing primarily with originating and executing medium / long-term export finance transactions. The team deals with all stages of UKEF's new business lifecycle in these sectors from initial approaches to the provision of cover/support. ADSS's work directly supports UKEF's core mission. It makes a significant direct contribution to our ambition to support the export strategy through support for exporters and their customers in the covered sectors, working with some of the UK's largest manufacturers and their supply chains.

Job description
About the Role

The Business Manager's overall role is to lead and have overall responsibility for a team of staff responsible for evaluating and progressing enquiries and applications from exporters, banks and other institutions seeking UKEF support.

The role involves the management of defence, shipping and space sector cases (directly or by delegating to the relevant team member) to: 1) obtain the necessary approvals, e.g. credit risk committee; 2) work on creative solutions regarding financial structuring and documentation; 3) underwrite and issue commitments; and 4) negotiate and issue documents to enable support to be made available by any UKEF insurance product or finance guarantees to banks or via a direct lending solution.

The post holder must ensure that any support which is provided meets the needs of the customer and complies with UKEF's governing Act of Parliament, the Consent to operate by HM Treasury, International Agreements applying to Export Credit Agencies as well as in compliance with our policies and practices.

The post holder will normally be UKEF's lead negotiator on individual cases and take lead responsibility on managing a portfolio of potentially high profile, high value and complex transactions. They will work on multiple cases, simultaneously, in a highly pressurised, commercially driven, technical, international environment. The ability to respond within commercially driven timescales is particularly important.

The role often involves significant analysis of complex and non-standard issues leading to timely decision making, seeking advice as necessary from professional advisers and colleagues; being able to interpret and act on advice; knowing when to refer upwards and ensuring the proper recording of decisions made by relevant members of the team.

They will undertake senior marketing representation, business development and build/maintain important commercial relationships e.g. by delivering presentations at commercial and government conferences and seminars as well as by being a credible chair or senior participant at meetings with UKEF stakeholders.

It also often involves advising senior staff, wider-Whitehall colleagues and ministers on and directly managing contentious issues and balancing the needs of multiple stakeholders with different viewpoints (e.g. commercial, legal and national/strategic).

The Business Manager is expected to self-develop professional/product knowledge through experience and be politically and commercially aware. Importance is attached to them leading, mentoring and coaching of a small team of more junior staff, to bring out the best in the team.

Main Activities

• Managing complex and novel casework across a varied portfolio to commercial deadlines, working within a statutory framework. Ensuring that cases meet the relevant international agreements, UKEF's underwriting policies / the needs of reinsurance partners.
• Having overall responsibility for taking cases through the risk approval and underwriting processes working with other parts of the Department and advisers, seeking advice from colleagues and others as required. This involves effective advocacy (up to Ministerial level on occasion) in discussion and in writing, with clear persuasive arguments being made.
• Leading a team drawn from UKEF and external law firms/advisers, banks, exporters and other Export Credit Agencies to project manage cases; setting deadlines and objectives, anticipating and mitigating risks and monitoring and reviewing progress.
• Chairing and participating in meetings, conference calls, and negotiations with key stakeholders exporters, overseas buyers, banks, legal advisers, project developers and other government departments (e.g. cross-Whitehall committees on international trade).
• Negotiating key documentation for UKEF's suite of facilities and ancillary products with stakeholders (exporters, banks, and buyers) and developing creative solutions to issues arising in negotiations, often within very tight timescales.
• Analysing issues arising during underwriting and deal execution processes and producing specific and detailed authoritative advice for senior decision makers, obtaining relevant legal and other advice as required, to meet the needs of senior decision makers and exercising their own autonomy as appropriate. Seeing the bigger picture in the context of decisions being made or recommended in the context of UKEF and the wider world.
• Managing and expanding a variety of important relationships with key exporters and customers to understand their markets and business needs to ensure that they obtain the maximum benefit from the support UKEF provides.
• Representing UKEF and the UK government more widely at conferences, presenting at seminars, explaining clearly UKEF's policies, processes and products.
• Pitching UKEF's offer and both Identifying and developing relationships with potential businesses who could benefit from UKEF support.
• Developing and maintaining a detailed technical knowledge of international financing mechanisms, structures, UKEF products, OECD terms and Whitehall objectives.
• Managing staff across a range of levels; setting objectives, delegating work, training and development and managing performance, appraisal and discipline. Coaching team members and providing guidance, to develop their technical, project management and negotiating skills as well as their wider skill set Ensuring resources are deployed effectively.
• To identify, initiate and/ or develop new approaches to complex case work and/ or policy, managing any change effectively, adapting where necessary to operational requirements.
• Contributing to wider UKEF policies and management issues.

Person specification

UK Export Finance is looking for motivated individuals with a desire to learn about the business. Successful candidates will be provided not only with functional training to enable them to do well in their role, but also with personal development to help them to achieve their career ambitions. Please note that the person specification below outlines at which stage(s) you will be assessed on how you meet the criteria for the role(s) including:-

A= assessed at application stage I = assessed at interview stage T= assessed by test stage P = assessed at presentation stage

Essential
Qualifications

• At least 5 GSCEs (A*- C) or equivalent including Maths and English, or good numeracy and written skills. (A)

Knowledge

• An understanding of and aptitude for learning more about international finance techniques. (A, I)
• An understanding of and aptitude for learning more about the main finance and risk structures used in export finance/defence, shipping and space finance. (A,I)
• A full understanding of the environment that UKEF operates within and the wider UKEF and external picture. (A, P, I)
• A deep understanding of the sector issues, themes and structures across the deal pipeline which encompasses the defence, shipping and space sectors (A, P, I)

Skills/Ability

• Lead negotiator skills, effective communication skills (oral and written) sufficient to be credible with a wide range of senior stakeholders (A, P, I)
• Proficient numeracy skills, demonstrable analytical ability to review a range of issues, including the ability to understand and authoritatively advise on complex, financial, legal and policy issues. (P, I)
• Effective problem-solving skills and ability to think creatively when difficult or unusual problems are presented (A, P, I)
• Ability to work without close supervision, exercise autonomy sensibly and to ensure that deadlines are met (A, I)
• Ability to work effectively within, and manage, cross-departmental teams (A, I)
• Ability to represent UKEF effectively externally at all levels – including internationally at 'experts' meetings (A, I)
• Management skills to lead, coach and manage team members at a more junior level (A, I)
• Ability to tutor on financing, industry, or departmental issues (A, I)

Experience

• Experience of managing teams to deliver outcomes (A, I)
• Experience of dealing with senior external customers/stakeholders (A, I)
• Experience of concluding ECA transactions or equivalent in the private or public sector (A, P, I)
• Experience of structuring financing packages (A, I)
• Experience of commercial process management, and decision taking at a middle management level (A, I)

Other

• Travel will be required both in the UK and overseas (A)

Qualifications

At least 5 GSCEs (A*- C) or equivalent including Maths and English, or good numeracy and written skills

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Managing a Quality Service
• Leadership

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Presentation - this will be a subject / topic agreed by UKEF and provided to relevant candidates.
• Case study

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £61,250, UK Export Finance contributes £17,744 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Things you need to know
Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles , and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

The application must be completed by 23.55 on the day of the closing date for it to be accepted.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

All applications will be sifted against our essential criteria outlined in the personal specification.

• Qualification - At least 5 GSCEs (A*- C) or equivalent including Maths and English, or good numeracy and written skills. (A)
• Statement of suitability - you should fully articulate in 500 words how you meet the essential criteria outlined in the person specification within the Information Pack.

For the initial sift your application will be evaluated against:

• Experience - Application and Statement of Suitability.

In the event of a large response an initial sift will be carried out against the following essential criteria:

• Experience of concluding ECA transactions or equivalent in the private or public sector

If you are successful following the sift stage, you will be invited to an initial interview; this will include the following assessment:

• Behaviours / Experience - a formal panel interview where you will be interviewed across all two behaviours highlighted.
• Technical - you will be assessed across your technical expertise and acumen, in relation to the essential criteria:
• Presentation - this will be a subject / topic agreed by UKEF and provided to relevant candidates.
  Case study

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check .

See our vetting charter .

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles .

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy .

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants
Job contact :

• Name : Recruitment Team
• Email :

Recruitment team

• Email :

Further information

Should you have a complaint or wish to raise any concerns regarding the recruitment process, please e-mail your complaint to the Head of Pay and Resourcing (UKEF) at and include "Complaint" in the subject heading. Should you remain dissatisfied following UKEF's investigation then you can refer your complaint to the Commission -

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