About the job

Job summary

Origination and Client Coverage (OCC) is the internationally facing business development and client relationship arm of UKEF. We are primarily responsible for delivering new business opportunities in overseas markets suitable for UKEF financing. We do this by:

• Engaging with British exporters and overseas buyers to build up the business pipeline of opportunities suitable for UKEF support.
• Developing business development strategies for overseas markets of interest by connecting with current and potential clients both in the UK and globally
• Coordinating the activities of our international team of export finance executives based in British Missions across the world.
• Delivering a client coverage functionality in the department through a customer relationship approach
• Collaborating across Whitehall, working closely with DIT, HMT, FCDO and others to make sure the UKEF offer is front and centre in HMGs trade promotion and diplomatic activities.
• Aligning to UKEF’s broader strategy including public policy priorities to translate strategic intent into commercial outcomes, particularly focused on clean growth and sustainability.

Job description

We are looking for a dynamic Business Origination Officer to support our international activities. You will be working in an outward facing team that engages with exporters and their buyers overseas including foreign governments and corporates as well as financial institutions.

This role provides key support to the team helping meet the OCC objectives for the UKEF’s Business Plan. The OCC division is organised along regional lines with individuals in the team supporting delivery across regions under a Regional Head, working closely with OCC’s international network of Country Heads.

Person specification

The main objectives for this role focus on providing support to the team that entail dealing with new business enquiries, liaising with overseas staff, developing, and maintaining management information systems and coordinating strategic planning activities of the team.

The main responsibilities of the role include:

• Assisting the team in evaluating potential business opportunities suitable for UKEF support
• Preparing marketing materials/ presentations for exporters, government ministries and other relevant stakeholders to promote awareness of the UKEF offer.
• Reviewing team pipeline information on Salesforce (the department’s Client Relationship Management tool) and keeping it current by liaising with team members both in the UK and overseas
• Liaising with the other teams in UKEF to deliver support for project opportunities.
• Supporting the team in planning activities such as regional strategies and global catch-ups/ workshops on origination matters.
• Given the department’s focus on clean growth initiatives, monitoring the origination pipeline to track its clean growth profile.
• Supporting the induction of new hires as the division expands
• Supporting the team in operational management of the team on matters such as budgets and business process requirements
• Supporting the delivery of division’s reporting to senior management of its activities
• Collaborating with colleagues in OGDs (in particular DIT and FCDO) on trade promotion activities of relevance to UKEF
• Supporting the international network in their activities by providing HQ support
• Developing case studies and tailoring presentation materials
• Leading OCC’s contribution to briefings for UKEF’s CEO and Ministers

Each Business Origination Officer has significant contact with staff at all levels in OCC (and the Business Group in general) as well as other key areas of UKEF and our external stakeholders. The role requires a large amount of autonomy and provides opportunities for direct exposure to senior management cadre. In a growing team there would be opportunities for career progression and general learning and development.

This list is not exhaustive, and you may be required to carry out additional duties according to business needs.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £37,000, UK Export Finance contributes £9,990 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

You will be invited to complete the online application form.  The application form must be completed by 23.55 on the day of the closing date for it to be accepted.

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

You will be asked in the relevant sections of the application form to provide examples of evidence against a range of the success profiles (refer to appendix 1).  Where applicants are asked to apply with a personal statement, 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:

1. Experience
2. Ability
3. Technical
4. Behaviours

In the event of large number of applications, your application will be sifted against the lead behaviour Delivering at Pace.

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

1. Behaviours/Technical/Experience - a formal panel interview where you will be interviewed across all three behaviours highlighted and your technical ability to successfully carry out the role.
2. Technical - a short presentation (this will be on a topic determined by UKEF and will need to be prepared in advance).

 Details of interview panel members will be e-mailed to all successful candidates who are invited for interview.

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

Security

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). 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) (opens in a new window)
• 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 (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) 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 (opens in a new window). 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.