About the job

Job summary

Climate Change and Sustainability Division

Within the Strategy, Sustainability and Impact Group, the Climate Change and Sustainability Division is responsible for a number of key departmental priority workstreams including:

• Sustainability: development and leadership of the department’s strategic direction relating to sustainable finance, sustainability policy and implementation. To develop and implement an effective approach to sustainability aligned with the department’s mission statement and wider strategy, the overall UK Government approach, industry and market trends and good practice, and the expectations of the public and civil society. This includes cross-government, international (OECD, Net Zero Export Credit Agencies Alliance, Export Finance for the Future Group etc.) and financial sector leadership in climate change and other sustainability areas, for example taking forward the Clean Energy Transition Partnership.
• Implementation of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) recommendations and future sustainability-related change programmes: responsibility for delivery and implementation of TCFD across the department and through different directorates and divisions, in line with emerging best practice, developing and implementing a tailored approach for UKEF as an Export Credit Agency. Future change programmes linked to the sustainability agenda for which the division will be responsible are expected to include implementation of the IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards and implementation of other applicable taxonomies and frameworks.
• Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and sustainability impact: development and coordination of implementation of the department’s alignment with the SDGs, engaging both across the department and elsewhere across government and with external stakeholders in this objective. Additionally, leadership in shaping sustainability impact in the export finance space across government and internationally.
• Leadership: All activity will involve close partnership with other parts of UKEF’s Strategy, Sustainability and Impact Group (particularly Strategy Division, Product and Policy Division, Environmental and Social and International Relations), as well as its underwriting, risk, legal and DDAT functions, other government departments, ECA peers and private sector partners. Working with other senior leaders across the department to consider UKEF’s risk appetite relating to climate and sustainability.

Job description

The Co-Head of Climate Change and Sustainability will lead the team jointly, alongside the current Co-Head and Deputy Director. Responsibilities will include but not be limited to:

1. Team leadership, line management and development of staff, including maintaining the division’s collaborative and inclusive culture.
2. Advise the department’s senior leadership, Ministers, EGAC and Board on key climate change and sustainability issues.
3. Develop and implement UKEF’s approach to climate change and sustainability, including implementation of the department’s upcoming Sustainability Strategy and Business Plan objectives, alongside continued implementation of the department’s Climate Change Strategy, net zero commitment and portfolio emissions targets;
4. Provide ongoing leadership, accountability and technical oversight of UKEF’s Taskforce on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) reporting.
5. Working with the International Relations Division and E&S Division, support UKEF’s international leadership position among ECAs on sustainability issues and delivery of international engagement.
6. Oversee work on UKEF’s approach to the Sustainable Development Goals and understanding its international development impact.
7. Convene and engage other parts of UKEF in the sustainability agenda, ensuring good governance to support policy development decision-making.
8. Engage across government and externally to understand and influence emerging developments in policy and practice on climate change and sustainability.
9. Oversee horizon-scanning on emerging sustainability issues and develop UKEF’s strategic response.
10. Oversee delivery of the division’s input on transactions, working closely and maintaining a collaborative delivery model with the Environmental and Social Division.

All aspects of the Division’s work require working closely with colleagues across the department and engaging externally with other government departments, other ECAs and international institutions, financial institutions, civil society and business stakeholders to learn from and influence policy and best practice on climate change and sustainability issues.

The responsibilities above are not exhaustive; additional duties may arise according to business need.

Apprenticeship opportunities

This role may be open to apprenticeship opportunities on completion of probation. If successful, your line manager will discuss with you what apprenticeship options that may be available and whether you would like to pursue them. An apprenticeship provides a great opportunity to gain a professional qualification whilst working.

Person specification

ESSENTIAL

Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree or equivalent experience (A)

Knowledge

• Extensive awareness of sustainability issues, both current and emerging (A, P, I)
• Technical knowledge of climate change and sustainability matters, including comfort with data and reporting requirements (A, P, I)

Skills

• Strategic thinker with ability to influence and deliver at pace in a complex, multi-stakeholder environment (A, P, I)
• Ability to work confidently with uncertainty and the ambiguous and lead others in doing the same (A, I)
• Outstanding relationship-building and influencing skills, with a proven ability to influence senior stakeholders and build consensus (A, I)
• Strong written and verbal communication and presentation skills, preferably with international experience (A, P, I)
• Ability to work collaboratively with others across a complex internal and external stakeholder landscape (A, I)

Experience

• Demonstrated technical experience in climate change and sustainability, preferably within a financial services context (A, I)
• Experience leading and motivating teams; coaching and supporting individuals’ professional development (A, I)

DESIRABLE

Qualifications

• Undertaken formal training & qualifications in climate change and sustainability matters (A)

Knowledge

• Understanding of the role, remit and operating context of an export credit agency (A, P, I)

Experience

• Experience of developing sustainability-related strategy and policy (A)

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £73,150, UK Export Finance contributes £19,750 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, Ability, Experience and Technical skills.

We are assessing candidates using Success Profiles (see Appendix 1) and across the whole process we will assess your Experience, Ability, Technical aptitude and Behaviours as highlighted below.

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 750 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

In the event of a large number of applications at sift, there will be a pre-sift on the below essential criteria’s

• Demonstrated technical experience in climate change and sustainability, preferably within a financial services context (A, I)
• Experience leading and motivating teams; coaching and supporting individuals’ professional development (A, I)

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

• Behaviours/Technical/Experience - a formal panel interview where you will be interviewed across all five behaviours below and your technical ability to successfully carry out the role.
  • Behaviour - Seeing the Big Picture
  • Behaviour - Making Effective Decisions
  • Behaviour - Leadership
  • Behaviour - Communicating and Influencing
  • Behaviour - Working Together
• Technical - a short presentation (this will be on a topic determined by UKEF and will need to be prepared in advance).
• Technical - technical questions relating to the role

If you are successful after the initial interview, we may invite you for a second interview to further assess and determine your ability to carry out the role.

• Interview with members of the Senior Management Team
• Technical/Experience - a formal panel interview where you will be assessed against your technical ability to successfully carry out the role.

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.