About the job

Job summary

The principal role of the Department is to support UK companies exporting to foreign markets by providing insurance, loan and guarantee products. To perform its statutory function, UKEF must assume significant credit risks on behalf of UK exporters and overseas buyers of UK exports. These risks are taken in jurisdictions across the globe.

Consequently, the financial success of the Department is crucially dependent upon sound risk management practices. The Risk Management Group (RMG), under the leadership of the Chief Risk Officer (CRO) is responsible for all aspects of risk management including setting risk policies, new business credit assessments and pricing (circa £3bn per annum), ensuring obligor, counterparty and country risks are properly monitored and controlled across UKEF’s risk portfolio (circa £31bn) throughout the tenor of our facilities, as well as designing, implementing and managing the Department’s Enterprise Risk Framework.

RMG convenes the Enterprise Risk & Credit Committee (ERiCC) which is responsible for advising the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) on effective management of UKEF’s credit risk exposures, on both a case specific and portfolio level, and operational and enterprise-wide risks across UKEF in accordance with policies set out in UKEF’s Credit Risk Policy, Enterprise Risk Policy and Operational Risk Policy.

RMG works in partnership with the CEO’s office, Business Group, Finance & Operations, Legal & Compliance, Digital Data and Technology (DDaT) and Strategy, Sustainability & Impact Group

The Group consists of five divisions: Risk Approval Division, Pricing and Risk Analytics Division, Portfolio Management Division, Restructuring, Claims & Recoveries Division and Enterprise Risk Division.

Job description

UK Export Finance faces a variety of risks from both external and internal sources and is committed to supporting a continuous improvement culture across the organisation with the aim of reducing operational, financial and reputational losses from inadequate processes or systems, human error, unanticipated external events, or legal risk. 

It is the responsibility of the Enterprise Risk Division to continually review, enhance and develop the Department’s Enterprise Risk Framework.  This framework is designed to ensure that adequate processes, procedures, reporting and control mechanisms are in place to facilitate the identification, assessment, reporting and remediation of operational risks within the department that unremedied could lead to material and potentially fatal, financial consequences and / or reputational damage to the Department.

The Enterprise Risk Division operates via three teams:

• The Risk Governance team, responsible for designing, implementing, and managing a best practice Risk Appetite Framework within UKEF, supporting business functions to embed it in their day-to-day operations and managing RMG’s “corporate” contributions; Managing UKEF’s Policy Library, setting best practice for Policy Management pan UKEF; Managing the Enterprise Risk and Credit Committee (ERiCC); Oversight and management of the RMG Academy
• The Operational Risk team, responsible for designing, implementing, monitoring, and managing a best practice Operational Risk Framework within UKEF to support the effective management of risks by assisting within acceptable boundaries whilst achieving the strategic objectives within the UK Export Finance Business Plan; and
• The Risk Assurance team, responsible for providing reliable assurance (evidence) to the Chief Executive and key governance committees on organisational stewardship and the management of major UKEF risks by delivering a programme of assurance testing and the control environment certificate (CEC) self-certification process. In addition, this team benchmarks UKEFs risk processes against the cross-government standards detailed in the Orange Book and manages UKEFs approach to risk maturity.

Person specification

UK Export Finance is committed to supporting a continuous improvement culture across the organisation with the aim of strengthening the control environment pan-UKEF.

 

The role will help to support the Head of Enterprise Risk to continually promote good risk management awareness and practices across the organisation.

 

The Enterprise Risk  Manager is responsible for working across all three teams and will lead on one of the three main disciplines (but will have a good knowledge of all aspects of ERM). This includes:

 

• Undertaking Assurance Testing reviews, proactive action management and contributing to the development of the annual assurance testing plan. Co-ordinating and collaborating with other second line of defence functions and Internal Audit.
• Co-ordinating and managing Risk Appetite pan UKEF
• Delivering regular reporting to multiple stakeholders and Committees
• Co-ordinating the presentation and analysis of, the Control Environment Certificate
• Working closely with all Divisions to facilitate the embedding of risk & control assessments (RACA’s), control catalogues, process maps and the reporting of operational risk
• Management of Enterprise Risk & Credit Committee (ERiCC) Secretariat
• Managing UKEF’s Policy Library to set the defined standards and to ensure that they are met
• Assisting with the management of the RMG Academy
• Benchmarking UKEF’s risk and assurance approach against the Orange Book (public sector standard) reporting
• Discussing key findings/ risk themes at Enterprise Risk and Credit Committee (ERiCC) to improve the Department’s risk and assurance performance
• Ensuring the Enterprise Risk Division’s policies, processes and controls are reviewed and updated on an annual basis (minimum)

 

Line management responsibility for this role is dependent upon resources.

 

Main Activities

Leadership and Management

• Matrix manage and motivate a small team of SEO’s / HEO’s.
• Provide strong thought leadership, the ability to focus clearly on priorities and to demonstrate an evidence-based approach. 
• Act as an advocate for Enterprise Risk through generous collaboration with colleagues and stakeholders and the development and presentation of training and reference resources.
• Liaise with multiple stakeholders both internal to UKEF (principally Group Directors, Divisional Heads, SLT, Risk Champions) and external (within the wider government and other risk/assurance experts). Develop effective working relationships with other key internal partners to ensure a joined-up approach.
• In collaboration with the Senior Manager, Enterprise Risk Management, be a ‘go to’ senior adviser to Directors, Group Heads and colleagues on risk management to support the development and embedding of a positive culture to compliance and assurance through proactive and constructive engagement and the development and presentation of training and reference resources.
• Deputise for the Senior Manager, Enterprise Risk Management as appropriate.

 

General

• A good knowledge of operational and enterprise risk and the ability to discuss, advise and collaborate with stakeholders at all levels of the organisation
• Assist the Senior Manager, Enterprise Risk Management in driving continuous improvement throughout the Department, including the integration of Operational Risk Management across all Divisions. Ensuring that ownership (and responsibility for resolution) remains with the relevant Divisional Head but providing both the tools and support to ensure consistent and timely remediation across the Department.
• Define, develop, discuss and agree with key stakeholders the key components, metrics and reporting of UKEF Risk Appetite. Proactively promote awareness of the Risk Appetite across UKEF.
• Deliver the Assurance Testing plan and ensure that assigned actions are proactively managed and remediated by the business. Ensure that the Assurance Testing Framework Is subject to review and update in accordance with defined timelines.
• Assist the Senior Manager, Enterprise Risk Management in managing and reporting UKEF’s Risk Appetite.
• Facilitating the year end, Control Environment Certificate process, a self-certification process providing reliable assurance (evidence) to the Chief Executive and ERiCC on organisational stewardship and the management of major UKEF risks.
• Manage and direct the UKEF Policy Framework requirements, promoting the Governance requirements across UKEF and ensuring that the central Policy Library is appropriately maintained and updated.
• Proactively lead and contribute to the framework for the outgoing monitoring and management of RMG policies, processes, procedures and controls including constructive challenge and continuous improvement for internal process efficiency.
• Manage the ERiCC Secretariat (including agendas, minutes & papers).
• Lead on periodically benchmarking pan UKEF risk management practice against the Orange Book. Identify best practice and use that knowledge to support continuous improvement. 
• Lead on the development, implementation, and maintenance of risk maturity assessment.

Collaborating with senior stakeholders (principally Group Directors, Divisional Heads, SLT) and other colleagues to assess current practice. Produce a roadmap to the desired maturity level and drive the required improvements.

• Generate cross government specialist points of contact and generously collaborate to identify best/good practice, recommending improvements within UKEF.
• Proactively report the outcomes of all ERD assurance activity to provide meaningful insight to senior stakeholders (principally Group Directors, Divisional Heads, SLT) ensuring this supports the Head of Enterprise Risk and the Chief Risk Officer’s role in advising Senior leadership teams, the Executive Committee and the Board.
• Attend ERiCC and Risk Committee as required and prepare and present papers to Committee Members.
• Contribute to Risk Management Group policies and projects.

 

This list is not exhaustive; the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties according to business need.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £56,430, UK Export Finance contributes £15,236 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). 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. Technical
3. Behaviours

 

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

1. Technical - Interviewed across your technical ability to successfully carry out the role.

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

1. Behaviours/Technical/Experience - a formal panel interview where you will be interviewed across all four 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).

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.