About the job

Job summary

The Business Finance Policy team’s objective is to support entrepreneurs to access the finance they need to grow their businesses. We deliver this by understanding the UK’s debt and equity finance markets, identifying finance gaps, and developing policies and programmes to address them.

We work closely with the British Business Bank, which delivers and manages the government’s access to finance programmes for smaller businesses.

This role is to support access to finance for underserved groups and the UK’s most innovative companies through policy development to increase UK corporate investment in start-ups, increase the number of emerging venture capital fund managers entering the market, and support women-founded businesses to access finance.

The UK has the third largest venture capital ecosystem in the world. You will actively engage with the private sector and venture capital industry to support the most innovative and highest growth businesses in the UK. You will work on policy development across cutting-edge sectors, including space, cleantech, life-sciences, and deeptech.

Women-led businesses are under-represented across important parts of the economy, which can limit economic growth. We know that £250 billion could be added to the UK economy if women were given the opportunity to start and scale businesses at the same rate as men.

To help unlock the untapped potential of investing in women entrepreneurs, your role includes driving the expansion and development of the Investing in Women Code and its signatories, providing policy and operational support. The Code is a voluntary agreement led by the Department for Business and Trade that is world leading.

You will shape policy development for emerging areas such as disability entrepreneurs, and ethnic minority entrepreneurs, and lead on content creating for the Invest in Women Hub, an excellent online resource for female founders.

You will advise the Minister for Small Business on access to finance policy, and the development of any new programmes and policies.

This is an industry-facing role where you will build strong relationships with private sector stakeholders. You will have the opportunity to represent the Department at industry events, and will work closely with the British Business Bank to support policy sponsorship as the largest domestic investor in UK venture capital funds.

Job description

You will drive policy development on access to finance, working with the Assistant Director for Technology Finance and the Assistant Director for Women’s Entrepreneurship. You will: 

• Support policy development to increase the number of emerging fund managers entering the UK market by building an evidence base on the barriers facing emerging fund managers.
• Support policy sponsorship of the British Business Bank for the Future Fund: Breakthrough and Enterprise Capital Funds. Including reviewing investment strategies, funding requests and the design of new programmes.
• Support the development and expansion of the Investing in Women Code, in partnership with the Code Partners: The British Business Bank, UK Business Angels Association, BVCA, UK Finance and Responsible Finance. The Code is a voluntary agreement for finance providers to increase access to finance for women-led businesses.
• Lead on communications for the Investing in Women Code, including onboarding of new finance providers, supporting current signatories, management of the inbox, and the organisation of upcoming events to build a sense of community.
• Support content creation for the Invest in Women Hub. The Hub is an online resource for women entrepreneurs. Typical tasks include interviewing inspirational women founders for case studies, organising regional events, sourcing content from partners and other parts of government.
• You will work with industry partners to increase corporate venture capital activity in the UK and for underrepresented founders through events, thought leadership, and policy interventions.
• Represent DBT and the Business Finance Policy team at industry events to increase the visibility of Government within the investment ecosystem for start-ups and underrepresented founders, and to proactively build relationships with industry professionals.

Person specification

Skills and Experience

Essential Criteria

• Excellent oral and written communications skills, including the ability to explain complex information and ideas to non-specialists.
• The ability to work in ambiguity to develop policy in response to findings from industry engagement and market feedback.
• A willingness and interest in proactively and positively building relationships with external stakeholders.
• The ability to work on a range of projects and work-streams simultaneously, and to manage your workflow effectively when doing so.
• An interest in the UK start-up ecosystem and a desire to support the growth of the UK's most innovative and women-led businesses.

Desirable Criteria

• Experience of the equity finance or innovation ecosystem.
• Experience of managing a wide range of stakeholders.
• Experience of inter-departmental working to develop Government policy.

Personal Attributes & Skills

• A team player who is comfortable collaborating by default.
• Intellectual curiosity and a desire to develop expertise within their policy area.
• An enthusiasm for meeting people and building relationships.
• Good organisation skills to manage a high volume of communications.
• Demonstrate high levels of emotional intelligence and relationship management.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £36,583, Department for Business and Trade contributes £9,877 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, Strengths and Experience.

Interviews for this vacancy will be conducted virtually. We will, however, consider in-person interviews by exception.

Please ensure that you check your emails regularly as all updates from us will be sent to you this way.

To apply for this post, you will be asked to complete the following as part of the online application:   

• A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Provide employment history that relates to the essential criteria, and that any gaps in employment history within the last 2 years are explained. The CV should not exceed more than 2 x A4 pages.
• A Personal Statement of up to 750 words explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role in reference to the essential criteria.

It is likely that the sift will take place 1-2 weeks after the closing date and interviews 3-5 weeks after the closing date though this is subject to change.

In the event of a large number of applicants, an initial short sift will be conducted on the Personal Statement. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview.  

Reasonable Adjustments

We are committed to supporting candidates so they can perform at their best throughout the recruitment process. This includes making reasonable adjustments to our process. In order to request an adjustment: 

Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section on the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. 

Alternatively contact the Government Recruitment Service at DBTrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.  

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

Candidate Support

You may want to join a virtual Candidate Support Session. These sessions include helpful tips and advice on the recruitment process, from application to interview.  

Please see attached Candidate Pack for further information on: Diversity and Inclusion; Benefits; Learning and Development; Working Patterns and what we deliver as a department. 

Further Information

• A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made. Reserve Lists will be for each location and appointments made in merit order based on location preferences.   
• Any move to the Department for Business and Trade from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments.
• The Department will not consider sponsoring a visa or issuing a Certificate of Sponsorship. We are unable to offer advice on any Visa and Immigration cases.  
• New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.  
• Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty. Any applicant who has details held on the IFD will be refused employment.   
• A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.  
• Terms and Conditions are attached.  Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.
•  Please note – the successful candidate will be expected to remain in post for a minimum of 18 months before being released for another role.
• This role may be considered as a secondment opportunity. Please reach out to the hiring manager listed at the bottom of this advert to discuss.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading. 

Feedback

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. 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.