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 exact responsibilities of the role will be flexible according to the experience and preferences of the successful candidate. These are expected to include, but are not limited to:

• Working collaboratively to deliver of UKEF’s approach to climate change and sustainability issues. This will include 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;
• Delivering UKEF’s ongoing implementation of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) recommendations, including through TCFD reporting;
• Implementing UKEF’s approach to the Sustainable Development Goals and understanding its international development impact.
• Advising on the application of sustainability strategy and policy to transactions, working closely with colleagues around the department.
• Drafting high quality and robust briefing and advice for senior stakeholders, including our Board, Executive Committee, Export Guarantees Advisory Council
• Contributing to cross-Government strategy and policy development on climate change and sustainable development;
• Contributing to the work of the wider team and department as needed, and maintaining strong culture of value for diversity and inclusion in doing so.

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.

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

Person specification

ESSENTIAL

Qualification

• Undergraduate degree or equivalent experience (A)

 

Knowledge

 

• Understanding of climate change and / or sustainability issues (A, P, I)

 

Skills

• Strategic thinker with an analytical and pragmatic approach to problem solving. (A, P, I)
• Ability to work confidently with uncertainty or ambiguity (A, P, I)
• Outstanding relationship-building and influencing skills (A, P, I)
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, and the ability to communicate with confidence. (A, P, I)

Experience

• Experience working on climate change and/or sustainable development issues (A, I)

 

DESIRABLE

Qualifications

• Evidence of professional development or formal training & qualifications in climate change and sustainability matters (A)

 

Knowledge

• Technical knowledge of climate change and sustainability matters, including comfort with data and reporting requirements (A, P, I)
• Understanding of the role, remit and operating context of an export credit agency (A, P, I)

 

Skills

• Ability to work confidently with data and apply quantitative methods (A, P, I)

 

Experience

• Experience working in trade, financial services and/or government (A, I)
• Experience of using Excel or other data management and/or data visualisation tools (e.g. Power BI) or willingness to learn (A, I)

 

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £43,890, UK Export Finance contributes £11,850 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

• Understanding of climate change and / or sustainability issues (A, P, I)
• Experience working on climate change and/or sustainable development issues (A, I)

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 four behaviours highlighted and your technical ability to successfully carry out the role.
   • Behaviour - Making Effective Decisions
   • Behaviour - Delivering at Pace
   • Behaviour - Communicating and Influencing
   • Behaviour - Working Together
2. Technical - a short presentation assessing technical ability to carry out the role and the behaviour Seeing the Big Picture (this will be on a topic determined by UKEF and will need to be prepared in advance).
3. Technical - technical questions relating to 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.