Assistant Director - Corporate Finance

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At UK Government Investments (UKGI), we create value for society from government’s most complex commercial interests. What we do is unique, and so are we. Wholly owned by HM Treasury (HMT), our team comprises c.150 experts who work together to provide high quality corporate finance and corporate governance expertise to departments, advising in support of their policy objectives.

Working for UKGI provides a unique opportunity for talented individuals from the public and private sector to contribute to work of national importance. The work we do is challenging and fast-paced and is always significant in terms of social, economic, and political impact.


About UKGI

Our work is delivered in four areas:

Governance: Acting as the representative for, and leading the establishment of, UK government’s most complex and commercial arm’s length bodies on behalf of sponsor departments. We typically perform this via a dedicated shareholder team and provide a Shareholder Non-Executive Director as a member of the arm’s length body’s board. We work on behalf of 9 departments for 24 publicly owned businesses which together employ over 158,000 people, generate around £30bn of gross income and manage over £1trillion of assets.

Corporate finance: Advising departments on corporate finance matters, including all major government financial interventions into distressed corporate structures and corporate finance negotiations. We have undertaken a key advisory role in some of the most high-profile transactions and situations facing Government, including the sale of Chelsea Football Club, as well as supporting departments with matters arising from the ongoing war in Ukraine and supporting the launch of the Energy Markets Financing Scheme

Asset Realisation: Preparing and executing all significant corporate asset sales by the UK Government, including supporting the policy to return NatWest Group to the private sector

Contingent Liabilities: Improving management of fiscal risk by strengthening expertise within government. This involves undertaking a new, cross-government data collection and analysis project that will help map the current contingent liability landscape.


The Role

Depending on the size of the business or project and the nature of UKGI’s role, the number of projects an Assistant Director will work on can range from one to several and span multiple sectors.   Depending on the portfolio of work you are assigned, you will have a range of responsibilities working within your team(s) to provide Corporate Finance and Corporate Governance advice in the areas listed above.

Post holders will be expected to contribute to the Government’s role more widely as owner of an extensive portfolio, providing advice and best practice in their areas of expertise such as corporate finance, transaction management. You will also be a key part of UKGI’s corporate governance responsibilities, ensuring best practice is followed and impactful public appointments made across some of HMG’s most complex assets.


Other responsibilities may include:

Providing solid corporate finance advice and strategic financial management to support the achievement of commercial outcomes relevant to UKGI’s objectives.

Building and maintaining strong working relationships with senior internal and external stakeholders.

Working with key stakeholders and external advisers to execute major asset sales by the Government.   



About You

We are looking for someone who can demonstrate a depth of corporate finance experience and will typically have around a decade's experience within the sector. You will also ideally have a background in one or more of the following areas:

Investment banking
M&A
Private equity
Corporate development
Financial strategy



You should also be able to demonstrate:

An ability to influence colleagues, both internally and across government, helping UKGI to deliver better outcomes.
An ability to work collaboratively across multiple levels, whilst having the confidence to challenge assumptions as part of a team and with colleagues at all levels.
An ability to work on and manage complex workstreams on an autonomous basis if needed, becoming the go-to person.
A drive to develop impactful networks both internally and externally across government, and supports other colleagues in building theirs.
A deep technical expertise, with the ability to convey complex information clearly and concisely to a time limited audience, and a willingness to actively share that expertise within the wider team.
A proactive approach to self-development, and an understanding of what you need to learn to be more impactful in your role.
Experience of delegating effectively where needed, clarifying team strategy where needed in collaboration with the Executive Director.

If you would like to know more about the competency framework you will be assessed against at interview, visit the ‘Explaining UKGI Grades’ section under ‘Working for Us’ on our website.


Diversity Statement

UKGI has a strong commitment to equality and diversity. Our aim is to be an open and inclusive organisation, recruiting and retaining diverse, talented and high-performing people who support and develop one another.

UKGI is a Disability Confident Employer. This means we’ve been recognised as an employer which is confident and leading the way in recruiting and retaining staff with disabilities. We will offer an interview to any applicants with a disability who have indicated they wish to take part in the disability confident scheme, provided they meet the essential criteria for the post set out in the person specification. If you need any reasonable adjustments to take part in the selection process, please tell us about this in your application.

UKGI is also part of the ‘Great Place to Work for Veterans’ initiative. This means that as part of our commitment to diversity and equality in our recruitment and retention policy, we will offer an interview to any eligible applicants from His Majesty’s Armed Forces provided they meet the essential criteria for the post set out in the person specification. Please indicate on your application that you wish for your application to be considered as part of this initiative.

In line with company policy, we will be employing a hybrid working model based, with 40% of your time being home-based. At UKGI we place a high degree of value on work life balance and as such applications from individuals seeking flexible working, reduced hours contracts and job shares are also actively encouraged.

If you wish to learn more about how your data is used, please click on the document attached to this role.