Head of Due Diligence and Investment Appraisal in Cardiff

Location

Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Darlington, Edinburgh, London, Salford

About the job

Job summary

As Head of Due Diligence and Investment Appraisal, you will provide strategic leadership for DBIST’s specialist financial assessment function, setting the direction for how financial viability, deliverability, value for money and risk are assessed across high-profile grant and investment proposals. You will own the standards, assurance approach and senior advice that support Ministers, boards and senior decision-makers to take evidence-based funding decisions that protect public money while enabling economic growth.

Job description

As a senior leader, you will lead a team of specialist accountants and expert delivery partners, building capability across DBIST and ensuring robust due diligence, investment appraisal and financial risk assessment are embedded across the grant and investment portfolio. You will influence senior officials, Ministers, external advisers, other governmentdepartmentsand business leaders, using your professional judgement toprovideclear advice on complex corporate finance, businesscaseand subsidy issues. Your work will help DBISTdeploy public funds confidently, secure investment across the UK and safeguardtaxpayer value in linewith Government Grant Standards, Managing Public Money and DBIST’s assurance framework.

Head ofDue Diligence and Investment Appraisal

Key responsibilities:

• Set the strategic direction for DBIST’s due diligence and investment appraisal function, ensuring financial assessment activity is aligned to DBIST and wider HMG economicobjectives.
• Own and continuously improve the assurance standards,guidanceand operating model for Financial & Economic Assessment (Due Diligence), ensuring consistent,proportionateand high-quality advice across the grant and investment portfolio.
• Provide senior professional judgement on financial viability, investment appraisal, corporate finance, technicalaccountingand value-for-money issues, including where cases are novel, high-risk, high-value or politically sensitive.
• Lead portfolio-level assurance of due diligence activity,identifyingsystemic risks, quality issues, capabilitygapsand opportunities to strengthen decision-making, reporting and controls.
• Advise senior officials, boards, investment committees, Ministers and other decision-makers on the financial risks, trade-offs and assurance implications of grant and investment proposals.
• Ensure early and effective engagement with policy, commercial, legal,analysisand delivery teams so thatappropriate Financial & EconomicAssessment is built into scheme design, businesscasesand approval routes from the outset.
• Lead and deploy the G7 Forensic Accountant Team and specialist delivery partners through others, setting priorities, managing competingdemandsand ensuring resources were focused on the highest-risk and highest-value work.
• Provide formal review and senior clearance of Financial & Economic Assessment reports, ensuring advice is robust, concise, evidence-basedand clearly framed for senior decision-makers.
• Build capability across the team, directorate and wider DBIST by developing standards, sharing learning, coachingcolleaguesand creating a culture of professional excellence,challengeand continuous improvement.
• Maintain strong relationships with senior stakeholders across policy teams, wider DBIST, other government departments, external advisers,applicantsand beneficiaries to support joined-up delivery and credible challenge.
• Ensure grant and investment decisions are supported by complete,accurateandtimelyinformation through effective use of the Grants Hub System and wider reporting arrangements.
• Ensure all activitycomplies withGovernment Grant Standards, Managing Public Money and DBIST’s assurance framework, escalating materialrisksand issues where senior intervention isrequired.
• Act as line manager and senior leader for the team, settingobjectives, delegating effectively, developing talent, managingperformanceand creating an inclusive,empoweringand high-performing culture.
• Contribute to the wider leadership of the Grant Delivery Directorate and Corporate Services Group, deputising whereappropriateand modelling the Civil Service Leadership Statement.
• Undertake any other dutiescommensuratewith the grade and strategic leadership scope of the post.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

The below criteria are essential and will be assessed at application stage;

• Significant experienceof investment appraisal, financial due diligence, corporate finance, financial viabilityassessmentor equivalent senior financial assessment work, with the ability to apply professional judgement to complex, high-valueor high-risk cases.
• Strong understanding of value for money, business cases, financial risk, subsidy considerations, grantassuranceand the stewardship of public money, including the ability to apply Government Grant Standards, Managing PublicMoneyand departmental assurance requirements in practice.
• Ability tooperatecredibly with senior executives, Finance Directors, external advisers, senior officials and Ministers,providingclear advice, constructivechallengeand confident recommendations in real time.
• Strategic leadership capability, including setting direction, prioritising across a portfolio,anticipatingrisk, improvingsystemsand influencing how financial assessment supports DBT’s wider economicobjectives.
• Proven ability to deliver through others, including leading specialist teams, developing capability, delegating effectively, managingperformanceand creating an inclusive culture of trust,empowermentand professional excellence.
• Excellent communication, influencing and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to translate complex financial evidence into succinct advice for senior decision-makers.
• Strong organisational judgement and resilience, with the ability to manage conflicting priorities, maketimelydecisions under pressure andmaintainquality across multiple live schemes and cases.
• Full member of CCAB body (e.g., ICAEW or Scottish equivalent, ACCA or CIMA).

Memberships

Full member of CCAB body (e.g., ICAEW or Scottish equivalent, ACCA or CIMA)

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Leadership
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Managing a Quality Service
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Significant experience of investment appraisal, financial due diligence, corporate finance, financial viability assessment or senior financial assessment work, with the ability to apply judgement to complex, high-value or high-risk cases.