Head of Due Diligence and Investment Appraisal

Location

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

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.

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.

• 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,guidance and 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,identifying systemic 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,analysis and delivery teams so that appropriate Financial & Economic Assessment 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,challenge and continuous improvement.
• Maintain strong relationships with senior stakeholders across policy teams, wider DBIST, other government departments, external advisers,applicants and 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 with Government Grant Standards, Managing Public Money and DBIST’s assurance framework, escalating materialrisksand issues where senior intervention is required.
• Act as line manager and senior leader for the team, setting objectives, 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.

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

• Significant experience of 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 Public Moneyand departmental assurance requirements in practice.
• Ability…