Investment Manager

Job summary

Increasing private investment, foreign and domestic, is crucial to the UK’s economic growth and the future prosperity of its citizens. Leveraging private investment is also fundamental to delivering energy transition and establishing international leadership as a science and technology driven economy.

The Office for Investment (OfI) was spun out of Downing Street in January 2021 and is now a joint unit between No.10, HMT and the Department for Business and Trade (DBT). The OfI is an exciting, creative and dynamic place to work amongst a motivated and driven team with both commercial and public sector backgrounds. The Office works closely with Secretaries of State, Junior Ministers, No.10 and HMT to deliver the highest-value, highest profile investment propositions.

The team operates a flexible and flat structure which means that staff across all grades have the opportunity to work directly alongside the senior leadership and have direct exposure to ministers and senior business executives.

The OfI’s missions are to improve the UK’s chances of landing large and impactful internationally contestable investment projects; increase the allocation of capital investment into the UK from the world’s most prolific and exciting financial investors; and give the world’s most important investors the best possible experience of investing in the UK.

This is a wide-ranging role where you will get to develop new skills and build on existing ones to increase investment opportunities and shape the wider Government policies investors will operate under.

This role requires a broad skills base, including commercial judgement, problem solving, project management, numerical fluency, and the ability to form collaborative relationships both with clients and across Government.

You will have the confidence to engage directly with varied stakeholders across all levels of seniority, including: established and new businesses, investors, colleagues overseas, sector specialists, DBT Senior Leadership, and Ministers.

Job description

Project Delivery: As a member of the OfI’s Deal Making Unit, you will be responsible for leading and delivering high value commercial investment projects and providing a bespoke service to some of the world’s largest investors. This will involve:

• Driving creative, novel solutions to barriers to investment (including often a need to challenge the status quo)
• Leading and convening cross-departmental projects teams to align different Government policy areas behind strategic, high-value investment projects
• Working with industry experts to inform the UK strategy for investment promotion across different policy areas
• Scoping and delivering project milestones

Investor Mindset: You will form collaborative and trusted relationships with the world’s top investors, providing guidance on complex policy areas, helping them to understand what changes and advancements in the UK policy landscape means to their business models and where appropriate, working with them to shape their UK market entry/expansion strategies.

Investment Promotion: You will be proactive in understanding the UK landscape and the nation’s competitive advantage to promote the UK as a leading investment destination, developing bespoke pitches with confidence to attract inward investment conversations from global investors.

Influencing Policy Development: You will have the confidence to work and, where appropriate, lead cross-Government working groups to shape Government policy, translating investor feedback, particularly barriers to investment, into tangible solutions and in tandem thinking creatively about investment opportunities which catalyse private sector investment.

Advising Ministers and No.10: For those projects within the Deal Making Unit, you will lead on written and, where suitable, verbal briefings for Ministers and No.10 teams to inform strategic decisions on investment negotiations that sit at the heart of Government.

Corporate responsibility: Contribute to the effective management of the deal making team, fostering high performance and collaborative team culture. This may include people orientated activities such as resourcing, team budgets and finances and people development.

Person specification

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

Essential Criteria

• Problem-solving: Track record of breaking down multi-faceted policy, strategic, and organisational barriers by identifying the key underlying issues, analysing the evidence effectively, and devising creative solutions.
• Communicating and advising: Strong communication skills across diverse mediums (e.g. briefings, pitch writing and presentations), with an ability to set out information and recommendations in a clear, concise and persuasive fashion for senior leadership.
• Client facing experience: You will be confident and credible when dealing with business and other external stakeholders and consistently provide an exceptional service.
• Inter-organisational convening: Proven ability to convene and influence other organisations, build consensus, and secure their buy-in to resolve challenges and barriers to delivery.
• Collegiate and collaborative working style: A commitment to raising standards, providing support, sharing expertise, and showing leadership across your own peer group, as well as with colleagues at all grades.

The below criteria are desirable only. These will not be assessed throughout the recruitment process, but will be used in the event of tied scores between candidates;

Desirable Criteria

• Project delivery: Experience working on large and complex projects or programmes to ensure work is delivered on time and to a high-quality. Project management qualifications will be considered favourably.
• Investment and financial literacy: Understanding of investment principles, financial markets, and the factors influencing business and government investment decisions. Ability to interpret financial data and economic trends to inform policy development and engagement with investors.
• Senior engagement: Experience in preparing for and managing interactions with Ministers and/or other senior stakeholders and handling sensitive issues with discretion and professionalism. Ability to anticipate political considerations and adapt messaging to align with government priorities.

Personal Attributes & Skills

We are looking for a dynamic and collaborative individual, who has a good understanding of what drives business, as well as a strong ability to build relationships across DBT and Whitehall. We'd like to see proven experience of engaging directly with senior decision makers across business and government.

You will need to demonstrate an ability to balance several competing priorities with strong decision making ability. The successful candidate will need to be enthusiastic and engaged, valuing teamwork within the team, directorate, department and wider civil service. They must also be committed to supporting the individuals within their team as well as the overarching team’s objectives.

You will demonstrate initiative, proactivity and the desire to deliver against challenging objectives and exceed expectations.

You are likely to be organised, delivery focused and conscientious towards your working commitments. You will need to balance a diverse portfolio of projects, managing competing needs and organising work according to tight deadlines, whilst being tenacious in overcoming barriers.

You will be a strong team member, focused on working together and willing to flex across activities as needed to achieve the team’s priorities.

A key skill you’ll possess will be an analytical mind. You’ll have the ability to make sense of a wide range of information and translate into clear insights, using evidence and your wider knowledge to support decisions and recommendations.

Behaviours

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

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £42,391, Department for Business and Trade contributes £12,280 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

We recognise the challenges that people with (multiple) protected characteristics may experience on the job market and in their career progression. We are fully committed to being an inclusive employer and ensuring equal opportunities. We are keen to make our workforce as diverse as possible, and we hope to attract applications from underrepresented groups, including ethnic minorities, people with a disability, and people with gender diverse identities.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

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.

Your application will be sifted against the Experience criteria of the Civil Service Success Profiles.

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.

We aim to sift both the CV and the Personal Statement but, in the event of a large number of applicants, an initial short sift may be conducted on the Personal Statement only. Candidates who pass the initial sift of the Personal Statement will either progressed to a full sift where the CV is then assessed, or progressed straight to further assessment/interview.

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.

Candidates who pass the sift will be invited to interview, where we will assess you on the Success Profiles elements of Behaviours, Experience and Strengths.

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.

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.
• Candidates that do not quite meet the standard for this role may be offered a position at a lower grade.

Vetting

The requirement for SC clearance is to have been present in the UK for at least 3 of the last 5 years. Failure to meet the residency requirements will result in your security clearance application being rejected.

Feedback

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.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.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Cordelia.Jonathan@officeforinvestment.gov.uk
• Email : Cordelia.Jonathan@officeforinvestment.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : dbtrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

Our recruitment process is underpinned by the principle of appointment on the basis of fair and open competition and appointment on merit, as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles.
If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with these principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should in the first instance contact DBT by email: Resourcing@businessandtrade.gov.uk.
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you can contact the Civil Service Commission, which regulates all Civil Service recruitment.
For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: Click here to visit Civil Service Commission/Complaints.

Attachments

DBT candidate pack July 2024 (1) Opens in new window (pdf, 943kB)DBT T&Cs 2025-08-18 Opens in new window (doc, 46kB)