Portfolio Support Officer

Job summary

The Transformation and Change Division sits within the Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) Group within UK Export Finance. The Division is responsible for delivery of, and assurance of, the Transformation and Change Plan, the portfolio of change within UK Export Finance.

The Transformation and Change Plan covers the next 18 months of project and programme delivery and forecasts out by a further 18 months, covering Policy, Process, Digital and Technology change, focussing on delivering the Business Plan and new Target Operating Model.

Job description

This is an exciting opportunity to earn as you learn and get hands on practice while you study towards a Level 3 qualification that is attached to this role. This will be a compulsory Level 3 Improvement Technician apprenticeship, unless candidates can provide evidence they have already completed this or equivalent. This scheme specialises in an area of business responsible for delivery and coaching of improvement activity, supporting, and enabling the delivery of projects, programmes and digital transformation within UKEF. You’ll receive formal learning to develop crucial skills, knowledge and behaviours for your career and be part of a great team. To support this, the successful candidate will be entitled to one day a week study leave at the discretion of their line manager.

The Programme Management Office (PMO) facilitates business improvement by providing practical advice and guidance, and, where appropriate, the provision of resources. It is a focal point for individual programmes and projects, for process improvement and related ownership structures, with the aim of increasing the Department's capability and capacity to deliver change effectively.

The Programme Support Officer plays a central and key admin support function at a divisional level, ensuring all PMO staff receive high level administrative support to enable them to carry out their roles efficiently and effectively. It has responsibilities for co-ordinating information, communication, monitoring, and administrative activities associated with, assurance and project delivery to ensure that all information is up to date at all times and accurate at all times and meet PMO reporting cycles.

Main Activities

Co-ordination

• Manage in an organised and effective manner; administrative workflow, day to day activities, and information to meet (Project Management Office) PMO reporting cycles.
• Co-ordinate highlight reporting process for Change Board by interpreting and processing data in line with PMO guideline and assist PMO with assurance and health check meetings
• Co-ordinate and collate Change Board meeting Pack to reporting deadlines.
• Co-ordinating the preparation of the agenda for meetings of the Change Board and also liaising with the chair.
• Populate the PMO Performance Report with performance data.
• Liaise with staff to organise PMO news including induction and welcoming of new starters.
• Support the maintenance of data and templates on the SharePoint Project Portal, Change Management Site and other intranet pages as required.
• Co-ordinate UKEF internal corporate calendar.
• Organise PMO Meetings and agendas such as PMO Business, Change Board and Project Management Forum
• Provide office support across the PMO as required such as electronic filling, arranging meetings, taking minutes and action log.
• Maintaining risk and issue logs and attending meetings and taking minutes.

Finance Administrative Support

• Request pro-codes for projects.
• Processing of invoices for claims/projects as necessary
• Collate, file and distribute project monthly finance reports to the Project Managers
• Business case finance logging onto the prioritising tracker
• Ensuring business case finances are logged in the budget forecast

Administrative advice

• Resolve issues relating to PMO administration in line with PMO rules and regulation
• Provide guidance to members of staff within the PMO and more widely across UKEF on Project Management Office administration procedures and templates such as project document version controls
• Advising staff of allocated Change Board actions, following up and escalating as required
• Preparing invites, agendas and taking and distributing minutes in a timely manner for Departmental Change Advisory Forum

Support PMO Leadership

• Ad hoc day to day administrative and finance support, including providing cover, across Programme Management Office
• Review work practices and make suggestions regarding improvements in administrative methods in the PMO, working with colleagues to action them
• Diary management for the Chair of the Change Board & Head of Transformation

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

Person specification

UK Export Finance is looking for motivated individuals with a desire to learn about the business. Successful candidates will be provided not only with functional training to enable them to do well in their role, but also with personal development to help them to achieve their career ambitions. Please note that the person specification below outlines at which stage(s) you will be assessed on how you meet the criteria for the role(s) including:-

A = assessed at application stage I = assessed at interview stage

T = assessed by test stage = assessed at presentation stage

Essential

Qualifications

• 5 GCSE passes (including Maths and English) at Grade 4 (C) or above; or equivalent or relevant demonstrable experience (A)

Knowledge

• Knowledge of Microsoft office applications; Word, Excel, Outlook, (A)
• Introduction and overview of Project Management techniques such as Agile Project (A)

Skills/Ability

• Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in (A,I)
• Numerical skills to understand financial and statistical (A,I)

Experience

• Providing a range of office tasks, which may have been gained in a work, voluntary or education (A,I)
  • Providing effective customer-oriented (A,I)

Qualifications

• 5 GCSE passes (including Maths and English) at Grade 4 (C) or above; or equivalent or relevant demonstrable experience

Behaviours

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

• Managing a Quality Service
• Delivering at Pace
• Communicating and Influencing

Technical skills

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

• If you are successful following the sift stage, you will be invited to an initial technical interview, to be held via MS Teams.
• If you are successful following the initial technical interviews, you will be invited to a panel interview, to be held onsite at 1 Horse Guards Road; this will include the following assessment:

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £37,305, UK Export Finance contributes £10,807 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%

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, Ability, Experience and Technical skills.

Please ensure that you read through the Candidate Information Pack attached to this advert, before applying.

All applications will be sifted against our essential criteria outlined in the personal specification. In addition to this, applicants will also be asked to complete two on-line ability tests, these must also be completed prior to the deadline for your application Thursday 12 March 2026 @ 23:55.

• Qualification:
  • 5 GCSE passes (including Maths and English) at Grade 4 (C) or above; or equivalent or relevant demonstrable experience (A)
• On-line ability test:
  • Civil Service Judgement Test (CSJT)
  • Civil Service Verbal Reasoning Test (CSVT)
• Statement of suitability - 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 - Application and Statement of Suitability
2. Ability:
   • Civil Service Judgement Test (CSJT)
   • Civil Service Verbal Reasoning Test (CSVT)

In the event of a high volume of applications, and initial sift will be carried out on the following criteria:

• Knowledge of Microsoft office applications; Word, Excel, Outlook, MS Teams, PowerPoint (A,I)
• Working confidently with financial information, including analysing and preparing data (A,I)
• Providing administrative support effectively within a busy or fast‑paced environment (A,I)

If you are successful following the sift stage, you will be invited to an initial technical interview, to be held via MS Teams; this will include the following assessment:

1. Technical Questions - you will be assessed across your technical expertise and acumen, in relation to the essential criteria.

If you are successful following the initial technical interviews, you will be invited to a panel interview, to be held onsite at 1 Horse Guards Road; this will include the following assessment:

1. Behaviours/ Experience - a formal panel interview where you will be interviewed across all three behaviours highlighted in Appendix 1.
2. Technical Questions - you will be assessed across your technical expertise and acumen, in relation to the essential criteria.

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 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.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 : UKEF Recruitment
• Email : Recruitment2@ukexportfinance.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : Recruitment2@ukexportfinance.gov.uk

Further information

Should you have a complaint or wish to raise any concerns regarding the recruitment process, please e-mail your complaint to the Head of Pay and Resourcing (UKEF) at Recruitment2@ukexportfinance.gov.uk and include “Complaint” in the subject heading. Should you remain dissatisfied following UKEF’s investigation then you can refer your complaint to the Commission - http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/making-complaint.

Attachments

UKEF Information Pack - Portfolio Support Officer - Feb 26 (2) Opens in new window (pdf, 4310kB)