Senior Strategy Advisor

Job summary

UK Export Finance (UKEF) is the UK’s export credit agency, supporting businesses across the country to compete internationally. With an £80bn capacity and a pivotal role in delivering the UK’s trade, industrial and international objectives, UKEF operates at the intersection of government, global markets and clean‑growth opportunities.

The Strategy, Sustainability & Impact Group (SSIG) ensures UKEF stays aligned to government priorities, delivers a clear strategic direction, and supports Ministers and senior leaders in navigating an evolving political, economic and global landscape.

Within SSIG, the Corporate Strategy team leads UKEF’s strategy development, operational planning, and cross‑government alignment. This is a high‑profile, outward‑facing team at the heart of departmental decision‑making.

Job description

As a Senior Strategy Advisor, you will play a key role in shaping UKEF’s future direction. You’ll work closely with senior leaders and colleagues across government to advise on strategic choices, develop high impact analysis, and lead projects that shape key organisational decisions.

This role is ideal for someone who combines strong strategic thinking skills with excellent stakeholder influence, and who wants exposure to senior decision‑making.

What you’re likely to achieve in your first 12 months

• Lead strategic analysis and produce Board‑level papers that influence UKEF’s corporate direction.
• Take ownership of elements of UKEF’s operational planning cycle, developing a coherent, strategic plan for the organisation and supporting reporting against it.
• Help to embed a clear public narrative for UKEF’s corporate strategy, working with Communications to reflect departmental priorities.
• Build trusted relationships with senior colleagues across UKEF, including the Executive Committee and Directors.
• Contribute to fiscal event preparations by shaping the strategic narrative for UKEF bids to HM Treasury.
• Establish yourself as a credible advisor on UKEF’s strategy and its role within the broader trade and economic ecosystem.

Main Activities

Strategy Development & Analysis

You will help shape UKEF's long‑term strategic direction through rigorous analysis, horizon scanning and problem‑solving.

Key activities include:

• Leading elements of UKEF’s corporate strategy development and long‑term planning, including the review of UKEF’s mandate.
• Conducting strategic analysis on key issues and translating insights into clear, actionable advice for senior leaders.
• Producing high‑quality papers and submissions for the Executive Committee, Board and Ministers.
• Supporting senior colleagues in developing evidence‑based proposals for fiscal events (Budgets and Spending Reviews).

Governance & Delivery

You will ensure strategic ambitions are translated into deliverable plans and measurable outcomes.

Key activities include:

• Leading key elements of UKEF’s annual operational planning process and quarterly reporting cycle.
• Overseeing cross‑departmental projects, ensuring coherence and alignment with broader strategic priorities.
• Supporting corporate planning activities such as strategic risk reviews and divisional planning.
• Manage and update UKEF’s Impact Framework, working with teams across the department to ensure it reflects organisational priorities and industry best practice. This will also include reporting progress publicly through UKEF’s Annual Reports and Accounts.
• Working with Finance colleagues to ensure a joined-up finance and budgeting strategy for the department.

Strategic Communications Support

You will help ensure UKEF’s corporate strategy is communicated clearly and coherently to external audiences.

Key activities include:

• Playing a practical role in telling UKEF’s strategy publicly, working with Comms to translate strategic priorities into external messaging.
• Articulating the big‑picture narrative of UKEF’s work, including how departmental priorities align with wider government objectives such as growth, trade and industrial strategy.
• Ensuring UKEF’s corporate strategy flows through clearly into public‑facing outputs.

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

Person specification

Essential

Qualifications

• A-Levels and/or equivalent demonstrable experience, and evidence of continuous professional development. (A, I)

Knowledge

• Understanding of strategy and operations. (A, I,)
• Understanding of the political landscape and government priorities. (I, P)

Skills/Ability

• Strategic thinker with an analytical yet pragmatic approach to problem-solving. (A, I, P)
• Excellent interpersonal and relationship-building skills, with a proven ability to influence senior stakeholders and build consensus. (I)
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, and the ability to communicate with confidence. (A, I, P)
• Proficient use of the entire Microsoft Office suite. (A)

Experience

• Experience of working in financial services and/or government. (I)
• Experience of project management. (A, I, P)
• Experience of strategy development, analysis, policy making or innovation. (I)
• Experience managing projects and delivering outcomes. (A, I)

Qualifications

A-Levels and/or equivalent demonstrable experience, and evidence of continuous professional development.

Behaviours

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

• Making Effective Decisions
• Delivering at Pace
• Working Together

Technical skills

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

• Technical - A 10-minute presentation (including one-page written summary) followed by a Q&A based on a topic determined by UKEF.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £43,890, UK Export Finance contributes £12,714 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, 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.

• Qualification - A-Levels and/or equivalent demonstrable experience, and evidence of continuous professional development.
• Statement of suitability - you should fully articulate in 500 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

In the event of a high volume of applications there will be a pre-sift on the following essential criteria:

• Strategic thinker with an analytical yet pragmatic approach to problem-solving. (A,I,P)

If you are successful following the sift stage, you will be invited to an initial interview, via MS Teams; 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 - A 10-minute presentation (including one-page written summary) followed by a Q&A based on a topic determined by UKEF and will need to be prepared in advance, the details of this will be provided to the relevant candidates. This will be assessed against the behaviour 'Seeing the Big Picture'.

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 Team
• 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 - Senior Strategy Advisor (SEO) - Apr 26 (1) Opens in new window (pdf, 3634kB)