Due Diligence and Investment Appraisal Accountant

Job summary

The Department for Business Innovation, Science and Trade (DBIST) supports businesses to invest, grow and create jobs across the UK. The Grant Delivery Directorate plays a critical role in delivering financial assistance that secures economic growth, strengthens key sectors and supports major industrial and infrastructure investments.

Job description

As a Grade 7 Due Diligence and Investment Appraisal Accountant, you will lead robust financial assessment and due diligence on high-profile grant and investment proposals. You will be accountable for assessing the financial viability, affordability, deliverability and value for money of complex business cases, ensuring that DBIST funding decisions are supported by clear evidence, sound professional judgement and appropriate professional challenge.

Working closely with policy, programme, commercial and finance colleagues, you will provide authoritative advice on financial risk, investment appraisal, affordability, additionality and the minimum level of public funding required. You will influence senior stakeholders, engage directly with applicants, beneficiaries and partners, test assumptions, scrutinise financial information and produce clear, succinct reports and recommendations that support senior decision-making.

You will lead continuous improvement of DBIST’s due diligence approach, developing guidance, standards and processes that support consistency, proportionality and effective assurance across the Department’s grant portfolio. The role requires strong technical accounting expertise, strategic judgement, confident leadership through expertise, excellent relationship management and the ability to challenge complex financial and strategic business cases while upholding the standards expected under Government Grant Standards, Managing Public Money and DBIST’s assurance framework.

Responsibilities:

• Lead the required due diligence process for relevant schemes within the Grant Delivery Directorate (GDD) portfolio and, where required, for the wider Department and HMG, ensuring assessments are proportionate, evidence-based and aligned to scheme objectives.

• Provide authoritative professional advice and challenge in line with Government Grant Standards and the mandated requirements of Managing Public Money.

• Lead the development, delivery and continual review of due diligence standards, guidance and processes, ensuring they are consistently applied and remain fit for purpose across the Team, Directorate and Department.

• Build and maintain robust relationships with colleagues across policy teams, wider DBIST, other government departments, stakeholders and beneficiaries, influencing effectively to ensure a joined-up approach between them and the GDD Team.

• Be accountable for embedding relevant due diligence processes across schemes within the GDD portfolio, identifying opportunities to improve consistency, proportionality, quality and assurance.

• Own the quality and accuracy of relevant Grants Hub information and SharePoint records, ensuring comprehensive audit trails are maintained to support assurance, transparency and senior decision-making.

• Develop and apply sector and/or Industrial Strategy knowledge to inform financial assessments, identify emerging risks and provide strategic insight on the deliverability and impact of proposed investments.

• Provide leadership through expertise by coaching colleagues, supporting new starters, sharing best practice and helping to build capability across the team.

• Undertake any other duties commensurate with the grade of the post.

Person specification

Essential Criteria:

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

• In-depth knowledge of investment appraisal techniques used commonly within businesses, with the technical ability to assess the merits, credibility and risks of complex financial and strategic business cases and to debate and challenge those arguments with authority.
• Strong interpersonal, influencing and relationship management skills, with the confidence to advise and challenge senior stakeholders clearly and constructively.
• The ability to provide evidence-based recommendations that balance affordability, value for money, deliverability, risk and strategic objectives.
• The ability to think strategically, understand the wider departmental and HMG context, and identify how individual funding decisions contribute to broader portfolio and policy outcomes.
• The ability to lead the delivery of high-quality finance and governance advice, drawing on the expertise of others, using stakeholder feedback to improve services and setting standards for others to follow.
• The ability to manage conflicting priorities, make sound judgements under pressure and meet challenging deadlines while maintaining quality, assurance and auditability.
• Full member of CCAB body (ICAEW or Scottish equivalent).

Memberships

Full member of CCAB body (ICAEW or Scottish equivalent)

Behaviours

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

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

Technical skills

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

• Technical ability to assess the merits, credibility and risks of complex financial and strategic business cases and to debate and challenge those arguments with authority

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £57,511, Department for Business and Trade contributes £16,660 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

• 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

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