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The IPA is the government’s centre of expertise for infrastructure and major projects. We sit at the heart of government, reporting to the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury. Our core teams include experts in infrastructure, project delivery and project finance who work with government departments and industry. We support the successful delivery of all types of infrastructure and major projects, ranging from nuclear power stations, CCUS infrastructure, railways, schools, hospitals and housing, to defence, IT and major transformation programmes. We lead the project delivery and project finance professions across government.

Our purpose is to continuously improve the way infrastructure and major projects are delivered in order to support government priorities and improve people’s lives. We aspire to create the best performing project system of any country in the world.

The IPA works with government and industry to ensure projects are delivered efficiently and effectively, and to improve performance over time. We work on the overall project delivery system, which includes the projects, people and processes that together create the right environment for successful delivery. We measure how well the system is performing, so we can learn important lessons and continuously improve project performance over time.

The Cabinet Office is the centre of government. Creating a great place to work is one of the four pillars of our Civil Service vision. Being at the centre of government brings with it huge responsibility for setting the right tone across government and this starts with everyone understanding what we need to deliver, and how our behaviour and the way in which we work together, can have a significant impact on this. Our values are: Respect, Trust, Collaboration.

The Financial Advisory Team (Team) is a source of deep knowledge and expertise which is deployed through the matrix structure of the IPA. The Team supports the delivery of infrastructure and major projects by helping to unlock private sector investment and advise government on the availability and policy implications of private finance to the UK infrastructure market. The Team engages with investors to build a mutual understanding of financing requirements and investor appetite.

With extensive experience in one or more areas, Financial Advisors deploy their knowledge and expertise in line with government priorities. The focus of advice is on improving the performance of project delivery in both Infrastructure, Enterprise & Growth and Public & Security Services.

The Team contributes to the overall work of the IPA in four service areas:

• Expert financial and commercial advice to departments: directly deploying finance/commercial specialists alongside the Senior Responsible Officer (SRO) and project/programme teams to strengthen the intelligent client capability. Project SROs can access highly experienced finance and commercial specialists from project initiation to project close and beyond. Ministers can use specialists to intervene on specific issues identified as blocking delivery.
• Policy into delivery: providing Ministers with a commercial and delivery perspective on policy formulation. Policy officials can access financial and commercial advice to test and develop proposals that are deliverable by the market.
• Bespoke advice to HM Treasury: Providing HM Treasury spending teams with financial and commercial advice to support decision-making on policy and on the business cases for specific projects and programmes.
• Ensuring that advice to Ministers includes appropriate commercial considerations. Policy officials can also access commercial knowledge and experience to support HM Treasury approvals.
• External market engagement: communicating with industry, promoting mutual understanding between public and private sectors (including contractors and investors) in the context of government policy. Providing easy access to understand private sector market issues and feedback to government and market testing government initiatives (public/private sector brokerage).

The Financial Adviser (Project Director) will have the following responsibilities:

• Provide financial and commercial advice to HM Treasury officials and Ministers on financial and commercial issues in support of policy development and the delivery of finance and funding models for infrastructure projects.
• Work closely with colleagues across the IPA, HM Treasury, Cabinet Office, departments, Local Authorities, and agencies developing and implementing projects and programmes, advising on financing and commercial issues.
• Provide financial and commercial advice in relation to the government’s priority projects and programmes; this will be across a range of sectors where the postholder’s expertise can add value.
• On projects, support on the structuring and negotiation, and on the due diligence process, including assessment of due diligence provided by technical, legal and other advisors.
• Actively lead external market engagement with investors, developers, banks and industry players.
• Manage and develop strong relationships with senior stakeholders in relevant departments, from Permanent Secretaries, policy sponsors, to SROs and Programme Directors to facilitate understanding and resolution of issues to expedite the effective delivery of projects.
• Operate within the IPA’s matrix management structure. This means that the postholder will work in collaboration with colleagues across the IPA when providing advice.
• Where required the postholder will be responsible for making appropriate contributions to the achievement of IPA’s wider objectives.
• Provide insight to broader IPA work within the sector of expertise including: Quarterly Packs; policy work for future Spending Reviews; implementation of programmes such as Transforming Infrastructure Performance (TIP) and Government Construction Strategy (GCS); projects presented to the Major Project Portfolio Board; other IPA products such as the National Infrastructure Construction Pipeline (NICP).
• Undertake and/or contribute to assurance reviews, including in areas outside their specific areas of technical knowledge.
• Interface with the Deputy Director (DD) in the IPA responsible for the relevant department, and work with the DD to agree the extent and nature of the expert advice required, including the terms of reference for any commissions, timescales and key stakeholder interfaces. Behave in an open, constructive and collaborative manner in line with the IPA and wider Cabinet Office values and make a positive contribution to the operation, performance and reputation of the IPA and Cabinet Office.

The post holder will be accountable to the Head of the Financial Advisory Team and to the CEO of the IPA for the advice they give. The relevant IPA DDs for the departments with which the postholder is working will feed into the postholder’s performance reviews as appropriate.

Experience:

• Substantial financial and commercial experience of leading on a wide range of financial, commercial and legal issues involved in the closure of complex infrastructure transactions.
• In a Net Zero/Climate Change context - energy transition & security projects are currently a key focus, and thus we are particularly looking for candidates with regulated asset base and renewables financing experience.
• An in depth understanding of financial markets, technical issues and credit criteria that apply in economic and/or social infrastructure.
• Direct market knowledge of the infrastructure sector generally with experience in dealing at board level with investors, contractors, legal and financial advisers in the delivery of complex projects.
• Understanding of the public sector and extensive experience working in or directly with central Government or other public sector bodies.
• Track record of deal origination and deal execution.
• Experience will have been gained in organisations such as consultancies/professional services firms, development companies, banks, investors or public sector organisations, and through direct experience of advising, negotiating, structuring, lending or principal roles on high profile, complex infrastructure projects and programmes in economic and/or social infrastructure involving public and private sector stakeholders, particularly in an energy sector context.

Skills and Behaviours:

• Demonstrate effective financial, advisory, credit and structuring skills, whether internal or external.
• Evidence of ability to gain credibility quickly, to understand and digest complex and detailed information in order to offer advice and expertise which is well received through strong stakeholder engagement, influencing and personal communication skills.
• Recognise the limits of knowledge, skills and experience.
• Be able to work within a matrix organisation where the allocation of work is based upon the government's priorities.
• Prioritisation of resource allocation is led by the DDs for the departments in collaboration with the Head of the Financial Advisory Team.
• Demonstrate high levels of confidence with a natural presence, strong leadership, maturity and gravitas that are likely to result in successfully influencing outcomes. This should include a strong track record in building good working relationships across diverse business areas and functions.
• Evidence of strong negotiation skills, likely to have been gained from leading the conclusion of large and complex transactions in a multi-stakeholder environment, including transactions between the public and private sectors. Able to demonstrate examples of facilitating agreement across stakeholders.
• Confident and effective personal communications skills both oral and written and with highly developed drafting and presentational skills.
• Ability to deliver presentations at conferences and deliver training to departments and overseas governments.
• Strong quantitative and analytical skills and understanding of financial models.

Qualifications:

• Degree level academic qualification or equivalent is required. A professional qualification in the areas of finance, accountancy, law, engineering, property, project management or similar is desirable.

• Learning and development tailored to your role.
• An environment with flexible working options.
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity.
• A Civil Service Pension which provides an attractive pension, benefits for dependants and average employer contributions of 27%.
• A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by one day per year up to a maximum of 30.

Job contact :

Name :
Princess Oriola
Email :
princess.oriola@ipa.gov.uk

Recruitment team

Email :
cabinetofficerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk