Country Policy Manager

The Analysis Division is part of UKEFs Risk Management Group (RMG). It manages portfolio risk, assesses country risk, and sets prices to ensure UKEF operates at no net cost to the taxpayer and meets its financial objectives. We work closely with the Risk Assessment Division (RAD), which assesses risks on corporates and other non-sovereign obligors; and the Business Group (BG), which is responsible for underwriting and new product development. We also pool our analytical skills to provide technical, modelling, and consultancy support to other teams across UKEF.

The Analysis Division has three teams:

• Economics and Country Risk (ECR): applies economic theory and quantitative techniques to support the departments strategic priorities. It assesses the economic and political risks affecting UKEFs sovereign business; represents UKEF at external forums, including the OECD and Berne Union; manages the sovereign risk frameworks that determine cover policy and country exposure limits; and oversees the departments sovereign risk data.
• Pricing: ensures that UKEF premia are calculated in accordance with internationally agreed standards and our own financial objectives, and that our approach to pricing is supportive of and responsive to the needs of UK exporters.
• Operational Research and Analysis (ORA): helps teams across UKEF design, plan and implement strategic change, and improve operations and decision-making, using consultancy skills, portfolio risk modelling and technical leadership in data science and AI.

The Country Risk Policy branch sits within ECR and manages UKEFs sovereign risk frameworks, including country cover policies and exposure limits. It also oversees the departments sovereign risk data and communicates cover policy across UKEF, Whitehall and externally through UKEFs website.

The Country Policy Manager oversees the Country Risk Policy branchs outputs, ensures a high-quality day-to-day service, and improves team processes and systems. The role ensures that country cover policies reflect assessed risks and that exposure and remaining risk appetite data are accurate, helping determine the support UKEF can provide in each market. It also oversees the application of UKEFs risk management policies and frameworks to mitigate excessive losses from risk accumulation and concentration. The postholder will contribute to, and may lead, reviews of sovereign risk frameworks governing portfolio risks and the availability of cover. These reviews involve senior stakeholders across UKEF and other government departments, including HM Treasury.

The postholder will manage the communication of UKEFs country cover policies internally through the Country Information System (CIS) and externally through UKEFs website and engagement with other government departments and organisations. Working closely with ECRs Country Risk economists, they ensure that cover policies reflect assessed risks. The role also oversees UKEFs sovereign risk data across several systems and works with digital, data, technology and operations teams to improve and automate processes.

The postholder will line-manage one HEO, directing day-to-day work, supporting development and assuring the quality of outputs.

Main Activities

• Contribute to the development and review of UKEF's cover policy and sovereign risk frameworks, including the exposure management framework for managing concentration risk.
• Work closely with the Country Risk Economists to ensure country cover policies reflect the assessment of economic and political factors that contribute to sovereign default risk.
• Maintain an accurate record of country risk parameters that are used to estimate potential losses and oversee the communication of country cover policies through the Country Information System, UKEFs website and engagement with Whitehall and external organisations.
• Proactively monitor case work and policy enquiries, working with colleagues across the department and applying UKEF's risk management policies and frameworks to enabling underwriting of new risk and sound management of the portfolio.
• Perform analysis of portfolio and/or external data on risk, economic, or financial topics to deliver recommendations relevant to cover policy and risk concerns.
• Maintain accurate exposure and remaining risk appetite data across UKEFs systems, investigating and resolving errors or anomalies.
• Drive technological innovation to improve and automate branch processes and systems in collaboration with digital, data, technology and operations teams, utilising data science techniques, coding and the latest AI tools.
• Lead the production of clear, accurate, and timely country-related advice and briefings for senior officials, ministers and other decision-makers.
• Manage and develop one HEO, setting priorities and assuring the quality of their work.
• Manage contracts for country risk data & analytic services that UKEF subscribes to.

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

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 P = assessed at presentation stage

Essential

Qualifications

• Degree level qualification or equivalent professional experience. (A)

Knowledge

• Knowledge in Microsoft Office, including Excel at an intermediate level. (A)

Skills/Ability

• Numerical ability. (T)
• Ability to build good working relationships with stakeholders and work as part of a team. (A, I)
• Attention to details e.g. ability to identify errors, issues and other anomalies. (A, I)
• Ability to analyse and interrogate data, and to organise and present results through appropriate data visualisation techniques. (A, I, P)
• Proven planning and organisation skills to manage multiple competing demands, prioritise work and produce high-quality outputs while meeting demanding deadlines. (A, I)
• Ability to communicate effectively, written and spoken, to a range of stakeholders including ability to respond with authority and credibility within area of responsibility. (A, I, P)
• Ability to work autonomously in a responsible manner seeking advice when appropriate. (I)
• Ability to manage and coach team members, sharing knowledge to ensure they're equipped to carry out tasks. (A, I)

Experience

• Experience of writing reports featuring detailed analysis and clear recommendations for decision makers. (A, I)
• Experience of working collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders from all levels. (A, I)
• Evidence of working in an operational role and manage multiple tasks and priorities in a time critical environment to an agreed standard. (A, I)
• Experience of working independently but seeking advice at key decision points. (A, I)