Due Diligence and Investment Appraisal Accountant

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.

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.

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)

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

Interviews for this vacancy will be conducted virtually. We will, however, consider in-person interviews by exception.

Please ensure that you check your emails regularly as all updates from us will be sent to you this way.

To apply for this post, you will be asked to complete the following as part of the online application:

• A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Provide employment

history that relates to the essential criteria, and that any gaps in employment history within the last 2 years

are explained. The CV should not exceed more than 2 x A4 pages.

• A Personal Statement of up to 750 words, explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and

experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role in reference to the essential criteria.

Your application will be sifted against the Experience criteria of the Civil Service Success Profiles.

It is likely that the sift will take place 1-2 weeks after the closing date and interviews 3-5 weeks after the closing date, though this is subject to change.

We aim to sift both the CV and the Personal Statement but, in the event of a large number of applicants, an initial short sift may be conducted on the CV only. Candidates who pass the initial sift of the CV will either progressed to a full sift where the Personal Statement is then assessed, or progressed straight to further assessment/interview.

Candidates who pass the sift will be invited to interview, where we will assess you on the Success Profiles elements of Behaviours and Technical skill.

As part of your interview, you will be asked to deliver a short oral presentation, details will be provided prior to your interview.

Please note, following a recent change to the Machinery of Government, the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) will be renamed to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (BIST) as of 20th July 2026. BIST will connect the UK’s world-class science and technology base directly to the businesses, places and workers that will drive good growth across the country. Such changes will not affect the selection process for this campaign; however, we wanted to take this opportunity to advise you of the recent changes to our department.

You can find further information here regarding recent governmental changes Machinery of Government changes: Fact Sheet - GOV.UK.

Reasonable Adjustments

We are committed to supporting candidates so they can perform at their best throughout the recruitment process. This includes making reasonable adjustments to our process. In order to request an adjustment:

Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section on the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process.

Alternatively contact the Government Recruitment Service at DBTrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

Please see attached Candidate Pack for further information on: Diversity and Inclusion; Benefits; Learning and Development; Working Patterns and what we deliver as a department.

Further Information:

• A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made. Reserve Lists will be for each location and appointments made in merit order based on location preferences.
• Any move to the Department for Business and Trade from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments.
• The Department will not consider sponsoring a visa or issuing a Certificate of Sponsorship. We are unable to offer advice on any Visa and Immigration cases.
• New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
• Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty. Any applicant who has details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
• A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
• Terms and Conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.
• Please note – the successful candidate will be expected to remain in post for a minimum of 18 months before being released for another role.
• Candidates that do not quite meet the standard for this role may be offered a position at a lower grade.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service /Disclosure Scotland/Access NI on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email Info@disclosurescotland.co.uk

For further information on the Access NI confidential checking service telephone: the Access NI Helpline on 0300 200 7888 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email accessni@ani.x.gsi.gov.uk

Vetting

The requirement for SC clearance is to have been present in the UK for at least 3 of the last 5 years. Failure to meet the residency requirements will result in your security clearance application being rejected.

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.