EOI - Deputy Director, Risk Assessment

This Deputy Director post is one of three within the Investment and Security Unit (ISU). The ISU administers the powers under the National Security Investment Act to investigate and intervene where necessary in mergers, acquisitions and other deals that could threaten the UK’s national security.

There are three broad stages of screening:

• The initial risk identification stage,whereby the team reviews a large volume of transactions, to identify those with the potential for national security risk and ‘call them in’ for further assessment if needed
• The risk assessment stage - the responsibility of this postholder - whereby the team conducts more detailed analysis of a smaller number of transactions to further articulate national security risk and, if it exists, make proposals to mitigate it through a ‘Final Order’ on the transaction
• The compliance and enforcement stage – responsible for monitoring compliance with all elements of the Act, including the requirements in Final Orders; and undertaking enforcement action where necessary. These operational teams are complemented by a further Deputy Director-led team responsible for a range of other core activities such as policy, analysis, governance, international engagement, and the resilience of our digital systems.

The Deputy Director, Risk Assessment’s responsibilities include:

• Leadership and management of a team of circa 25 risk assessment staff
• Overseeing the analysis of complex transactions ranging from world leading university collaborations on frontier technology to the merger and acquisition of global firms and owners of critical national infrastructure. Leading teams to identify the potential for national security risk, using existing methodologies to apply to each unique case whilst retaining the bigger picture across the operation of the legislation as a whole
• Guiding teams to identify and develop binding remedies to prevent or reduce national security risk, using both existing precedent and also novel approaches as relevant to the case
• Collaborating effectively with colleagues across government on casework and wider economic security policy issues, including colleagues with specific sectoral, national security or economic expertise, and with legal advisers
• Engaging with businesses, investors and their advisers on the details of their transaction and the progress of the ISU’s analysis
• Ensuring that written analysis and advice to Ministers is drafted clearly and accurately, to enable effective and robust quasi-judicial Ministerial decision-making;

including anticipating the potential need to defend decisions in Court.

• Managing the resourcing of the caseload, which has typically fluctuated between around 12-20 cases with varying durations.
• Playing an active role in the senior leadership team of the Investment Security Unit and maintaining its positive, supportive culture.

The role may appeal to candidates who have an interest in and understanding of business and the commercial world; or the protection of national security; or both. There is a strong team of professional leads who will support a candidate in developing their understanding of the legislation and its operation

The successful candidate must have the following experience:

• Highly developed leadership skills with a proven ability to build, inspire and develop high performing teams, create an environment of challenge, drive continuous improvement and ensure openness to new approaches and behaviours;
• Strong policy delivery and use of evidence skills, comfortable with drawing on a wide range of qualitative and quantitative sources to inform decision making and collaborating across Government on complex policy issues.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills with the ability to communicate clearly and succinctly to a variety of audiences, including Ministers, or equivalent and business stakeholders
• Proven experience of delivering at pace and working well under pressure to statutory deadlines, with ability to apply good project management skills to ensure operational delivery of goals.
• Experience working in national/ economic security.

This role requires Security Check (SC) clearance.