Innovate UK has the following secondment opportunity available for employees of Innovate UK Business Connect: Applications must be submitted by 06-01-2025 Lending Operations Analyst The Lending Operations Analyst role will be focused on the final step in the Innovation Loans process, taking transactions from offer through to final execution. Please note this advert will close on the 5th January 2025 at 23.59pm. Watch our video “Why Join Innovate UK?” here. Title : Lending Operations Analyst Band: UKRI Band D (UKRI Ts & Cs) Salary: £36,650 gross per annum Reports to: Lending Operations Manager Location : Field based Contract: Fixed Term (12 months) Fixed Term Roles: Employees applying for any opportunity which may mean being away from your substantive role for a temporary period of time, please refer to the Recruitment Policy for further information in the first instance. If you are made an offer, please ensure you liaise with your Line Manager and the designated HR Team as soon as possible in order that implications of any move are clear and understood, prior to a move taking place. Innovate UK recognises the importance of work-life balance, and we will be happy to discuss any requests for flexible working arrangements. Team: Innovate UK Loans Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of UKRI tasked with delivering Innovate UK’s new innovation finance offer, bringing together debt, investment, credit and operational expertise from within Innovate UK and the wider commercial finance sector. The interventions delivered by the team are designed to enable businesses to bring their innovations to market, through addressing the finance gap facing innovative companies and supporting later stage experimental development through to commercial success. Job Purpose: This role will involve the generation and quality assurance of loan documentation, liaising with customers and responding to their comments and challenges on the terms of the agreement (working with the lead Credit Specialist), performing KYC & AML checks and ensuring that a “safe to lend” opinion is in place before paying away funding. The Lending Operations Analyst role will be to follow the end-to-end process of the loans journey, taking transactions from offer through to final repayment. This will involve processing change requests to the loan and preparing supporting documentation; working in partnership with the administration partner and monitoring officers; assessing quarterly reports and finance information received from customers and monitoring service providers; liaising with customers and responding to their queries and challenges throughout the term of their loan. Plus support a series of projects that will improve and solidify the on-going enhancements to Innovate UK Loans expanding funding capability. Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities: Commissioning and progressing the generation of loan agreements and security documentation Quality assuring documentation prior to issuing to the customer Supporting the Lending Operations Manager and the Contract Analyst in performance managing the lending administration partner Acting as the first point of contact for customer enquiries, maintaining a customer-centric approach to operational delivery Reviewing “safe to lend” opinions and recommending payments for approval Processing change requests in collaboration with the Portfolio Team Assessing quarterly performance reports and finance information from the customers Data entry into IULK systems and ability to produce status reports This is not an exhaustive list and the post-holder might be expected to undertake any other duties across the wider directorate, commensurate with the Band and level of responsibility of this post, for which the post holder has the necessary experience and/or training. Shortlisting criteria: (S) – Assessed at shortlisting (I) – Assessed at interview (S&I) – Assessed at both shortlisting and interview Person Specification: We are looking for someone who will be able to develop new processes and challenge our thinking on ways of working. We welcome CVs from a variety of backgrounds and applicants are not required to tick each box listed below Qualifications: Degree level or relevant equivalent experience Experience: Essential - Working within a thorough process to deliver great customer service (S & I) Prioritising workloads and working to tight deadlines (S & I) Ability to identify and solve problems (S & I) Desirable – Working with legal and/or contractual documentation Dealing with customer queries, recognising when to provide an early response and when to escalate for advice Understanding of project management and financial accounts Skills: Pragmatic and outcome focused - willing to challenge convention in the pursuit of continuous improvement (I) Ability to understand business challenges and business view (I) Ability to analyse, disseminate and effectively communicate complex information (S & I) Excellent customer-facing skills, across all communication channels (S & I) Ability to take responsibility in decision-making and to know when to escalate as appropriate (I) An eye for detail (S & I) Analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to quickly understand new and complex issues and to apply solutions (S & I) Competencies: All team members demonstrate compatibility with and capability against our Core Competencies such as: Thinking and Problem Solving – Stakeholder management – Communication skills – Influencing – Self-awareness/self-management – Strategic awareness – Working with others– Project management Travel Requirements: There may be the occasional requirement for national travel. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: Innovate UK is a diverse workforce of people. We believe that encouraging these differences and drawing the best from them will build a productive environment in which everyone feels valued, where talents are fully utilised and in which organisational goals are met. Underpinning this is a belief that it is a fundamental right for everyone to be treated equally, with fairness, respect and dignity. We will act directly and use our influence to ensure that this right is promoted and upheld; we encourage applications from all those who meet the criteria set out in our role profiles. Equal Opportunities: We are an equal opportunities employer, committed to employing any person who meets the criteria for our roles. When undertaking recruitment, we may require applicants to undertake certain tests or assessments, some of which will be online and others may be in-person. If you have a disability, health condition or specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia then you may be entitled to support with undertaking this type of assessment exercise. Where you feel that reasonable adjustments are required to support you, we ask that you advise your recruitment point of contact in a timely fashion, providing further information. In confidence, Innovate UK will then review your application for adjustments and provide support as required. UK Research and Innovation: Innovate UK is partner organisation within UK Research and Innovation. If successful in securing the position, your employer will be UK Research and Innovation. More information can be found online http://www.ukri.org/ Employee Benefits: We offer a benefits package crafted to provide an excellent work/life balance. This includes 30 days’ annual leave, 10.5 public and privilege days, flexible working hours, an exceptional defined benefit pension scheme, and access to a variety of support networks and discount schemes. Benefits of working at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Flexible Working: We understand the importance of work-life balance and are happy to discuss the possibility of flexible working with applicants. Pre-employment Screening: To enable us to hire the very best people we will conduct a comprehensive pre-employment check on successful applicants as part of the recruitment process. The role holder will be required to have the appropriate level of security screening/vetting required for the role. UKRI reserves the right to run or re-run security clearance as required during the course of employment. UKRI supports research in areas that include animal health, agriculture and food security, and bioscience for health which includes research on animals, genetic modification and stem cell research. Whilst you may not have direct involvement in this type of research, you should consider how this aligns with your personal values or beliefs. To enable us to hire the very best people we will conduct a full and comprehensive pre-employment check as a crucial part of the recruitment process on all individuals that are offered a position with UKRI. This will include a security check and an extreme organisations affiliation check. Sponsorship: Please note, if you will require sponsorship to work in the UK, as part of your sponsorship application, you and any dependants travelling with you will be required to pay costs directly to The Home Office for the application before you start your role with us. UKRI is normally able to reimburse some, or all of these fees after you have become an employee and this can be discussed with the Hiring Manager. For more information please visit https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa/how-much-it-costs or contact Recruitmentukri.org. Applications must be submitted by; 06-01-2025