UK Export Finance
Head of Project Finance and Aerospace Restructuring
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Head of Project Finance and Aerospace Restructuring
UKEF – Head of Project Finance and Aerospace Restructuring
Position Overview
Role title: Head of Project Finance & Aerospace Restructuring Department: Restructuring, Claims & Recoveries Division (RCR), Risk Management Group Employment type: Full-time Location: Westminster, London (Hybrid working) Salary: £78,926 - £92,000 per annum Contract: Indefinite, permanent Leave: 25 days annual leave, rising to 30 days after 5 years Pension: Employer contributions start at 28.97%
About the Role
The Head of Project Finance & Aerospace Restructuring will lead a team of 6 professionals (including a Grade 7 professional, three SEO (Specialist Executive Officer) levels, and two HEO (Higher Executive Officer) levels; team composition may adapt). Reporting to the Head/Deputy Head of Restructuring, Claims & Recoveries, the role focuses on managing complex UKEF-backed restructurings and aerospace portfolio reformulations, especially those involving large-scale recoveries (e.g., Chapter 11-equivalent insolvency workouts).
This position involves:
- High-stake negotiations with sophisticated counterparties (borrowers, obligors, lenders, agents, trustees, law firms, financial advisors).
- Reconciling competing commercial interests within intercreditor hierarchies and adversarial environments.
- Critical decision-making under pressure, including setting the policy framework during heated negotiations.
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The role demands strong analytical, persuasion, and reconciliatory skills, as negotiations frequently escalate towards conflict—including between lenders, borrowers, or governments.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Oversight
- Oversee the full life-cycle of distressed project finance and aerospace (asset-backed) cases.
- Liaise directly with key stakeholders, including:
- Banks, ECAs (Extractive Creditor Associations), borrowers, sponsors
- Mainstream legal, fiscal, and financial external advisors
Tactical Execution
- Shadow high-risk performing cases (early-stage distress), working closely with the Project Management Division (PMD) to preempt or advise on deteriorating credits.
- Co-manage (together with PMD) distressed transactions exhibiting worsening credit conditions.
Internal Governance & Influence
- Key stakeholder presentations to UKEF’s Executive Recovery & Restructuring Committee (ERiCC) on restructuring proposals.
- Lead formal recommendations to ERiCC for government cross-stakeholder approval (via HM Treasury/HMT).
Strategic Development & Advocacy
- Provide forward-looking policy input across UKEF’s project finance and aerospace portfolios (both new and existing products).
- Support governance alignment, including post-incident “lessons learned” phases to iterate and strengthen restructuring frameworks.
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Note: Responsibilities may broaden contingently as per evolving business needs.
Requirements & Skills
Experience & Knowledge
- Demonstrated expertise guiding large-scale restructuring debt recoveries, especially in project finance or ECA-backed portfolios.
- Proven governance roles in insolvency (including sophisticated procedure knowledge, e.g., Chapter 11).
- Hands-on negotiation experience with adversarial financial parties (counterparties, agents, lenders).
Technical Competencies
- Strategic financial analysis to assess commercial, intercreditor, and state-backed arguments.
- Strong conference presentation skills for communicating to senior stakeholders.
- Comprehensive understanding of complex UK/EU/G7 direct lending arrangements.
Soft Skills
| Soft Skill | Importance |
|---|---|
| Leadership & influence | Must drive alignment. |
| Decision-under-pressure | Core to roles. |
| Stakeholder building | Managing impractical expectations. |
| Negotiation | Crucial for adversarial settings. |
Working with UKEF & the Civil Service
Here, you will contribute to:
- UK competitiveness by securing value in complex refinancings.
- Multilateral cooperation with private sector and government peers.
- Innovation in public sector lending governance.
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