Change and Release Manager

Job summary

NS&I is one of the largest savings organisations in the UK with more than 24 million customers and over £240 billion invested. We are both a government department and an Executive Agency of the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Our origins can be traced back more than 150 years to 1861. A small company with a big reach, we offer a range of benefits including flexible working, a 9-day fortnight scheme, a performance-related variable pay bonus, a generous pension scheme and great opportunities for development. We care for colleagues, respect one another, invest in our people and manage talent effectively.

We are currently working in a hybrid way with colleagues expected to work at their chosen office location for 40% of their working month. As a member of the Service Change Team you will play a key role in the management of Change to Services within NS&I. Ensuring that new/changes to Business & IT Services are implemented into live with minimal impact to customers/users.

You will manage raised Changes/Releases into production working with multiple stakeholders across Enterprise Service Management, wider NS&I Business units and its Suppliers.

You will need to work flexibly to manage Changes/Releases.

The role will work with both:

• The Business Transformation Programme to ensure that the transition releases (delivering a new multi-supplier model) are deployed into live with control and rigour.
• Within Business and Usual to control any new/changed services (including project/programme level). These may be scheduled or result from an incident or urgent requirement and require rigorous assessment following industry best practice.

You will have strong analytical, communication and stakeholder management skills as well as an ability to prioritise and implement decisions quickly.

You will be expected to support the maturity of processes and tooling recently operationalised for Change and Release Management to develop best practice and drive Continual Service Improvement.

Job description

• Coordinating and controlling change/release activities across the supplier eco system to implement new/changes into the live environment. Ensuring potential impacts are understood and service outages are minimised.
• Meticulously validating and assessing the risk and impact of all change/release, ensuring correct stakeholders are identified and engaged to ensure the integrity of the services provided.
• Liaising with Incident Management for potential complex Emergency changes, joining technical bridge calls when required and administering the Emergency Change process
• Maintaining a change schedule to avoid conflicts.
• Minimising the level of disruption during and after a change.
• Contribute to embedding/promoting the new Change/Release processes across all internal and external stakeholders; including the onboarding of NS&I ServiceNow ITSM tooling.
• Ensuring that our internal stakeholders and suppliers adhere to the agreed process and commitments in relation to Change/Release process. To ensure clarity of what is expected of them as part of the overall processes; identify improvements and setting of those standards ongoing.
• Investigating non-compliance of the Change/Release processes, intervening and chairing discussions where appropriate to improve adherence by all stakeholders.
• Establishing and maintaining strong relationships with Enterprise Service Management, other identified stakeholders and third-party suppliers.
• Ensure that Change/Release Management KPIs are met and a high quality of service is provided.
• Contributing to reporting to stakeholders, including senior management and key stakeholders, attending relevant forums and boards and participating in Post Implementation Reviews.

The above-mentioned duties are not inclusive or exhaustive. The post holder may be called upon to carry out such other appropriate duties as may be required within the grading level of the post and the competence of the post holder.

Person specification

You’ll have a demonstrable passion for change/release management of a service, with the following experience:

• Experience working as a change/release manager in a multi supplier outsourced model;
  • managing changes to service and creating associated documentation/evidence.
  • ability to understand Business drivers and impact of Release/ Change over a complex multi - supplier IT estate.
  • supporting Programme transition teams with Release Management and adhering to industry best practice.
• Experience working with ITIL Change/Release Management.
• Being cognisant of multiple facets of the technical environment, for example tooling and reporting.

Essential Qualifications

• ITIL 3 or 4 Foundation – provides a broad understanding of the ESM framework and Change/Release role within.

Essential Skills

You’ll have a demonstrable passion for change/release management of a service, with the following skills:

• Effective influencing/communication.
• Excellent relationship building.
• Strong stakeholder management.
• Strong Customer-focus.
• Effective and efficient workload management.
• Excellent planning and organisational skills.
• Applying a structured and methodical approach to problem solving.
• Skill Levels in line with those expected under Government Digital and Data (GDaD) Framework or a willingness to work towards these.

Essential Technical Knowledge

• Understanding of Lean, Agile and DevOps principles within a Customer & Service-centric delivery model which suppliers in the ecosystem will utilise and forms alignment to NS&I maturity in its ESM environment.
• ServiceNow – this is NS&I’s chosen ITSM Tooling so an understanding of the Release/Change modules.

Qualifications

Please confirm that you hold ITIL 3 or 4 Foundation

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Managing a Quality Service
• Seeing the Big Picture

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Managing a Quality Service

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £47,500, National Savings and Investments contributes £13,760 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• 9-day fortnight scheme
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
• Generous annual leave – starting at 25 days, increasing to 30 days
• Performance-related variable pay bonus
• Enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental leave

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

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

To apply, please click the link on this advert and follow the steps to complete the application form.

In your application you will be asked to provide the following

• An outline of your career history with your key responsibilities and achievements.

• Confirmation you hold the mandatory qualification of ITIL 3 or 4 Foundation

• A 500 word statement on the key essential experience:

1. Experience working as a change/release manager in a multi supplier outsourced model;

• managing changes to service and creating associated documentation/evidence.

• ability to understand Business drivers and impact of Release/ Change over a complex multi - supplier IT estate
• Supporting Programme transition teams with Release Management and adhering to industry best practice

2. Experience working with ITIL Change/Release Management

• A 250 word behavioural statement on Managing a Quality Service - Please use examples from your experience and knowledge to demonstrate how you meet them addressing the essential criteria in the Person Specification. We would recommend using the STAR ‘situation, task, action, result’ method of giving example

In the event we receive a large number of applicants, applications will be sifted first on the Personal Statement. Only those that meet the minimum acceptable score for this criteria will qualify for the full sift and be considered for interview.

If shortlisted, you will be invited to attend a 1 hour panel interview via video call.

As part of this interview you will be asked to make a 10 minute presentation aimed at demonstrating your experience.

Interviews will take place on from 6th July 2026.

Note we are unable to accept CVs.

Right to Work

As part of our recruitment process NS&I will ask about your right to work status. Candidates must have the right to work in the UK and meet eligibility requirements to work within the UK Civil Service.

If applying for a role on a fixed-term contract, you must hold a valid visa that covers the full duration of the contract, or at a minimum, the majority of the term.

Please note we are currently unable to offer visa sponsorship, as a result candidates requiring sponsorship are not eligible to apply.

Qualifications

Evidence of the qualification listed for this role will be required at the conditional offer stage. The offer will be subject to successful verification of this qualification. We kindly ask that your application details are accurate and meet the stated requirements, as incorrect information may affect the progress of your offer.

Security and Credit Checks

This role is subject to Baseline Personnel Security Standard and financial credit checks.

Reserve List

A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

Working for NS&I

Any move to NS&I from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.

For NS&I employees: If you are applying for a role at the same NS&I band as you are currently and the advertised salary of the role is higher, if you are successful, any salary increase will be at the discretion of NS&I and will be reviewed as part of the next annual pay review, in accordance with the NS&I employee handbook.

For Existing Civil Servants: If you are transferring from another government department at the same grade, your current salary will generally be matched within reasonable parameters and subject to NS&I pay ranges. If you are transferring on promotion, you will be offered the starting salary at the bottom of the pay scale. If you are transferring on promotion and your existing salary is within the advertised range, you will be offered a maximum of a 10% uplift on your existing salary (up to the advertised maximum).

For External Candidates: If you are not currently employed within the civil service, you will be offered the starting salary at the bottom of the advertised pay range.

Further information

Please visit our website http://nsandi-corporate.com/about-nsi for further details about NS&I.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

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)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : HR Team
• Email : jobs@nsandi.com

Recruitment team

• Email : jobs@nsandi.com

Further information

The law requires for selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis for fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service recruitment principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the recruitment principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact jobs@nsandi.com in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you can contact the Civil Service Commission info@csc.gov.uk

Attachments

Change Release Manager Role May 26 Final Opens in new window (pdf, 839kB)Benefits Leaflet - V2 updated 22-11-23 (21) Opens in new window (pdf, 413kB)