Head of Debt Delivery

Job summary

Head of Debt Delivery

£100,000 per annum

Bedford

Permanent

Hybrid Working

Play a pivotal role in ensuring millions of pounds of investment deliver life-changing debt advice. Lead strategic partnerships, drive service excellence, and help improve outcomes for people facing financial difficulty.

Why This Role Matters

In this role, you will lead and oversee the strategic delivery of a high-value portfolio of contracts and grants totalling more than £100 million annually, ensuring that people experiencing debt receive high-quality advice and support. You will provide strategic direction across contract and grant management, driving innovation, continuous improvement, and excellence in service delivery. Working closely with senior stakeholders, partners, and commissioned organisations, you will help shape and enhance debt advice services to respond to the evolving needs of clients while delivering strong outcomes and impact.

The role will be responsible for leading a team of Contract Managers and Senior Contract Managers, overseeing a portfolio of grants and contracts in line with government standards and ensuring compliance with key performance indicators, regulatory requirements, and MaPS standards. The postholder will also contribute to the commissioning and development of future debt advice services and will play an integral role within the Debt Senior Leadership Team, sharing collective responsibility for the successful delivery of the organisation's debt strategy.

You’ll join a team that’s passionate, collaborative, and driven by the belief that financial confidence should be something everyone can access.

Job description

What You’ll Be Doing

The Head of Debt Delivery will report directly to Corporate Director of Debt and will be responsible for:

• Provide strategic leadership to the Debt Delivery team, promoting a culture of high performance and continuous improvement.
• Oversee the management of agreements worth over £100m, ensuring that providers meet budget objectives and deliver high-quality services.
• Maintain and enhance relationships with key senior contacts in the debt advice sector to build long-term collaborative partnerships.
• Promote the service to external partners and share insights on delivery across the organisation.
• Identify and implement opportunities for service and process improvements, supporting innovation in the sector.
• Contribute expert insights into the Debt Strategy and various projects, including commissioning from across the debt advice sector.

Person specification

What You’ll Bring

To be successful in this role, you’ll need:

• Leadership and operational experience in a high-performance service delivery context, ideally within the advice sector.
• Exceptional strategic engagement, relationship, influencing, and negotiation skills at senior levels.
• Proven track record of delivering corporate leadership and achieving significant outcomes.
• Strong communication skills and expertise in collaboration, capable of working effectively with colleagues and representing the service externally.
• Extensive leadership experience, including transforming and developing teams.
• In-depth knowledge of the UK debt agenda and advice sector.

Benefits

About Us

MaPS is based in bright, modern offices in Bedford, and we’re here to help people across the UK feel more confident and informed about their money.

Our values guide how we work together:

• Caring – for colleagues and the communities we support
• Connecting – building supportive, positive relationships
• Transforming – creating impact that truly matters

We’re proud to foster an inclusive, welcoming culture. Our colleague networks include LGBTQ+, neurodiversity, women’s health, men’s health and ethnicity groups — and we welcome applications from all backgrounds.

What We Offer

• 30 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays
• Contributions matched 2 to 1 (employer contribution up to 10% of your salary)
• Season ticket loan
• Cycle to work scheme (up to £3,000)
• Subsidised eye tests & flu jabs
• Life assurance
• EAP Assist & Life
• Enhanced family and sick pay
• 2 paid volunteering days
• Recognition scheme
• Retail discounts portal

Flexible Working

We believe work should fit around life. This Bedford‑based role offers genuine flexibility so you can balance work, family, and personal commitments. We come together for purposeful team collaboration to stay connected and drive great results.

Career Development
We love supporting internal growth and progression, while continuing to follow fair and open Civil Service recruitment practices.

Important Information About Applying

• Please apply only via official MaPS links - we can’t accept applications via email or unauthorised sites.
• MaPS is unable to offer visa sponsorship.

Reserve List: If you're successful at interview, we may place you on a reserve list for up to 6 months. If a similar role becomes available, you may be offered it without the need for another assessment.

If you believe your application hasn’t followed the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles, you can contact resourcing@maps.org.uk. If unresolved, you may then contact the Civil Service Commission.

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

Our Recruitment Process

We keep things simple, fair, and transparent:

Step 1: Application Submission

Applications open: 7 August 2026

Closing date: 16 August 2026

To apply, please submit:

• An up-to-date CV detailing how your experience aligns with the essential criteria outlined in the job description and what makes you a strong candidate for this role.
• A cover letter (maximum 500 words) responding to the following question:
  • "What does social purpose mean to you, and how has this been reflected throughout your career?"

As a purpose-driven organisation, we are keen to understand your motivation for working in a role that positively impacts the lives of people experiencing financial difficulty.

Step 2: Initial Telephone Interview

Taking place between: 10 August - 18 August 2026

Candidates who meet the initial criteria will be invited to an informal telephone interview with Reed. This conversation will provide an opportunity to discuss your experience, motivations and suitability for the role, as well as learn more about the position and the organisation.

Step 3: Hogan Wave Assessment

Scheduled for: 24 August 2026

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to complete the Hogan Wave personality assessment as part of the selection process.

Step 4: Staff Engagement Exercise

Scheduled for: 31 August 2026

As the final assessment activity, candidates will participate in a Staff Engagement Exercise designed to showcase their leadership style, communication skills and ability to engage and influence others.

Each candidate will be allocated approximately 45 minutes to facilitate their session. The exercise will take place over the course of a full day to accommodate all shortlisted candidates.

Step 5: Final Panel Interview

Scheduled for: 9 - 11 September 2026

Successful candidates will be invited to a final-stage interview at our Bedford office.

The interview will be conducted by a panel of three and will last approximately 60 minutes. Candidates will be asked to deliver a 10-minute presentation, followed by competency-based and values-led interview questions designed to assess their experience, leadership capability and alignment with the role and organisational purpose.

Please note that all dates are subject to change

Everything we do aligns with the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles.

Job Reference: MaPS01285

Close Date: 16/08/2026

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) 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.

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

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 : Sabreena
• Email : MoneyAnd.Pensions@reed.com

Recruitment team

• Email : MoneyAnd.Pensions@reed.com