Risk Lead

Job summary

Risk Lead

£80,000 per annum

Bedford

Permanent

Hybrid Working

Are you a senior risk leader ready to shape decision‑making at the heart of a purpose‑led organisation?

As Risk Lead at MaPS, you’ll play a pivotal role in strengthening our enterprise risk framework, influencing strategic delivery, and embedding a positive risk culture across the organisation. Reporting directly to the Corporate Director of Risk, you’ll work closely with Executives, the Board and senior stakeholders to ensure risks are understood, managed proportionately and aligned to our risk appetite — enabling MaPS to deliver with confidence.

Job description

Role Overview

Risk Lead will report directly to Corporate Director of Risk. In this role, you will be responsible for:

Key Responsibilities:

• Represent Risk at key project, programme, and delivery-focused meetings across the Change Portfolio.
• Lead on maintaining a positive Risk Culture throughout the organisation.
• Produce and manage Risk Management Information (MI), identifying, measuring, monitoring, and reporting on actual or emerging risks and key themes to the Executive Committee, Audit Risk & Assurance Committee (ARAC), Change Portfolio , and external stakeholders.
• Provide second line of defence (2LoD) risk reviews as required by the Executive Committee, ARAC and Risk Review Boards
• Oversee the preparation of reports and papers for the Executive Committee, ARAC, and other governance committees.
• Support the execution of the Internal Audit plan, ensuring it is completed on time and within budget.
• Maintain and enhance the enterprise risk management framework, ensuring continuous improvement and effective communication across the organisation.
• Lead and facilitate a network of Risk Champions to ensure a constructive risk culture is embedded across the organisation.
• Analyse and report on both existing and emerging risks, ensuring they are managed in accordance with the organisation's risk appetite.
• Perform risk and control assessments, producing detailed risk reports.
• Educate and build risk awareness among colleagues, providing support and guidance on risk management responsibilities.

Person specification

You will need to demonstrate the following skills and experience.

Essential:

• Line Management: Must have direct line management experience
• Risk Management Expertise: Strong understanding of risk management principles, risk appetite, and risk registers with particular expertise of managing risks within a complex Portfolio
• Analytical Skills: Ability to analyse complex data, draw conclusions, produce detailed reports, and make well-founded recommendations to management concerning delivery.
• Strategic Thinking: Excellent abstract thinking skills with the ability to view the 'big picture', identifying linkages and dependencies between activities and bring key stakeholders together to address key risk dependencies
• Technical Proficiency: High level of PC literacy, particularly proficient in BI, Dashboards, MS Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Stakeholder Management: Exceptional influencing and negotiation skills, with the ability to challenge constructively and confidently to drive positive change within the organisation.
• Independent and Collaborative Work: Extensive experience of operating both independently and collaboratively with peers.
• Experience in Risk Management: Highly experienced in managing and facilitating risk management processes across a Change
• Presentation Skills: Proven experience in presenting reports and findings to senior management both virtually and in person, ensuring clear communication and effective decision-making.

Benefits

About Us
The Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) is based in Bedford, in a recently renovated modern office. This is a wonderful opportunity for you to become an integral part of a dynamic organisation, working to help people across the UK.
At the heart of the Money and Pensions Service are our values – caring, connecting, and transforming, which are the foundation of our success. They permeate every area of our work and define all our business relationships and the way we work with each other. We’re not only looking for the best people to come and work for us, but we need people who align themselves with our values:

• Caring
We care about our colleagues and the people whose lives we are here to transform.
• Connecting
We will transform lives through our ability to make positive connections.
• Transforming
We are committed to transforming lives and making a positive societal impact.

Our Inclusive Working Environment

By fostering our values, we are immensely proud of the inclusive working environment that we have created. The diversity of our people is a strength that we embrace and wish to build upon, so we are committed to attracting people of all backgrounds. We work hard to ensure that we have a progressive approach to inclusion, equity, and belonging. We really do want our colleagues to “bring their whole selves to work.”
Our colleague and ally networks encompass LGBTQ+, neurodiversity, women’s health, men’s health, ethnicity, and diversity.

What We Offer
• Generous Annual Leave – 30 days plus Bank Holidays
• Pension scheme – contributions matched 2 to 1 (up to 10% of your salary)
• Interest-free loan for season tickets for buses and trains
• Cycle to work Scheme
• Subsidised eye tests & flu jabs
• Life assurance scheme
• Give as you earn scheme
• Employee assistance programme (EAP)
• PAM Assist and PAM Life scheme (Wellbeing)
• Enhanced family and sick pay
• Paid volunteering (2 days a year)
• Recognition Scheme
• Discounts portal to numerous retailers

Flexible Working
At MaPS, we take pride in our flexible approach to work. As standard, we work on a hybrid basis with a minimum of 2 days in the office per month. Hybrid working is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement and our headquarters in Bedford will be your contractual place of work. The number of days that anyone will be able to work at home will be determined primarily by business needs, but personal and other relevant circumstances will also be considered. If you are successful, any opportunities for hybrid working, including whether a hybrid working arrangement is suitable for you, will be discussed with you prior to you taking up your post.

Career Development
In MaPS, we take career development seriously. We actively encourage and support applications from our existing MaPS colleagues. However, we do follow the Civil Service Commissioner recruitment principles, which means that you will be required to participate in a full, open, and fair process.

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

Reserve List

If you are successful at interview, we operate a reserve list where your details will be held for up to 6 months. Should a vacancy come available in that time with the same essential criteria, reserve list candidates will be offered that position with no further assessment required.

Application Process

The law requires that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact the Money and Pensions Service via email: recruitment@maps.org.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Visit the Civil Service Commission website.

Please note: The Money and Pensions Service requires all candidates to have the legal right to work in the United Kingdom. Unfortunately, we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role.

Step 1: CV Submission

Applications open: 6th May 2026 I Closing date: 20th May 2026

Please submit your most up-to-date CV along with a cover letter outlining how you meet the essential criteria detailed in the job specification.

Step 2: Telephone Interview

Taking place between: 7th May 2026 – 21st May 2026

Candidates who meet the initial criteria will be invited to a friendly and informal telephone interview with the Reed team. This is an opportunity to discuss your experience in more detail and learn more about the role.

Step 3: Final Stage Interview

Week commencing: 1st June 2026

Final interviews will be held at our Bedford office. These will include an assessment exercise followed by a series of competency-based questions.

Job Reference: MaPS01181

Close Date: 20/05/2026

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.

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 : sabreena.chowdhury@reed.com

Recruitment team

• Email : sabreena.chowdhury@reed.com