Strategy and Policy Manager

Job summary

Strategy and Policy Manager

£63000 per annum

Bedford

Permanent

Hybrid Working

Ready to make a real difference? Join us at the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) as a Strategy and Policy Manager. This is your chance to play a meaningful role in helping people across the UK build stronger financial futures and to do it as part of a supportive, energetic team.

Why This Role Matters

In this role, you’ll play a central part in shaping the strategic direction of the Money and Pensions Service. You’ll develop key components of our corporate strategy, craft evidence‑based policy positions, and analyse insights that influence decision‑making at the highest levels. Your work will directly contribute to improving the financial wellbeing of people across the UK - helping ensure that our services, priorities and partnerships genuinely meet the needs of the people we exist to support.

You’ll join a team that’s passionate, collaborative and deeply committed to ensuring better financial futures for everyone in need. Working closely with colleagues across MaPS and stakeholders across government, regulation and the wider financial wellbeing system, you’ll help deliver coherent, aligned and impactful strategic and policy outcomes that strengthen the whole organisation.

Job description

What You’ll Be Doing

The Strategy and Policy Manager will be responsible for:

• Developing key components of MaPS’ corporate strategy and three‑year strategic plan, coordinating contributions to produce cohesive, evidence‑based recommendations.
• Supporting policy development and system insight work, including preparing structured analysis, briefings and recommendations for senior leaders.
• Coordinating cross‑MaPS alignment to ensure strategic coherence, connecting work across teams and supporting a consistent organisational direction.
• Conducting horizon scanning to anticipate policy, economic and social developments, synthesising implications for MaPS’ strategy and operating environment.
• Building strong internal and external relationships across MaPS, government departments, regulators and system partners to support collaboration and alignment.
• Representing the team in cross‑organisational working groups and project teams to ensure strategy and policy considerations are embedded in delivery.
• Contributing to a high‑performing and inclusive team culture, sharing best practice and helping strengthen strategy and policy capability across the directorate.

Person specification

What You’ll Bring

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

Essential

• Experience in at least one of strategy development, policy development or system analysis in a complex or multi‑stakeholder environment.
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to synthesise evidence, insight and stakeholder perspectives to inform strategic recommendations.
• Ability to communicate complex issues simply, clearly and with appropriate nuance for senior audiences.
• Experience working collaboratively across teams and building trusted relationships with senior colleagues.
• Confidence operating in ambiguity, creating clarity, structure and momentum in fast‑moving environments.

Desirable

• Understanding of financial wellbeing, regulated services or national public service delivery.
• Ability to translate strategy into implementation, with strengths in prioritisation, planning and performance management.
• Experience working in or alongside an arm’s-length body or strategic government partner.

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
  • Pension (2:1 matched contribution up to 10%)
  • 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.

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

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.

Our Recruitment Process

We keep things simple, fair, and transparent:

Stage 1: Application review – a member of our Talent team will review your CV and cover letter

Stage 2: If successful at Application review, you will be invited to book in for a Telephone Interview (up to 30 mins)

Stage 3: Final stage interview with the hiring panel on w/c 27th April

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

Job Reference: MaPS01129

Close Date: 12/04/26

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 : Nick Heron
• Email : Nicholas.Heron@reed.com

Recruitment team

• Email : Nicholas.Heron@reed.com