Senior Relationship Manager

Bedford

Job Summary

Senior Relationship Manager

£75,000 per annum

Bedford

Permanent

Hybrid Working

Ready to make a real difference? Join us at the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) as our Senior Relationship 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

We are seeking a strategic and experienced Senior Relationship Manager to lead engagement across priority sectors within the UKs money guidance and financial education landscape

The post holder will work within an interconnected network of organisations, services, and professionals who help individuals improve their financial wellbeing through money guidance, education, and early intervention support.

This includes partners across health systems (e.g. NHS and integrated care systems), local and central government, education and youth services, housing, employment support, and the voluntary and community sector.

Within this complex and evolving system, strong partnerships are essential to achieving coordinated, large-scale impact. This role will play a critical part in strengthening that system by building strategic relationships, aligning sector priorities, and enabling organisations to integrate high-quality money guidance into their services.

This includes supporting initiatives such as Money Guiders, which focuses on improving the quality, consistency, and effectiveness of Money Guidance delivered through others, across the UK.

As a senior leader within our partnerships function, you will take ownership of a high-value and complex partner portfolio, shaping sector engagement strategies, influencing senior stakeholders, and delivering measurable, system-wide improvements in reach, quality, and sustainability.

What You’ll Be Doing

The Senior Relationship Manager will report directly to Strategic Partnerships Lead and will be responsible for:

• Line manage, coach, and develop Relationship Manager(s), setting performance expectations, assuring quality and consistency of delivery.
• Provide strategic leadership across the allocated partner portfolio, owning and shaping the sector engagement approach.
• Manage portfolio planning and standards, ensuring effective segmentation, prioritisation, engagement cadence, and clear risk management.
• Build and lead senior relationships with priority and complex national Guidance and Education System partners, influencing decision-makers and securing commitment to shared objectives.
• Support the Strategic Partnerships Lead in developing and delivering the partner strand strategy and scale-up planning.
• Ensure appropriate partnership governance for priority and complex partners, including oversight of data-sharing requirements.
• Maintain a strong understanding of the policy landscape, identifying emerging policy opportunities that could support and deepen engagement.
• Capture and communicate partner insight and intelligence to shape programme strategy and sector propositions.
• Role-model organisational values of caring, connecting, and transforming, supporting colleagues and partners with empathy and driving continuous improvement.

What You’ll Be Doing

The Senior Relationship Manager will report directly to Strategic Partnerships Lead and will be responsible for:

• Line manage, coach, and develop Relationship Manager(s), setting performance expectations, assuring quality and consistency of delivery.
• Provide strategic leadership across the allocated partner portfolio, owning and shaping the sector engagement approach.
• Manage portfolio planning and standards, ensuring effective segmentation, prioritisation, engagement cadence, and clear risk management.
• Build and lead senior relationships with priority and complex national Guidance and Education System partners, influencing decision-makers and securing commitment to shared objectives.
• Support the Strategic Partnerships Lead in developing and delivering the partner strand strategy and scale-up planning.
• Ensure appropriate partnership governance for priority and complex partners, including oversight of data-sharing requirements.
• Maintain a strong understanding of the policy landscape, identifying emerging policy opportunities that could support and deepen engagement.
• Capture and communicate partner insight and intelligence to shape programme strategy and sector propositions.
• Role-model organisational values of caring, connecting, and transforming, supporting colleagues and partners with empathy and driving continuous improvement.

Person specification

What You’ll Bring

Essential

• Demonstrable experience operating at a senior level within complex, multi-stakeholder environments
• Proven track record of leading high-value partnerships or portfolios, delivering measurable outcomes at scale
• Strong experience engaging and influencing executive-level stakeholders across diverse organisations
• Experience building and leading high-performing teams and developing capability
• Data-driven and insight-led, with the ability to translate complex information into strategic decisions

Desirable

• Experience within financial capability, financial wellbeing, or money guidance
• Sector experience across public services, such as health (e.g. NHS), local or central government, children and young people’s services, or the voluntary/community sector
• Experience working within or alongside system-wide or national programmes that drive cross-sector collaboration and impact

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 ***email_hidden***. If unresolved, you may then contact the Civil Service Commission.

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

Application Process

Step 1: CV Submission

Applications open: 8th June 2026

Closing date: 22nd June 2026

• Please submit your most recent CV and a cover letter (maximum 1,000 words).
• In your cover letter, please explain how you would approach your first 12 months in the role. We would like you to cover:
• Which sectors and partners you would prioritise
• What system levers you would focus on i.e. the policy, commissioning or system levers
• Opportunities to improve financial wellbeing through money guidance
• How you would turn these ideas into real strategic impact

Step 2: Telephone Interview

Timeline: 9th June 2026 – 23rd June 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 explore your experience in more detail and to learn more about the role.

Step 3: Final Stage Interview

Scheduled for: 6th July 2026 – 8th July 2026

(Dates are subject to change) Interview format (90 minutes)

• Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend a final interview in the Bedford office.
• Your interview will follow the same structure for all candidates and will run for approximately 90 minutes, as follows:
• Introductions, presentation and discussion (approx. 25–30 minutes)
• Short break (5 minutes)
• Structured interview questions (approx. 45–50 minutes)
• Your questions to the panel (approx. 5–10 minutes)

Reasonable adjustments are available throughout the process. If you require any adjustments, please let us know in advance so we can support you appropriately.

Presentation task (10 minutes maximum)

The presentation is based on the themes set out in your cover letter and gives you the opportunity to expand on, refine, or present differently the thinking you outlined in your written application.

Please Structure Your Presentation Under The Following Two Headings

• 1) Your view of the strategic opportunities for financial wellbeing and money guidance Your understanding of the key financial wellbeing challenges affecting people across the UK, the role that money guidance can play in improving outcomes, and the opportunities or barriers to embedding money guidance more effectively through public and third sector services, education and community-based support.
• 2) Your first 12 months in role How you would approach your first year in the role, including the partners, sectors or systems you would prioritise for engagement, why you would prioritise them, the policy, commissioning or system levers you believe offer the strongest opportunities for influence and impact, and how you would translate this into a practical and deliverable plan.

To Help Us Follow Your Thinking, Please Also Include

• your top three priorities for year one
• your top three risks, challenges or assumptions, and how you would manage them
• how you would know your approach is working, for example through measures, indicators or signs of progress

Slides are optional. You are equally welcome to present without slides.

After the presentation, there will be a facilitated discussion and questions from the panel.

Job Reference: MaPS001205

Close Date: 22/06/2026

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.

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 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 the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a 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 : Sabreena
• Email : [email protected]

Recruitment team

• Email : [email protected]