Join us at the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) as a Contract Manager. This role offers you the chance to make a significant impact by managing a portfolio of contracts and grants, some in excess of £20m pa, ensuring providers deliver against budget, forecasts and all business plan objectives.
You’ll be part of a dynamic team dedicated to helping people across the UK improve their financial wellbeing.
Role Overview
As Contract Manager you will work with a range of contract / grant holders to ensure effective and efficient delivery of services in line with client needs. The Contract Manager will report directly to the Senior Contract Manager and will be responsible for:
• Achieving high levels of supplier satisfaction with the standard of relationship management delivered by the team.
• Continually improve commissioned debt advice services by supporting the identification and leveraging of new opportunities to grow services to meet client needs.
• Ensuring services deliver the best advice possible (at a time that is appropriate and convenient).
• Supporting the commissioning value stream (the end-to-end business process for commissioning) for debt advice working within a matrix environment.
• Maintaining and adherence to Contract Management Plans for services in their portfolio. The majority of contracts attracting the highest level of Government classification (Gold).
• Managing monthly, quarterly, and annual review cycles. Analysing and reporting on performance against targets.
• Supporting the Senior Contract Manager in delivering strategic responsibilities that support all grants and contracts.
• Supporting market engagement and business development activity to ensure a healthy and competitive market of suppliers and potential suppliers.
• Contributing to an evidence-based approach to service design and the translation of these user-requirements into service specifications.
Skills and Experience Required
To excel in this role, you will need to demonstrate:
• Excellent relationship management ability and experience of leading successful paid for partnerships to achieve target outcomes at the right quality.
• Ability to manage large complex and diverse portfolios of services over large geographical areas.
• Solid financial and performance management skills.
• Exceptional influencing and negotiation skills, able to challenge constructively and drive fundamental shifts in existing beliefs and behaviours to deliver positive change.
• Experience of change management within a supply chain context.
• Strong analytical skills with an understanding of the important drivers of advice quality, financial performance, and client outcomes.
• Strong stakeholder management, with expertise in influencing senior level stakeholders, both internally and externally.
• Ability to lead complex meetings and confidently work with internal and external colleagues and senior stakeholders to generate and develop solutions
• Skilled at identifying opportunities for improvement and efficiencies, and at implementing processes that promote productivity and quality.
• Strong IT and Project Management skills.
• Ability to manage risks and issued, ensuring these inform/influence decision making.
• An understanding of contractual change control, including the associated impacts.
• Working knowledge of contract and performance levers for contract maximisation and benefit realisation.
• If not already attained the post holder would be expected to achieve the Government Commercial College, Contract Management Foundation level within two months of starting with progression on to Practitioner and Expert levels.
Desirable Skills:
• Knowledge and understanding of the financial capability sector in the UK
• Good understanding of advice quality and the ability to work with suppliers to improve and enhance where required.
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 week. 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.
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.