IT Change and Release Manager

£68,000 per annum

Bedford (occasional travel to London)

Hybrid Working

Permanent

Are you a detail-driven professional with a passion for secure, reliable digital services? The Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) is looking for a proactive Change and Release Manager to join our team. You will be working on high-impact programmes such as the Pensions Dashboard Programme — a groundbreaking initiative transforming how people in the UK engage with their pensions. In this key role, you’ll manage agile change and release processes, working closely with suppliers and stakeholders to ensure smooth, secure service delivery. If you are ready to make a national impact and help shape the future of pensions, we’d love to hear from you!

Here is an insight to the Pensions Dashboard Programme:

Pensions dashboards will enable people to access key information about all of their UK pensions, private and State, in one place online, revolutionising how people engage with their pensions throughout their lives. Enabling the delivery of pensions dashboards will require up to 52m adults in the UK to be connected with up to around 43,000 pension providers and schemes to search for their pensions.

Development work by industry has already taken place, as a concept. The goal is now to turn it into a delivery solution for the benefit of UK citizens. MaPS has created a Pensions Dashboards Programme (PDP) which will be responsible for delivering the digital architecture and governance framework that will allow multiple parties to be connected as part of the pension’s dashboards ecosystem. This hugely significant development has the potential to improve the financial wellbeing of millions of people.

The programme is comprised of an Industry Steering Group and a supporting Programme team within MaPS. The Programme is working in close partnership with DWP, TPR and FCA who all have related delivery responsibilities. Industry has had, and will continue to have, a crucial role to play in designing and developing the necessary components to make pensions dashboards possible.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for the PDP ecosystem agile IT change and release management processes, ensuring that suppliers, colleagues and industry adhere to these processes at all times. Seek opportunities for continuous process improvement.
• Work closely with the Money Helper Pensions Dashboard teams and our suppliers to ensure that the change and release strategies are relevant and that we continually explore opportunities to use the best-in-class tools and methodologies.
• Ensure that key stakeholders are engaged in good time for relevant changes/releases and input into communications to industry when changes/releases would impact them.
• Engage internal and external test/assurance resources to ensure changes and releases have gone through the correct assurance steps and that integrity of the highly available production environments are maintained at all times.
• Regularly tracking and reporting on PIRs & KPIs for change and release. Publishing release and change schedule to keep internal and external stakeholders informed.
• Chair regular Operational Change Control Boards and release planning meetings. Provide approval for changes and releases.
• Act as the main point of contact for all changes and release decisions as well as acting as an escalation point.

You will need to demonstrate the following skills and experience

• Ability to manage changes and releases for an organisation, ensuring value for the business and adherence to company policies.
• Experience of managing suppliers to ensure they meet business needs and performance targets.
• Demonstrate broad industry experience in change and release management and can improve change management processes towards full maturity.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a group with internal and external parties, actively networking with others.
• Adapt feedback to ensure it is effective and lasting and identify issues through Agile health checks with the team and help to stimulate the right responses.
• Knowledge of how to identify process optimisation opportunities with guidance and contribute to the implementation of proposed solutions, including investigating patterns and trends.
• Experience of diagnosing and prioritising issues with suppliers and colleagues in order to identify root causes and resolutions.
• Experience of owning an issue until a new owner has been found or the problem has been mitigated or resolved.
• ITIL service management qualification or equivalent qualification.
• Strong organisational and communication skills with the ability to meet both specific and unexpected deadlines.
• Excellent judgement and the confidence to proactively identify and assess risk.

This vacancy offers hybrid working in Bedford, with occasional travel to the London office currently based in Westminster and easily accessible via public transport.

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.

Our values are Caring, Connecting, and Transforming, which are the foundation of our success. We are committed to an inclusive working environment and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We strive to ensure a progressive approach to inclusion, equity, and belonging.

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

MaPS operates on a hybrid basis with a minimum of 2 days in the office per week. The headquarters in Bedford is the contractual place of work. Opportunities for hybrid working will be discussed prior to starting.

Career Development

MaPS supports career development and follows Civil Service Commissioner recruitment principles. Participation in a full, open, and fair process is required.

Reserve List

If you are successful at interview, we operate a reserve list where your details will be held for up to 6 months and may be offered a vacancy with no further assessment if it matches the essential criteria.