External Affairs Adviser

Are you passionate about securing better financial futures for everyone in need? Join the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) as an External Affairs Adviser and play a pivotal role in driving strategic engagement with government, parliamentarians, and key stakeholders. This is your opportunity to be at the forefront of financial wellbeing in the UK—where your insights, communication skills, and stakeholder relationships will help transform lives.

Role Overview

The External Affairs Adviser will report directly to the Strategic Engagement Manager. In this role, you will be responsible for:

• Supporting MaPS’ engagement with government as an arm’s-length body, helping to maintain strong relationships with ministers, officials and wider Whitehall stakeholders.
• Contributing to the delivery of our parliamentary strategy, ensuring activity aligns with MaPS’ statutory remit and corporate objectives.
• Providing input on positioning and messaging, and advising on government-facing campaigns and stakeholder engagement.
• Monitoring developments across Parliament and government to identify emerging risks and opportunities, and shaping our response accordingly.
• Coordinating executive-level external engagement by providing briefings and speeches for senior colleagues and attending necessary meetings.
• Maintaining stakeholder maps and databases and coordinating the effective delivery of our engagement plans.
• Serving as a single point of contact for responding to external queries from Westminster, including parliamentary correspondence, casework and enquiries.
• Collaborating with various teams (policy, corporate strategy, press, customer communications, insight and evaluation) to support the delivery of engaging, multi-stakeholder campaigns.

Person Specification

You will need to demonstrate the following skills and experience:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with experience in developing compelling content for various stakeholder audiences.
• Proven experience in stakeholder engagement, including working with subject matter experts and distilling complex information into concise content.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build and maintain relationships with both external and internal stakeholders.
• Ability to work cross-functionally with other teams and disciplines within and outside the organisation in fast-paced environments.
• Experience in organising events.
• Commitment to inclusive and collaborative working practices, communications, and engagement.

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.

Selection Process Details

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.

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.

Job Reference: MaPS00890

Close Date: 13/07/2025

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 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)
• 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

Contact Point for Applicants

Job Contact: Name: Sabreena Email: sabreena.chowdhury@reed.com

Recruitment Team: Email: sabreena.chowdhury@reed.com