Senior Stakeholder Engagement Manager, London, Permanent
This role plays a pivotal part in shaping Pay.UK’s external relationships and strategic direction. The postholder will oversee purposeful, high-quality engagement with our most senior stakeholders across the payments ecosystem, shaping conversations that directly support Pay.UK’s strategic priorities. Serving as a trusted advisor to the CEO, Board, and Executive team, the role brings market awareness, precise analysis, and proficient stakeholder management to uphold consistent communication and support decision outcomes. Leading a small specialist team, the jobholder will translate complex stakeholder feedback into actionable insights, boosting trust in Pay.UK and enabling delivery of our strategic objectives.
Key Accountabilities:
- Build trusted, effective relationships with senior internal colleagues, including ExCo members, providing constructive challenge, clear feedback and acting as a credible advisor
- Develop and preserve effective relationships with senior external stakeholders, presenting Pay.UK with credibility, consistency, and confidence
- Build and sustain a broad, well-rounded grasp of Pay.UK’s operations and strategic aims, and present them clearly with the right level of detail for senior audiences
- Maintain a deep understanding of external stakeholders, including their interests, touchpoints with Pay.UK, and positions on Pay.UK’s work and wider industry developments
- Plan the senior engagement, working closely with ExCo colleagues to ensure agendas are focused, purposeful and aligned to Pay.UK’s strategy and stakeholder needs
- Navigate the organisation to gather insight, views and evidence required to inform effective senior stakeholder engagement
- Direct rigorous analysis of stakeholder engagement, distilling extensive input into concise insights and themes for internal audiences
- Manage and develop a small team, including recruitment, quality assurance and flexible resourcing to manage peaks in workload
- Take direct responsibility for engagement with the largest stakeholders, while overseeing and maintaining visibility of engagement led by direct reports
- Work with the Head of Stakeholder Engagement to develop and deliver the Stakeholder Engagement Strategy, including responses to the Annual Stakeholder Engagement Survey
- Support delivery of Executive and Board updates, broader Pay.UK initiatives (including risk management), and joined‑up engagement across CPEO teams.
Qualifications, Skills and Experience
- Educated to degree level or equivalent professional experience
- Significant experience in stakeholder and relationship management within a regulated environment
- Demonstrated ability to operate across a broad and complex range of issues, persuading others and securing timely outcomes
- Demonstrated ability to engage with and provide constructive challenge to senior internal stakeholders, up to ExCo level
- Demonstrated ability to credibly represent an organisation with senior external stakeholders
- Practical experience managing and developing a small team delivering external stakeholder engagement
- Outcome-focused, with evidence of delivering quality results and encouraging ongoing process improvements, supported by close attention to detail
- Skilled communicator in writing and speech, capable of explaining complex ideas in a clear, concise, and compelling way
- High-level analytical skills, including conducting evidence‑based analyses, synthesising large amounts of information, and creating practical solutions in dynamic conditions
- Solid project management and prioritisation skills, with the capacity to oversee initiatives and shift methods as conditions evolve
- Clear understanding of reputational risk arising from ineffective stakeholder engagement, and the confidence to challenge senior colleagues to mitigate that risk.
At Pay.UK, we value diversity and inclusivity. Research has shown that candidates from underrepresented groups may hesitate to apply unless they meet all the requirements listed. We encourage all qualified candidates to apply, regardless of how closely their skills and experience match the requirements. We are committed to supporting accessibility needs and creating a welcoming environment for all employees. Become part of our team and contribute to the creation of an inclusive work environment that values everyone's unique input.
Who we are
Pay.UK maintains and develops the UK retail payment systems and standards that are core to the economy being able to function on a day-to-day basis.
From Bacs to Faster Payments and cheques – we act as the single operator for all UK retail payments. We put the needs of consumers and businesses at the heart of everything we do, working in the public interest to ensure that the systems the country relies on for its banking transactions are safe, open, innovative and resilient.
Our payment systems underpin the services that enable funds to be transferred between people and institutions. In 2024, the UK's retail payment systems processed 11 billion transactions worth over £10 trillion through Bacs Direct Credit, Direct Debit, Faster Payments, and cheques, and our Current Account Switch Service has facilitated over 9 million switches since it’s launch in 2013.
Every day, individuals and businesses use the services we provide to get their salaries, pay their bills and make online and mobile banking payments. Our vision for the future is to enable a vibrant economy, with Pay.UK delivering the best-in-class payment infrastructure and standards for the benefit of consumers and businesses nationwide.
Benefits & Additional Information
- 12% Non-contributory pension
- Discretionary annual bonus
- 30 days annual leave (excluding bank holidays)
- Private medical insurance, life assurance, income protection, health cash plan, dental insurance, Bupa medicals etc
- Employee assistance programme
- Cycle to Work Scheme
- Season ticket loan
- Annual fitness subsidy of up to £500 per annum
- Working from home policy - minimum 40% in the office (eg. 2 days in the office over a 5 day working week)
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