Steven is responsible for research funding, including quality-related funding (QR), general capital funding and the UK Research Partnership Investment Fund (UKRPIF). He also leads Research England's research assessment and policy work, and is the chair of the steering group for the 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF). Policy responsibilities include research integrity, public engagement and open research, and Steven contributes to debates and discussions at home and overseas on the enhancement and assessment of research impact. His team also includes Research England's analysis function.

He then shifted career tracks into the world of policy-making, with two roles at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, focusing on bringing science and research into policymaking. Subsequently, he was appointed Head of the Strategy Unit at Research Councils UK, and then took up the post of Head of Research Policy at HEFCE in 2013.