Senior Pensions Administrator

We are working closely alongside a Local Authority in Islington to assist with the appointment of a Pension Administration Manager, on a 6-month contract, highly likely to be extended at clients discretion.

Please apply with your CV for immediate consideration.

Summary:

This post heads the benefit administration of the pension fund. You will have 3 team leaders who are direct reports. Key responsibilities are ensuring that starters, retirements, deferred benefits, death benefits, refunds, opt outs, lump sums, estimates are processed on time. Checking of calculations and estimates.
Responsible for preparing annual allowance and life time allowance statements. Staff training, implementing LGPS legislation changes.

You must have extensive years of experience as a pensions manager for a local government pension scheme or be a deputy manager with extensive experience in the above areas as a minimum. Home working to a maximum of 2 days a week will be considered.

Responsibilities:

• To maintain an up to date knowledge of Local Government and Teachers pensions and compensation legislation and ensures that all staff are consistently applying the agreed correct interpretation.
• Plan and co-ordinate the effective training and development of all members of the team ensuring that they are kept up to date with any legislative/national/local initiatives that will impact upon the payroll service, e.g., changes to allowances.
• Ensure the accuracy of the calculations for retirement benefits, gratuities, death benefits, compensation benefits, deferred benefits, ill health, serious ill health and complex benefits required by contracting out arrangements, ensuring that the correct interpretation of Council policies, the pension scheme regulations and other relevant legislation is being applied.
• Apply relevant legislation in respect of members of the schemes including liaison with members, pensioners, solicitors, and the Courts on preparing quotations and applying ear marking and Court Pension sharing orders when required.
• To provide information to employees and pension providers of the maximum contribution and benefit limits under HMRC rules and government announcements regarding changes to pension schemes in general.
• Responsible for production all external returns in relation to the administration of the fund.
• Respond to statutory and technical consultations on pension administration matters, representing the councils views in a clear and concise manner.
• To complete all other Pension Fund responsibilities and projects as required.

Qualifications

• Relevant professional qualification such as Associate or Fellow of the Pensions Management Institute or substantial relevant experience
• Evidence of continued professional development
• Excellent communication skills, written and oral, including well developed report writing.
• Excellent interpersonal and influencing skills, in order to engage with senior officers and stakeholders, senior management teams and the service users.
• Strong analytical skills and a proven ability to present findings in an understandable manner, tailored to the audience
• Proven ability to plan and manage multiple concurrent projects

Experience:

• Substantial experience of working at a senior level in pension administration in local government.
• Experience of planning and coordinating workloads, prioritising conflicting demands to ensure deadlines are met
• Strong IT skills and experience of using computerised financial systems
• Evidence of providing advice and guidance to non-specialists to support understanding and decision making
• Proven ability to manage and motivate staff.
• Experience of working within a business partnering model and / or the ability to demonstrate an awareness of what is required to deliver the outcomes of the model

Please note:

• You should be available to work immediately or at a short notice.
• You should have right to work in U.K

Disclaimer: Brackenberry Ltd is acting as an Employment Business in relation to this vacancy. We are committed to equality in the workplace and is an equal opportunity employer. Unless otherwise stated all of our roles are temporary, though opening assignments can be and often are, extended by clients on a longer term basis and can sometimes become permanent. Important: We will interpret your application as being permission to submit your CV to this role (with the right to represent you) unless you advise us to the contrary. Incase the role requires an enhanced DBS, your DBS must be either through us or be accompanied by a subscription to the DBS updating service.

Job Types: Full-time, Fixed term contract
Contract length: 6 months

Salary: £305.00-£400.00 per day

Benefits:

• Company pension
• Flexitime
• Referral programme
• Work from home

Schedule:

• Day shift
• Flexitime
• Monday to Friday

Ability to commute/relocate:

• Tower Hamlets: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)

Experience:

• pension administration in local government: 5 years (required)
• computerised financial systems: 5 years (required)
• LGPS, relevant compensation schemes: 5 years (required)
• pension payroll: 5 years (required)

Licence/Certification:

• Pensions Management Institute membership (required)

Work authorisation:

• United Kingdom (required)

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Tower Hamlets