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Job description

The Lead Pensions Administrator role supports the Head of Pensions Branch with their responsibility for the leadership and management of the Pensions Branch that currently administers three pension schemes for approximately 17,000 pensioners and 7,000 serving police officers. The role holder will manage the operational delivery of pension services, ensuring compliance with relevant legislation, policy, governance arrangements and service standards within a tightly regulated public service pensions environment. They will lead staff to deliver accurate, business critical work to demanding deadlines and statutory timescales, and will demonstrate strong organisational, leadership, communication and delivery skills.

Responsibilities

• The main duties and responsibilities associated with the role include the following:
• Deliver a fair, equitable and compliant police pension service to serving and former police officers.
• Ensure the accurate and timely payment of pensioners.
• Provide the highest quality of service to police officers and pensioners in delivery of pension services.
• Develop and modernising the provision of organisational pension services with changing business and legislative needs.
• Manage pension administration systems and processes ensuring that they provide sound financial control, are efficient and effective and meet necessary timetables and changing business needs as necessary.
• Ensure production and issue of legislative information to members including Annual Benefit Statements and Annual Allowance Statements.
• Participate in the writing and implementation of pension regulations.
• Ensure high standards of governance and clear audit trail at all times.
• Meet all security and data protection requirements.
• Provide accurate and timely contribution of pension information for the purposes of statutory compliance with financial reporting needs and contribute to completion of Annual Pension Accounts.
• Actively contribute to the satisfactory resolution of audit queries including provision of supporting rationale for organisational approach.
• Provide relevant pension information to inform budget forecasts, profiles and enable appropriateness of future financial decisions.
• Regular liaison and interactions with colleagues in Financial Services, Legal Services and HR.
• Liaise with and reporting to key police pension stakeholders such as the Department of Justice, the Northern Ireland Policing Board, the Government Actuary Department, and HMRC.
• Lead, manage and develop police pensions staff in the branch through efficient and effective communication and direction, encouraging knowledge sharing and autonomy.
• Manage performance reviews of staff in the branch.
• Identify, organise and facilitate appropriate training for the staff.
• Promote the development of all finance staff, ensuring that skills are developed as necessary to deliver Pensions Branch and overall Financial Services priorities and objectives.
• Promote a culture of openness, transparency, accountability and teamwork in the work of the Branch and proactively sharing best practice information gathered, working collaboratively with colleagues throughout the organisation.
• Adopt and encourage a continuous improvement mentality within the team.
• The main duties and responsibilities reflect the main elements of those associated with this position. It is not intended to be exclusive or exhaustive.

Skills and Qualifications

Essential Skills

• A university degree or relevant professional qualification together with 3 years’ leadership and management experience within a pensions environment including management of staff.
• Or significant leadership and management experience (being at least 5 years’ experience within the last 7 years) within a pensions environment including management of staff.
• Demonstrable experience of providing significant contribution to the successful delivery of key operational pension-related objectives within the last 5 years.
• Knowledge and understanding of UK public sector’s pension scheme rules, scheme administration policies and pensions’ law.
• Knowledge of and compliance with all regulations relating to taxation of pensions.
• Communication and interpersonal skills, both orally and in writing.
• Evidence of satisfactorily dealing with the pressures of a challenging workload in a changing environment whilst both being accountable and holding others to account.
• Able to identify, collate and analyse information from a variety of sources to support decision making and reporting.
• Applicants must have a valid driving licence and a car available for official business use, or access to a form of personal transport that will enable you to meet the requirements of the post in full.
• IT literate specifically in the use of the Microsoft Office suite. (Including MS Word, MS PowerPoint, MS Excel and MS Outlook).

Desirable Skills

• Experience of a pensions environment within a large* commercial or public sector organisation.
• Contribution to successfully enacting regulatory and legislative changes in the area of pensions.
• Large relates to an organisation with an excess of 200 employees and an annual budget of more than £5 million.

Further Information

Appointment will be dependent on the individual satisfying the vetting requirements for the post which will vary according to the work area appointed to. Please note that for all appointments there is a minimum requirement to have a three year checkable history immediately preceding the submission of a vetting questionnaire. Short listing will be carried out based on essential criteria. Please note in some instances, for example, where there is a high volume of applicants, desirable criteria may be assessed. Successful applicants will be retained on a merit list for future opportunities arising. We would encourage you to check the spam within your email system for any relevant correspondence. Selection Methodology PSNI uses the Competency and Values Framework which sets out nationally recognised behaviours and values to support all policing professionals. You will be assessed against the values and at the competencies level as indicated below. Further guidance and, information about the Competency and Values Framework is available here on our website. Please use the 2024 CVF for this role. Applicants meeting the eligibility criteria and essential qualifications, skills and experience will be required to demonstrate their experience for the following criteria: Competency and Values Based Interview Values Courage and Integrity Public Service Competencies Level 2 We Take Ownership We Support and Inspire We Collaborate