Pensions Executive

Job Description

The Role:

Salary: Negotiable Market Leading Base Salary, Bonus + Excellent Benefits
Location: London (with some hybrid working)

My client is a rapidly growing international organisation offering a range of solutions to the global Financial & Professional Services sector. As part of their exciting growth plans an opportunity exists to join one of their independent key business entities in a specialist Pension secretarial role, a key appointment as they continue to pursue market share expansion.

Principal Duties
Outsourced pensions executive services and projects:

1. Business planning/organisation – liaising with chair/trustees/in-house pensions leads and other stakeholders
2. Managing relationships with/ sourcing input from advisers and service providers on behalf of trustee boards and corporates
3. Scheme secretarial duties including
• Planning/organisation – liaising with chair/trustees/in-house pensions manager
• Meetings – preparation/attendance/minutes/follow-up actions
• Member communications – e.g. trustee newsletters/Summary Funding Statements
• Managing relationships with/ input from providers and advisers on behalf of the trustee board
• Ongoing governance activity – including budget and cost control, maintaining business plans/risk registers, annual returns etc
• Oversight and co-ordination of routine scheme projects e.g. annual report and accounts
• Governance projects e.g. trustee effectiveness, service provider reviews and procurement projects
4. Strategic change projects – varying levels of involvement, as required (e.g. implementing investment strategy, scheme de-risking and wind-up projects)

Business development and client care
• Networking, maintaining and developing external relationships to support business growth
• Assist with developing marketing content – website, service line brochures, case studies, blog content
• Managing client/ commercial relationships (e.g. invoicing, input into RFP responses and client agreements)
• In collaboration with colleagues, contributing to development of new and existing service lines for the company.

Team and work management
• Participating in induction and training activities
• Establishing and documenting work protocols; maintaining work-management tools etc.

General Duties
• Contribute fully to the development and growth of this growing business and ensure processes are efficient and effective, including thorough record-keeping and provision for client access
• Undertake training and development as appropriate and engage fully in the performance management process.
• Contribute to the culture positively, attend meetings as required, and carry out duties willingly and diligently
• Where regulatory rules apply, abide by these in spirit and fact
• Carry out such other tasks as you may be reasonably directed to do by your line manager and the senior management team from time to time

Essential Knowledge, Skills, Experience
• Strong experience of all types of occupational pension schemes/knowledge of pensions market (gained from a minimum 5 – 10 years of working in pensions arena)
• Up-to-date knowledge of technical pensions matters and industry developments
• Competent user of MS office systems including Excel, Word, PowerPoint
• Experience of managing third party / supplier relationships and dealing with industry regulators
• Outstanding communication, numeracy and data manipulation skills (incl. grammar and adapting communication style to suit audience)

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, Experience
• Part- or fully-qualified APMI, actuarial or equivalent professional qualification

Person Specification
• High standards of professionalism, integrity and ability to maintain confidentiality
• A confident, articulate communicator both written and oral
• Able to work with little supervision on own initiative and outside of comfort zone
• A “sleeves rolled up” style of working; pro-active in driving forward Trustee business plans and continuously striving for improvements
• An innovative, solutions-focused, “can do” attitude to solving problems with the ability to collaborate in resolving client issues, develop process improvements and new service lines, researching and deploying new technologies where appropriate
• Excellent time management, organisational and planning skills; able to prioritise work and meet competing deadlines
• Able to be agile and adaptable to changing priorities, and to work flexibly
• Diligent, systematic, logical, with meticulous attention to detail
• Takes accountability for own professional knowledge and progress
• Resilience, willingness to listen, learn and incorporate feedback