Senior Pensions Consultant

Government Actuary's Department

Apply before Midday on Monday 14th October 2024

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Details

Reference number

358820

Salary

£61,212 - £73,513

External applicants will start on the pay band minimum for the role appointed to, unless they can prove they have exceptional skills in line with the requirements of the role. Internal applicants applying on promotion will usually be appointed to the salary minimum or within 5% of existing salary. Standard pay rules apply for existing civil servants.

A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Job grade

Grade 7

Contract type

Permanent

Business area

Public Service Pensions Team (PSPS)

Type of role

Administration / Corporate Support
Analytical

Working pattern

Flexible working, Full-time, Part-time

Location

10 South Colonnade, Canary Wharf, London E14 4PU / Edinburgh Government Hub Queen Elizabeth House, Edinburgh EH8 8FT

About the job

Job summary

The Government Actuary’s Department (GAD) is a non-ministerial department. Our mission is to improve the stewardship of public sector finances by supporting effective decision-making and robust financial reporting through analysis, modelling and advice.

One of the teams within GAD is the Public Service Pension Schemes team. We work with a wide range of public service clients and provide high quality consultancy services that serve some of the largest pension schemes in the country.

Job description

We are looking to recruit a senior pensions professional with significant experience of pensions administration. We would like a successful candidate to help our clients navigate a range of challenges including:
• How to ensure that benefits payable to members are accurate.
• How to implement and communicate revised benefits for scheme members resulting from legal judgements.
• How to improve the quality and completeness of membership data.
• How to prepare for the launch of pensions dashboards, a significant step change in the way pension scheme members and administrators interact with each other.

As a Senior Pensions Consultant you will be responsible for providing high quality advice to Government Departments, or other GAD clients, relating to the administration of member benefits. You will be a key member of the Public Service Pensions team, working to support a wide range of Government policies.

This role will involve significant levels of interaction with pension scheme administrators, sponsoring departments and colleagues throughout GAD. There may also be opportunities for secondments to other Government departments. As such, strong communication and collaboration skills are required.

You will also use your detailed knowledge of pensions administration to support actuarial colleagues, operating as a subject matter expert on administration issues, and identifying opportunities to add value and support clients.

Person specification

1. To provide high quality pensions advice to the sponsors and administrators of Public Service Pension Schemes.
2. To pro-actively monitor current issues affecting pensions administration, seeking to identify areas where GAD can provide support with administration challenges.
3. To develop new relationships with existing or potential clients.
4. To develop technical client content relating to pensions administration and scheme governance.
5. To take the lead in working with colleagues across GAD teams to ensure administration support is appropriately scoped, resourced and delivered in an efficient and timely manner, with a focus on providing value for money for our clients.
6. To regularly update Public Services Pension Scheme colleagues, wider teams throughout GAD and senior stakeholders on pensions administration issues and progress.
7. To lead in the learning and development of other pensions administration colleagues.
8. Agile working within other GAD teams from time to time during key periods.
9. To maintain an up-to-date knowledge of pensions, particularly public service pensions, and distill this information for clients and colleagues.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

Delivering at Pace
Seeing the Big Picture
Communicating and Influencing
Changing and Improving

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

Proven knowledge of defined benefit occupational pension schemes, including administrative functions and scheme governance (Essential)
Knowledge of public service pension provision (Desirable)
Pensions qualification (PMI or similar) (Desirable)

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £61,212, Government Actuary's Department contributes £17,733 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

As well as competitive salaries, we offer a substantial package of benefits:

- Extensive talent, career and personal development
- 25 days annual leave per year, increasing to 30 days after 5 years’ service. In addition we offer 9 days public and privilege days leave per year (pro rata for part time staff)
- Generous defined benefit Civil Service pension scheme
- Family-friendly policies such as help with caring responsibilities, special leave, generous paid maternity, paternity and adoption leave
- Access to employee assistance programme and occupational health
- Community volunteering programme, the opportunity to join a trade union, and discounted membership of local and national sports and social groups
- A working culture which encourages inclusion and diversity
- Salary advances for travel costs, including annual season tickets and cycle-to-work schemes
- Complimentary BUPA health check for permanent staff

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Technical skills.

Application deadline: 1200 hrs on 14 October 2024
Shortlisting: W/C 14 October 2024
Interviews: W/C 21 October 2024
Interview location: In office at either - London E14 4PU / Edinburgh EH8 8FT
Please apply via our recruitment portal below.

As part of the application form process, please submit your CV and supporting statement. Please do not email your CV outside of this process as it will not be accepted.

Shortlisting criteria is based on the Person Specification as set out in the Assessment Criteria section of the Job Description. Please ensure you provide examples of how you meet the Assessment Criteria; a strong application will also demonstrate that you meet the required criteria that are identified as key for this role. Applications will be shortlisted in line with the essential criteria for the role. Behaviours will be assessed at interview stage. Candidates who are successful at shortlist will be contacted as soon as possible and advised of the interview process and assessment (exact times and dates will also be confirmed).

A reserve list will be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

UK nationals
nationals of the Republic of Ireland
nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

Name : Recruitment Team
Email : recruitment@gad.gov.uk

Recruitment team

Email : recruitment@gad.gov.uk

Further information

The Government Actuary’s Department’s recruitment processes are underpinned by the recruitment principles of the Civil Service Commissioner, which outline that selection for appointment be made on merit on the basis of fair and open competition http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/civil-service-recruitment/ If you feel at any time your application has not been treated in accordance with the values in the Civil Service Code and/or if you feel the recruitment has been conducted in such a way that conflicts with the Civil Service Commissioner’s Recruitment Principles, you may make a complaint, by contacting recruitment@gad.gov.uk in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive you can contact the Civil Service Commissioners.

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/government-actuarys-department