Principal Pensions Administrator

The Vacancy

Our Third Party Administration (TPA) department is a dynamic administration team with a varied portfolio of clients. The team plays a key role in delivering a market-leading service to clients and members across Defined Benefit (DB), Defined Contribution (DC) and CARE pension arrangements.

Our Third Party Administration (TPA) department is a dynamic administration team with a varied portfolio of clients. The team plays a key role in delivering a market-leading service to clients and members across Defined Benefit (DB), Defined Contribution (DC) and CARE pension arrangements.

An exciting opportunity is available to join this department as a Principal Administrator within the Client Services team in Birmingham, Edinburgh or Glasgow.

As a Principal Administrator, you'll play a key role in delivering a high-quality service to members and clients, taking ownership of complex cases and acting as a technical point of contact for non-standard queries.

Working closely with the Team Leader, you'll help manage team workflows, maintain service and quality standards, and support the development of colleagues through coaching, mentoring and knowledge sharing. You'll also contribute to the commercial success of the team through effective workload management, accurate time recording and invoicing activities, while driving continuous improvement and helping to embed best practice across the team.

• Leading the day-to-day management of team workloads and workflows, ensuring resources are allocated effectively and work is planned around current and future priorities.
• Delivering a professional, high-quality service to clients and members in line with agreed timescales, procedures and service standards.
• Acting as a technical point of contact for complex work, process queries and non-standard cases, escalating issues where appropriate.
• Supporting workflow management through effective prioritisation and robust checking and review processes.
• Deputising for the Team Leader when required, providing guidance and support to ensure successful team delivery.
• Delegating work to support colleague development while maintaining quality and service standards.
• Supporting recruitment, induction, performance reviews and the ongoing development of team members.
• Preparing and presenting project, service and work-in-progress updates to clients, trustees and internal stakeholders.
• Monitoring commercial activity, including chargeability, time recording, invoicing and client cash flow.
• Identifying non-standard work and ensuring fee agreements are in place before work commences.
• Driving continuous improvement by enhancing processes, embedding best practice and identifying opportunities for automation.
• Maintaining clear procedures and working practices, ensuring these are consistently applied across the team.
• Ensuring complaints, errors and exceptions are identified, recorded and escalated promptly.
• Working collaboratively with the Team Leader and wider teams to promote effective communication, knowledge sharing and consistent service delivery.

A more detailed list of requirements for this position is available within the role profile – which is available on request.

• GCSEs / Scottish Standards (or equivalent) in Maths and English at Grade B/6 or above.
• Degree-level education, or equivalent relevant experience.
• Proven experience in pensions administration, ideally across DB, DC and CARE pension arrangements, within a client and member-focused environment.
• Experience of team and workflow management, with a strong understanding of service quality standards.
• Experience of leading, motivating and developing colleagues.
• Excellent attention to detail, with strong analytical skills and the ability to deliver accurate work at pace.
• Up-to-date knowledge of pensions legislation, industry developments and best practice.
• Experience of delivering a high-quality service within a client-focused pensions environment.
• Strong planning, organisational and prioritisation skills, with the ability to manage competing demands, perform under pressure and delegate effectively.
• Knowledge of relevant regulatory requirements and procedures.
• Good understanding of Data Protection legislation, HMRC requirements, The Pensions Regulator and related regulatory developments.
• Strong IT skills, including Microsoft Office applications and pension administration systems such as UPM, or similar platforms.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to build effective relationships with clients, members and colleagues.

Ideally, candidates will have started studying towards a professional qualification such as Associate Membership of the Pensions Management Institute, or be interested in doing so. However, applications are also welcome from those with relevant UK pensions experience who can demonstrate a strong understanding of the market.

We would also encourage applications from candidates who…