Operations Manager Pensions Administration

Operations Manager

Location: Reading

Employment Type: Permanent, Full Time

Grade: Senior Consultant

Hybrid

REQ
003402

XPS Group is a prominent and growing UK consultancy and administration firm within the pensions and insurance sectors. As a FTSE 250 company with over 2000 employees, we leverage expertise alongside advanced technology to serve over 1,400 pension schemes and their sponsors. Our goal is to foster a workplace where diverse talents thrive.

Our teams of pension administrators provide services to a wide range of trust-based company pension schemes, including defined benefit, defined contribution, career average revalued earnings, and hybrid schemes.

Our administrative approach is scheme-based; one team is responsible for every aspect of each client's service, enabling us to build the best possible relationships and provide the clarity of focus each scheme deserves.

Your role will be to assist the Regional Operations Manager in the leadership and direction of the Pension Administration Team in our Reading office, preferably on site.

The Operations Manager will provide full time management of the teams, with a particular focus on aspects such as commercial, people, client and process development. For the right individual some client management and fee earning work will also be involved, but the priority of the role is the on-going delivery of services, the development of the capabilities of those reporting to you, and of the systems, procedures, and compliance framework used by the company as a whole.

Reporting to a Regional Operations Manager and being a key member of his/her management team, you will be actively involved in the management and delivery of our pension administration services across the Birmingham office and have an opportunity to support on projects which may impact the wider Pension Administration business. Specific objectives are to seek to optimise the balance between 3 overall aims:

• Quality - delivering an industry leading quality service
• Profit - running an efficient and profitable operation
• Long term sustainability - investing in our clients, people and systems

In pursuit of these aims, your objectives would be to assist your Regional Operations Manager to:

• Contribute to maintaining the high-quality standards required within the company and seek continually to enhance the quality long term sustainability of the services provided to our clients across the business.
• Manage and continually develop the pension's administration capability by demonstrating positive leadership skills and actively mentoring Administration Managers and their Deputies when required.
• Actively contribute to the attraction, training and retention of employees by recruiting appropriately; and motivating, rewarding and developing existing employees. Manage HR issues and coordinate administration resources.
• Develop the commercial aspects of the function, involving Administration Managers in tendering and client facing work, billing effectively for value added to clients, and ensure that profit is delivered. Participate in on-going detailed analysis of the efficiency of our systems and processes. This will include working collaboratively with other areas of the Pension Administration business such as the Projects Team.
• Assist on tendering processes, creating responses to tenders and leading the administration aspects of full service tenders.
• Conduct client assignments such as trustee secretarial appointments, project work, client relationship management etc.
• Build strong and productive relationships with senior actuaries across the business, in all other offices.
• Assist on strategic business change and effectively manage the implementation of new practices and processes.
• Contribute to business wide process and systems change. Due to the changing nature of the business, the job holder may from time to time be required to undertake other activities of a similar nature that fall within their capabilities.

• Already an experienced and successful pension professional, you will have a strong track record in managing, developing and delivering pensions administration services.
• The successful candidate must be able to demonstrate a very thorough knowledge of technical pension administration activities and the ability to apply this knowledge to any scheme.
• Previous pensions administration experience of Defined Benefits (DB) & Defined Contributions (DC) schemes is required.
• Proven experience in all areas of the new business lifecycle including formulating and assisting in the writing of proposals, preparing and delivering client pitches and subsequent client negotiations.
• Experience of operating within and contributing to a compliant framework, and a strong understanding of quality standards.
• Previous line management experience is essential, including appraisal process, HR issue management, performance management and recruitment related activities.
• IT proficient, in particular…