Lead Pensions Officer
Salary - £33,945 - £38,223 (Grade 6)
Contract - 37 hours, permanent
An exciting new opportunity has arisen to appoint a Lead Pensions Officer at the West Midlands Pension Fund.
The Fund is one of the UK’s largest pension funds providing, from it’s ‘state of the art’ new building at i9 in Wolverhampton, local authority pension benefits for employees across the West Midlands. The Fund manages and administers the pension interests of over 330,000 scheme members, 800+ employers and currently has over £20 billion in assets under management.
This role will lead on the processing and review of member data and member benefit or payroll operations (as required) acting as the lead officer within the team, supporting on the management of complex individual member benefit queries and calculations. Ensuring that all work is completed to a high quality, to meet the requirements of the service within the timescales set by the Fund and in accordance with statutory and regulatory requirements.
Key responsibilities include:
- Administer a portfolio of pensions casework, incorporating a variety of casework, including transfer outs and deaths to high standards of accuracy and attention to detail and in accordance with the provisions of the Local Government Pension Scheme Regulations and other applicable overriding pension regulations.
- To ensure the service is delivered to a high quality and within appropriate timescales, meeting both statutory deadlines and member expectations, based on the targets (KPIs) set by the Fund.
- Ensure effective management of a variety of stakeholders and third parties, including members, IFA’s, beneficiaries, next of kin and other pension scheme providers, as part of the efficient processing of member casework.
- Be a specialist within the team and across the wider benefit operation teams, analysing complex data and/or member benefits to ensure accurate recording, quotation and payment of individual member benefits.
- Support the team leader with the ongoing review and development of team knowledge, workload management for the team, including but not limited to allocation across the team ensuring achievement of key performance indicators.
The successful candidate will have significant pensions experience and able to problem solve technical queries. They will have excellent internal/external communication skills with the ability to work accurately to deadlines.
In return we offer excellent development opportunities, a study support package for professional qualifications, plus a range of benefits that include a career average pension scheme.
Our working arrangements
All council roles are allocated to either a fixed, field or flexible work style. Some roles are agile which enable and empowers employees to maximise their performance and productivity, whilst maintaining a healthy work life balance. Roles with a fixed workstyle work in a fixed permanent council location. Roles with a field workstyle are usually allocation where employees are required to be out working in the community with a minimum requirement for 'touch down' space at any council location. Roles with a flexible workstyle have a flexible base location to meet the needs of the business and employees can work from a mixture of home or any council office, partner/client, or external location, as required to meet service requirements.
Please refer to the Job Description for further information on the workstyle assigned to the role you are applying for.
Diversity
We are committed to building a workforce that is reflective of the diverse community we serve. We want to attract the best applications from people of all backgrounds and underrepresented groups because we strongly believe in adding value through diversity, inclusion, and equality. Our employees enable us to deliver services that are accessible, inclusive, and reflective of Wolverhampton residents.
Our status as a Disability Confident Employer showcases our commitment to people with disabilities or health conditions, advocating for their opportunities and potential. We've received the Stonewall Silver Award, emphasising our dedication to the LGBT+ community by nurturing an inspiring, inclusive, and equal workplace. As of March 2023, the RACE Code Quality Mark signifies our active engagement with racial equality. These recognitions validate our continuous efforts towards fostering an inclusive work environment that respects and values our diverse employees.
As part of our commitment as a Disability Confident employer, a Gold Award Armed Forces employer and our commitment to supporting care leavers - we offer a guaranteed interview as long as your application meets the essential criteria for the post.
We encourage, inspire and value an inclusive culture here at the council where employees can flourish, thrive and be themselves. We have four staff equality forums for employees to join. These help to ensure our employees have a voice, they feel empowered to speak up and where everyone is treated with respect.
Recruitment of Ex-Offenders
We are committed to the fair treatment of all our employees, potential employees, or users of our service regardless of offending background. The Council uses the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) for any vacancies that require a DBS check to obtain information about applicants to assess their suitability for employment in positions of trust. We do not discriminate unfairly against any individual on the basis of a conviction or any other information revealed as a result of a DBS disclosure.
