Senior Operations Managers (LGPS Pensions)

Hybrid working & requirement to travel to Preston, Lancashire, a minimum of 4 times per month.

A glance at the role and LPPA:

A recent promotion has created the opportunity for a driven, motivational, and inspirational Senior Operations Managers to join our team. Reporting into our new Head of Member services, this is a senior management role in the Pensions casework function, and you will be responsible for creating a high-performance culture in your casework teams, with a focus on providing a member centric service and managing relationships with pension scheme employers.
Shortlisting will take place week commencing 29th September with interviews to be scheduled from 13th October

Local Pensions Partnership Administration (LPPA) is one of the UK’s leading pension administration companies. We strive to deliver the best experience for over 2,100 employers and more than 700,000 members of Local Government, Police and Firefighter pension schemes.

What we can offer you:

- Attractive salary of circa £65-70K DOE and inclusion in annual bonus scheme
- 30 days’ holiday, plus bank holidays. 2 concessionary days and half day for your birthday, with the ability to ‘buy and sell’ leave.
- Access to an excellent pension scheme (Local Government Pension Scheme) with generous employer contributions.
- Access to our Enhanced Employee Assistance Programme for when you or your family might need some support.
- Choice of Health or Dental plan on passing probation.
- The opportunity to earn through our Employee Referral Scheme.
- Access to our bespoke Reward Discount Scheme – ‘Your Perk Site.’
- Opportunities to attend Wellbeing webinars and social events.
- Daily free fruit and snacks available to you in our office.
- Free Car Parking in Preston Town Centre



What you’ll be doing:

• Monitor and drive performance of casework teams within the business unit and be accountable for the overall performance of the unit against agreed KPIs and targets.
• Provide leadership, direction, coaching and support to Operations Managers to enable the effective and efficient performance of their teams.
• Utilise internal systems and MI to manage workloads and plan the resourcing needs of business unit.
• Maintain a focus on continually improving the service to members of the pension schemes & drive business efficiency
• Liaise with clients / stakeholders to manage expectations and explain delivery of service. This will include attendance at face-to-face meetings
• Continually review and challenge ways of working and processes to maximise use of new technology (including UPM) and automation of processes to improve efficiency.
• Maintain a strong understanding of regulatory requirements within LGPS pension schemes, ensuring all regulatory and disclosure deadlines are met and being aware of changes in the landscape.
• Support the wider organisation as necessary in the delivery of projects or regulatory changes.
• Be pro-active in identifying and embedding ways to reduce complaints, data breaches and errors.
• Provide frequent and meaningful insight into service gaps and coordinate appropriate service related training, including regular complaints training.
• Produce regular MI to support the Organisation with insight to aid decision making as well as input into the preparation of the quarterly board reporting and annual budget setting process.
• Attend client meetings and present at Pension Board / Pension Committee meeting as required.
LPPA Leadership Responsibilities

• Maintain and evolve a team organisation structure that is fit for purpose to deliver the relevant business priorities.
• Build and maintain the right capabilities in the team through a combination of internal talent moves/promotions and external recruitment, actively seeking out the value that diversity brings in all its forms.
• Provide clarity on team objectives and respective individual accountabilities across the team.
• Actively coach and inspire, listening with curiosity and building an inclusive environment. Create a culture of giving and receiving timely feedback across the team.
• Role model LPPA values and associated behaviours and demand the same of the team. Identify positive and negative behaviours and set clear expectations around conduct. Have the courageous conversations.
• Engage in manager-led people processes, invest time in individual conversations and complete deliverables within set timeframes.
• Recognise and reward high performance and differentiate in line with the performance management framework. Address performance gaps in a timely and decisive manner.
• Senior managers within LPPA are also expected to contribute to the broader leadership of the organisation outside of their immediate team.

What we need from you:

• Extensive management experience – including the management of managers and their teams and experience of leading, managing and driving the performance of large teams.
• Experience of Local Government Pensions Administration
• Experience of client relationship management
• Significant stakeholder management experience with proven ability to engage and influence others.
• Experience of managing change in a fast-paced and agile environment.
• Ability to interpret and use complex data.
• Ability to review and improve end to end processes.
• Displaying excellent verbal and written communication skills, be able to use evidence and knowledge to support accurate, expert decisions and advice to support LPPA objectives.
• Attention to detail and innovative thinking skills.
• Self-motivated, decisive, with the ability to adapt to change and competing demands.

Principal Pensions Administrator (hybrid/remote working options)

Hybrid Working with 2 days in Preston, Lancashire or Remote if qualify
Fully Home working contracts will be considered for candidates living 50+ miles from our offices in Preston.
Salary circa £33 – 40k DOE 37 hours a week

A glance at the role:

We are currently seeking Principal Pensions Administrators to join our Retirements team on a full-time, permanent basis.
As a Principal Pensions Administrator, you will provide technical pension data support.
Specifically, you will ensure that complex cases are completed accurately and with minimal issues arising by confirming that all pension calculations are correct.
Supporting the improvement of our service, you will share your technical and process knowledge with the team and maximise the use of new technologies to improve the accuracy of pensions calculations.

Additionally, you will proactively identify opportunities to minimise data breaches, errors and overall complaints.

You will join a friendly, welcoming and sociable work culture where there are many opportunities for continuous personal and professional development where you will be supported to reach your full potential.

So, if you’ve been looking for the opportunity to enhance your experience by joining a leading pensions organisation, we can’t wait to hear from you!

A bit about us:

Local Pensions Partnership Administration (LPPA) is one of the UK’s leading pension administration companies. We strive to deliver the best experience for over 2,100 employers and more than 700,000 members of Local Government, Police and Firefighter pension schemes, keeping them fully informed about their pensions whilst working closely with employers to continuously educate and support them.


What we can offer you:

- £33 – 40k dependent on experience
- 25 days’ holiday, plus bank holidays and 2 additional concessionary days and ½ day for your Birthday, with the ability to ‘buy and sell leave.
- Access to an excellent pension scheme (Local Government Pension Scheme) with generous employer contributions.
- Access to Health or Dental Plan
- Access to our Enhanced Employee Assistance Programme for when you might need some support.
- The opportunity to earn through our Employee Referral Scheme.
- Access to our bespoke Reward Discount Scheme – ‘Your Perk Site.’
- Opportunities to attend Wellbeing webinars and social events.
- Daily free fruit and snacks available to you in our office.
- Free Car Parking in Preston City Centre


What you will be doing:

• Support the Pensions Operation Manager to improve service quality and business efficiency
• Deliver an ongoing improvement in quality through technical pensions support to the team and ensure technical and process knowledge is shared across the team members.
• Process or check complex cases where required, ensuring the accuracy of pension calculations produced and general quality of work is too a high standard with minimal issues arising through quality and checking processes.
• Be pro-active in identifying and embedding ways for reduction in number of complaints, data breaches and errors.
• Provide ad-hoc support for business projects and audits
• Continually review and challenge processes to maximise use of new technology (including UPM) and automation of processes to improve efficiency and accuracy of calculations.
• Support with staff development where required
• Deputise for Team Leader / Operations Managers in their absence
• Act as a role model for other staff
• Comply with LPPA’s Data Protection and Information Security policies and any relevant GDPR legislation

What we need from you:

To be considered as a Principal Pensions Administrator you will need:

- Extensive knowledge and experience in administering Local Government Pensions Schemes or Fire or Police schemes - ideally at least 5 years’ experience
- In-depth technical LGPS pensions knowledge
- Problem solving skills
- Highly accurate working standards
- Highly efficient working methodologies
- To be a consistent high performer


Desirable:
• Good knowledge of the UPM system
• Pensions Qualifications (PMI or equivalent)
• Training experience
• Minimum of five years' experience in Local government pensions schemes, fire or police