About us

TPR is responsible for protecting workplace pensions in the UK, working with employers and those running pensions to help people save safely for their retirement. We have an excellent office location in the heart of Brighton and have a diverse, lively and professional growing workforce.

We are committed to making TPR a great place to work and doing all we can to support our people to reach their full potential. Join our expanding team for the chance to be a part of the biggest change to pensions in a generation.

Role

Over the coming year, we face one of our biggest challenges, implementing our new powers to authorise and supervise Master Trusts (MT, a type of multi-employer occupational pension scheme). We’re looking for Supervisors to manage a portfolio of complex, high-profile authorisation applications through the end-to-end process.

This is a new role and we’re looking to recruit individuals with a diverse range of experience. In addition to sharing your expertise you will be upskilled in various other technical areas within the requirements of the role. You should apply if you have operational case management experience, strong stakeholder management skills and experience of one or more of the following:

1. Regulatory experience within an authorisation or supervision role;
2. Third party administration systems and processes;
3. Audit reports and assurance procedures;
4. Trustee governance and best practises within a large defined contribution or MT scheme.

The role offers many exciting benefits and opportunities: variety of work, working on high profile issues, dealing with the senior management of MT schemes and TPR, developing strategies to address risks to TPR’s objectives, a fast-paced working environment which encourages responsibility and teamwork, and the opportunity to be involved in setting standards for Master Trust authorisation and supervision.

Responsibilities

You will:

• assess new applications for authorisation against the criteria set out in legislation and make judgement based decisions on whether you are satisfied that the conditions have been met
• obtain and analyse information from specialist advisors and peers to support your assessment
• conduct formal meetings to challenge the knowledge and understanding of key persons and ensure systems and processes are adequate
• communicate decisions and recommendations to relevant parties throughout the application review process, externally and internally; this may include oral hearings and tribunal processes
• act as the primary point of contact for applicants through the application process
• share your expertise and experience (in relation to third party administration, audit, trustee governance and understanding of existing authorisation regimes) with colleagues to ensure a consistent approach
• ensure issues/risks/improvements associated with the authorisation process or individual applications are identified, assessed and escalated appropriately
• support the transition of schemes from Authorisation to Supervision including documenting scheme specific issues to be addressed as part of Supervision.
• transition from the Authorisations team in to the Supervision team and be responsible for ensuring that the authorisation criteria continues to be met

Essential and Desirable criteria

Essential
At least one of the following:
• Experience of working with Defined Contribution pension schemes or scheme providers, Master Trusts preferable
• Extensive working knowledge of authorisation or supervision processes at other Regulators
• Experience of pension administration audits. Deep understanding of assurance reporting frameworks used in the pensions or financial services sector.
• Deep understanding of defined contribution pension administration activities and/processes
• Governance - Deep understanding of defined contribution pension schemes corporate structures, and governance arrangements and processes

Plus all of the following;
• Stakeholder management and engagement, including the ability to challenge confidently and credibly with senior management (both internal and external)
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to explain complex issues succinctly and with clarity both in face to face meetings and written material e.g. legal documents.
• Analytical skills, thinking rigorously about how to best assess/validate risks and reach robust judgments, and communicate these in a variety of ways.
• Proven ability to prioritise competing tasks and issues, managing tasks from end to end.

Desirable
• Experience of analysing and assessing business models and financial arrangements, and how they are changing in response to pension legislation.
• Experience of specialist knowledge sharing with peers
• Good understanding of the Master Trusts supervision model and the regulatory tools available

Person Specification

• Proactive and flexible
• Ability to prioritise and use initiative
• Negotiating skills
• Calm under pressure
• Problem solving and analytical skills
• Communication skills, oral and written, including drafting of internal and external assessment documentation
• Investigative skills, ability to probe and challenge information provided
Salary and benefits

As well as a salary of £51,132, we offer:

• Civil Service Pension arrangements, which are recognised as some of the best in the pensions world
• discretionary bonus arrangements
• 25 days annual leave provision
• flexible working arrangements
• development opportunities
• enhanced parental leave arrangements
• a free employee assistance programme
• an excellent office location.

How to apply

We provide an exciting, supportive and flexible working environment, and are committed to helping our people meet their full potential.

The Pensions Regulator is an inclusive employer and offers equal opportunities to all regardless of an individual’s age, disability, gender identity, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.

Candidates who declare that they have a disability and who meet the essential criteria for the job will be offered an interview.

Applications will be considered on a part time and job share basis.
Please send your CV and a covering letter, with details of how your experience and skills meet our essential criteria to recruitmentcvs@tpr.gsi.gov.uk, and inform your line manager of your application.

Employees within their first 12 months of employment who want to apply for this vacancy should first contact their line manager to discuss their application.

If you have any enquiries with regards to this role or if you have a disability and wish to request a reasonable adjustment at any stage of the recruitment process, please email recruitmentteam@tpr.gov.uk