Pensions Specialist in London

Our client, a major international financial institution based in Canary Wharf, is looking for a Pensions Specialist to join their specialist Reward team on a 12‑month fixed term contract, focusing on retirement plan benefits. This is a fantastic opportunity for an experienced benefits professional to take ownership of a broad portfolio of retirement plan activity, working closely with senior Reward leadership and providing expert advice to HR Business Partners, Senior Management and internal committees. You'll play a key role in ensuring retirement plan benefits remain market‑competitive, well‑governed and effectively communicated to staff across the organisation.

What You'll Be Doing

• Supporting the ongoing review, benchmarking and development of retirement plan policies and provisions
• Managing the retirement plans' annual cycle; benefit statements, audit, report & accounts, actuarial valuation and related exercises
• Acting as day‑to‑day relationship owner for external retirement plan providers, overseeing service levels, contracts and invoicing
• Supporting internal retirement plan committees, including meeting coordination and documentation
• Managing benefit settlement processes (deaths, divorces, transfers) and preparing related committee papers
• Providing expert, consultative guidance to HR Business Partners and staff on complex retirement plan queries
• Drafting staff communications, knowledge base articles and intranet content on benefits policy and process changes
• Delivering training and education sessions on retirement plan benefits
• Contributing to the annual reward and benefits proposal cycle and supporting wider ad hoc reward projects
• Maintaining accurate retirement plan records and supporting internal controls testing

What We're Looking For

• Significant experience across retirement plan management and consultancy, ideally within a corporate or institutional environment
• Strong knowledge of retirement plan practices, policy development and implementation
• Experience drafting benefits communications and delivering training/education sessions to staff
• A relevant degree or equivalent work experience; a PMI (or equivalent) qualification is preferred
• Excellent interpersonal and stakeholder management skills, with a consultative approach
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving ability, numerate and confident with data
• Ability to manage competing priorities and tight deadlines while working autonomously
• Experience providing secretarial support to a trustee board or benefits committee is an advantage
• Experience of HR systems transformation is a plus

The Package

This role offers a hybrid working pattern (office‑based 50% of the week from Canary Wharf), the chance to work within a highly professional Reward function at a prestigious international organisation, and exposure to complex, high‑value benefits projects at a senior level.