Teachers\' Pension Scheme Policy and Casework Administrator - Apprenticeship

The Teachers' Pension Scheme (TPS) is the second largest public sector pension scheme in the UK with 1.7 million members and an annual turnover of approximately £20bn. The Pension Team is responsible for managing all aspects of the scheme, including its finances, service delivery (via an outsourced contract) and policy. This is a vital role within the Teachers' Pensions Policy Team, which ensures that complaints are managed and addressed effectively, and to required timescales, and ensuring feedback is provided to the scheme administrator where appropriate and policy remains fit for purpose.

This work will give the post holder the opportunity to develop, manage and maintain effective working relationships with a wide range of colleagues across the department, the scheme administrator and stakeholders.

Job Description

• Managing incoming complaint correspondence through the updating and management of the department's correspondence system, drafting complaint responses and updating an internal correspondence log.
• Managing FOI and SAR enquiries relating to the TPS.
• Develop and maintain productive working relationships with departmental colleagues and the scheme administrator, Teachers' Pensions (TP).
• Providing secretariat support for meetings with TP: arranging meetings, pulling together agendas, taking minutes/action points.
• Other ad hoc administrative duties relating to the complaint handling process.
• There may also be opportunities to flex across other areas of the wider TPS team.

Person Specification

Essential Criteria

• Comfortable working in a challenging and fast-paced environment.
• Have excellent written skills, comfortable drafting responses to enquiries.
• Comfortable investigating and verifying facts to understand what has occurred in complaints.
• Ability to liaise with delivery partners to obtain relevant information and raise issues that need to be corrected.

Desirable Criteria

• Knowledge of TPS rules/defined benefit pension scheme or complaints/appeals background.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Making Effective Decisions
• Managing a Quality Service

Alongside your salary of £29,180, the Department for Education contributes £8,453 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Applicants currently holding a permanent post in the Civil Service should note that, if successful, their salary on appointment would be determined by the Department's transfer/promotion policies.

As a member of the DfE, you will be entitled to join the highly competitive Civil Service Pension Scheme, which many experts agree is one of the most generous in the UK. You will have 25 days leave, increasing by 1 day every year to a maximum of 30 days after five years’ service. In addition, all staff receive the King’s Birthday privilege holiday and 8 days’ bank and public holidays.

We offer flexible working arrangements, such as job sharing, term-time working, flexi-time and compressed hours. Most DfE employees will be working a hybrid pattern, spending at least 60% of their time in an office or work setting. Changes to these working arrangements are available in exceptional circumstances but must be agreed with the line manager and in line with the requirements of the role.

Travel to your primary office location will not be paid for by DfE, but costs for travel to an office which is not your main location will be covered. As an organisation, which exists to support education and lifelong learning, we offer our staff excellent professional development opportunities.

Selection Process Details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

Application

To apply for this role, you will be required to provide a CV and Statement of Suitability (statement max word count 500 words). We will use your CV and statement to assess your suitability for the role against the essential criteria listed in the person specification section above. You will be required to provide a 250-word example demonstrating how you meet the following behaviours:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Making Effective Decisions
• Managing a Quality Service

Interview

At interview, you will be asked questions around the following behaviours:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Making Effective Decisions
• Managing a Quality Service

We will also ask you some strength-based questions.

Other Information

In your application, please don’t include personal information that identifies you. This means we can recruit based on your knowledge and skills, and not background, gender or ethnicity - it’s called name blind recruitment.

Please ensure that you remove from your application, all references to your name/title, educational institutions, age, gender, email address, postal address, phone number, nationality/immigration status.

We understand that you might use AI and other resources for your application; however, please ensure all information you provide is factually accurate, truthful, and original and doesn’t include ideas or work that isn’t your own. This is so that your application is authentically and credibly your own.

We reserve the right to raise the minimum pass mark in the event of a high volume or strong field of candidates.

Please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK from the location options provided and not from overseas.

The government is committed to supporting apprenticeships, enabling people to learn and progress in a role whilst earning. We want to monitor the number of people who have completed apprenticeships who are now applying to progress further in their career and are asking this question to all candidates, on all vacancies. You will be asked a question as part of the application process about any previous apprenticeships you have completed. Your response to this question will not affect your application and it is not a requirement of the role to have completed a previous apprenticeship.

If successful and transferring from another Government Department, a criminal record check may be carried out. In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf. However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise the Department of Education of your intention by emailing Pre-Employment.Checks.DFE@education.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

The Department for Education does not cover the cost of travel to your interview/assessment unless otherwise stated. A reserve list may be held for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made. Candidates will be posted in merit order based upon location preference. Where more than one location is advertised you will be asked to state your preferred location.

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band. Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

Terms and Conditions of Candidates Transferring from ALBs and NDPBs

Bodies that are not accredited by the Civil Service Commission and are not able to advertise at Across Government on Civil Service jobs will be treated as external new starters and will come into DfE on modernised terms and conditions with a salary at the band minimum. Bodies that are accredited by the Civil Service Commission but do not have civil service status will be offered modernised terms and will not have continuous service recognised for leave or sickness benefits. Salaries should be offered at band minimum, but there is some flexibility where this would cause a detriment to the individual. Bodies that are accredited by the Civil Service Commission and do have Civil Service status will be treated as OGD transfers. Staff appointed on lateral transfer will move on to pre-modernised DfE terms (unless they were on modernised terms in their previous organisation). Staff appointed on promotion will move on to modernised DfE terms. Staff will transfer over on their existing salary (on lateral transfer) and any pay above the DfE pay band maximum will be paid as a mark time allowance. Staff moving on promotion will have their salaries calculated using the principles set out in the attached OGD transfer supplementary information.

Reasonable Adjustment

If a Person With Disabilities Is Put At a Substantial Disadvantage Compared To a Non-disabled Person, We Have a Duty To Make Reasonable Changes To Our Processes. If You Need a Change To Be Made So That You Can Make Your Application, You Should: Contact the Department of Education via centralrecruitment.operations@education.gov.uk soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs. Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

Please refer to the attached ‘Reasonable Adjustments Guide 2025 – accessible version’ at the bottom of the advert, for further information.

Childcare Vouchers

Any move to the Department for Education (DfE) will mean you will no longer be able to carry on claiming childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard checks.

Nationality Requirements

This Job Is Broadly Open To The Following Groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements can be found on the relevant government websites.

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles. The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact Point for Applicants

Job Contact: Ruby Kennedy
Email: ruby.kennedy@education.gov.uk
Recruitment Team Email: Centralrecruitment.operations@education.gov.uk

Further information: The Department for Education's recruitment processes are underpinned by the Civil Service Commissioners Recruitment Principles, which outlines that selection for appointment is made on merit based on fair and open competition. You have the right to complain if you feel a department has breached the requirement of the Recruitment Principles. In the first instance, you should raise the matter directly with the department concerned via CentralRecruitment.Operations@education.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission.