Pension Administrator in Bristol

Role: Pension Administrator – Interim

Rate: Competitive (subject to experience & interview competencies)

Type: Contract (via umbrella payroll company – Inside IR35)

Location: Bristol, BS1

Hours: 35 hours a week (full-time), Monday to Friday

Hartley Pensions are looking for experienced pension administrators to support us during an important transitional phase for the business. We are offering a highly unique and professionally rewarding opportunity to play an essential role in delivering an outstanding service to our clients.

As an Interim - Pension Administrator, you will work within a vibrant, friendly and dedicated team of SIPP pension administrators. By ensuring the timely and effective completion of a range of administrative tasks, you will provide high quality and consistent outcomes to our clients. Your key duties make up the core of our business as usual (BAU) operations. These include (but are not limited to) the following critical areas of our services:

• Processing benefit requests.
• Calculating income drawdowns, applying new allowances such as the Lump Sum Allowance (LSA) and determining the maximum tax-free cash allowance available to members.
• Ensuring there is sufficient cleared cash within the account to pay out the requested lump sums or regular income.
• Actioning requests to liquidate assets held within investments in line with strict Service Level Agreements (SLAs).
• Providing a breakdown of the notional split between uncrystallised and crystallised funds.
• Communicating with clients and IFAs on drawdowns, accessing benefits and the client’s entitlements based on recalculations where crystallisation occurs.
• Obtaining accurate investment valuations and updating the system with obtained values.
• Performing due diligence in line with FCA guidelines as set out in the Pension Tax Manual.
• Processing ad-hoc payment requests, updating clients and IFAs on progress.
• Working cross functionally with other areas of the business.

About You

It is essential that you are an individual capable of handling voluminous, complex and diverse workloads. Moreover, you have a resilient character who is willing to learn and continually develop their skills and crucially, is passionate about going above and beyond in your duties. Prior experience in SIPP administration is mandatory and should be reflected in your CV. This is not an entry-level position and whilst we provide training and upskilling to staff, you are fully expected to hit the ground running.

You must have a foundational knowledge of pension laws and tax regulations, specifically around annual allowance and retirement and death benefit entitlements. You will be handling sensitive tax-privileged funds where administrative errors can be costly, resulting in significant penalties to the firm. Therefore, you must be diligent and attentive to detail in your work. You will also be conscious of and have demonstrable experience with GDPR regulations and ensuring the application of security protocols, ensuring the privacy and appropriate handling of sensitive client data is always upheld.

Numerical proficiency must be an essential element to your skillset. This is necessary for performing benefit calculations and reconciling investment transactions. A minimum Grade C/4 or above in GCSE Mathematics (or an international equivalent) is required. A competent standard of literacy is also critical. You will be dealing with complex legal documents, tax regulations and direct client communication. Therefore, your ability to read, interpret and write in a clear and professional manner is necessary for this position. A minimum Grade C/4 or above in both GCSE English Literature and English Language (or an international equivalent) is required.

You must have a decent level of communication skills. It is highly important that as a representative of the firm, you can effectively communicate technical pension information into lay terms to clients. Your ability to communicate must crucially concern the ability to cater your tone to one of empathy and assurance. This is particularly important when being conscious of cases where clients may be vulnerable or in handling cases of deceased clients, where you may be communicating with beneficiaries.

You must have experience and competency utilising bespoke SIPP/SSAS administration platforms. It is desirable that you have prior experience with Delta Platinum Pro and SIPP Pro. Further, you must have a competent ability to use core Microsoft tools such as Word and Microsoft Excel.

What we offer

• A highly competitive rate: We pay within the top 10% of employers in the industry.
• Meaningful impact: A rare opportunity to play a leading part in assisting a business through a crucial transitional period.
• Hybrid working: We allow hybrid options (up to 2 days from home a week) after successful completion of training period and where business needs permit.

Recruitment Process

Hartley Pensions follow a two-stage recruitment process:

• A 30-minute screening call.
• A 90-minute interview with competency-based questions.

Who are Hartley Pensions?

Hartley Pensions are a SIPP and SSAS operator. Hartley pensions provide white label SIPPs for a number of leading investment and trading platforms. We pride ourselves on establishing and maintaining long-lasting relationships with our business partners and clients by providing them with professional, friendly and personalised administration. Our products are designed to be flexible, straightforward and relevant to our clients’ needs.

At Hartley pensions diversity is important to us. Growing, maintaining and promoting a diverse team is a top priority for us. We actively encourage individuals from all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives to apply. Join us in creating a workplace where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to thrive.

Please note, we have been in a trading administration since July 2022. This means that we cannot provide sponsorship to applicants at this time.