Relationship Director

EQ Retirement Solutions is transforming the retirement and pensions markets with leading administration and technology solutions. With over 1200 employees globally, 189 years of knowledge and 11 million pension scheme members and policyholders, we help people plan for a confident financial future by delivering innovative, reliable and customer-focused retirement services.

EQ Retirement Solutions is looking for a Relationship Director within the Customer Team. The Relationship Director reports to the Managing Director of Workplace Pensions and is responsible for leading and developing a small team of Relationship Managers. The role combines strategic account leadership with direct client ownership, requiring the individual to manage a portfolio of key clients while driving retention, service excellence, and profitable revenue growth. The postholder will demonstrate strong commercial awareness, identifying opportunities to maximise value across client accounts while ensuring alignment to governance, regulatory requirements, and EQ's strategic objectives.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain strong relationships with senior decision-makers, including C-suite stakeholders, across key Workplace Pensions client accounts to drive retention and revenue growth.
• Own and manage a portfolio of strategic Workplace Pensions clients, acting as the primary escalation point and trusted advisor.
• Develop and execute comprehensive account plans, including retention strategies and growth opportunities aligned to client objectives.
• Conduct regular strategic and commercial reviews with clients to ensure alignment to business needs and identify opportunities for growth.
• Drive revenue generation across assigned accounts by identifying cross-sell and upsell opportunities, ensuring delivery against gross margin and profitability targets.
• Demonstrate strong commercial awareness across all client interactions, ensuring services delivered align to agreed financial and contractual outcomes.
• Lead complex client negotiations, including renewals, pricing discussions, and contract variations.
• Collaborate with new business and internal teams to identify and convert growth opportunities within existing accounts.
• Promote awareness of EQ's full Workplace Pensions product and service offering and align solutions to client strategies to deliver mutual value.
• Provide feedback to product and service teams to ensure Workplace Pensions offerings remain competitive and relevant.
• Lead and operate within commercial governance, approval, and qualification frameworks, ensuring appropriate challenge, oversight, and risk management.
• Maintain accurate pipeline, forecasting, and account data within management information systems.
• Act as a thought leader within the Workplace Pensions industry, maintaining awareness of market and regulatory developments and advising clients accordingly.
• Line manage and develop up to 2 Relationship Managers, including objective setting, coaching, and performance management to drive high performance.
• Provide leadership and direction to the Relationship Management team, ensuring consistent delivery of high-quality client outcomes and best practice.
• Contribute to the wider Customer Team strategy and business plan, supporting delivery of the Workplace Pensions growth agenda.
• Share knowledge and promote collaboration across the wider organisation.
• Travel to EQ offices and client sites as required.

Qualifications and Skills

• Proven experience in a revenue-generating relationship management role within the Workplace Pensions industry or a similarly complex, regulated outsourcing environment.
• Strong understanding of the Workplace Pensions market, including regulatory, governance, and industry best practice.
• Demonstrated ability to drive client retention and sustainable revenue growth through strategic relationship management.
• Strong commercial acumen, with the ability to balance client needs with business profitability and contractual outcomes.
• Good understanding of financial and commercial processes (e.g. pricing, invoicing, debt management, and contract performance).
• Excellent interpersonal and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build credibility and influence at both board and operational levels.
• Strong communication, presentation, and influencing skills, with confidence engaging senior stakeholders.
• Ability to challenge, guide and influence both clients and internal stakeholders with credibility and professionalism.