Pension Scheme Governance Specialist - Principal in Brighton

The Pension Scheme Governance Specialist role supports the effectiveness of the Trusteeship, Administration, and Defined Benefits Supervision (TADBS) team within the Market Oversight directorate. This role is pivotal in overseeing the requirements for schemes and professional trustee firms to demonstrate appropriately scaled, robust, and effective governance frameworks, ensuring that they operate with integrity, transparency, and in the best interests of scheme members.

You will work in multi-disciplinary teams, drawing on your experience to provide subject matter expert (SME) assessments of all types of pension scheme management, governance, and the systems and processes that demonstrate compliance with regulatory requirements and best practice standards. You will provide coaching and training to TADBS on all aspects of pension scheme governance and management. You may be required to lead a team of Lead Specialists and Specialists, within Trusteeship, Administration and DB Supervision. You will be responsible for operational delivery, including portfolio and risk management, and you will lead on external engagement on key issues or complex intervention where required.

The role criteria:

• Strong understanding of UK pensions legislation, TPR Codes of Practice, and scheme governance requirements.
• Proven practical experience in scheme and corporate governance and pension administration across various scheme types (DB, DC, MT, and PSPS) as well as working with consultancy services and advisory firms.
• Applied knowledge of the interaction between scheme management, governing documentation, trust law, case law, tax and pensions law, and Pension Ombudsman findings when making key decisions.
• Understanding of the real-world interaction between decision-making aligned with regulatory requirements and governance in the saver’s best interests.
• Highly technically proficient, with the ability to absorb governance material and assess its purpose against its practical application to identify the root causes of risks and/or issues.
• Confidence to engage and influence at all levels, working independently and within multi-disciplinary teams; capable of holding difficult conversations with an appreciation of when pushback on regulatory expectations is unreasonable.
• Ability to coach and train less experienced colleagues on governance standards, as well as brief senior leaders on the current pensions industry and its future direction.
• Ability to identify when advisor or legal support is required to form a robust governance view.
• Professional qualification in pensions (e.g., Pensions Management Institute, Chartered Insurance Institute) or governance (e.g., ICSA/CGIUKI).
• Experience at managing, coaching, mentoring and motivating others.
• High attention to detail and ability to manage confidential and sensitive information.
• Experience of demonstrating credibility, showing resilience and building and maintaining relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Commitment to ethical governance and saver first principles.
• Proactive, collaborative, and solutions-focused approach.
• Respect for diversity, inclusion, and transparency.
• Proactive leadership, ability to be a self-starter, shape the role and drive it forwards.

TPR Offers:

• Genuine opportunities for learning and development.
• A values-led, inclusive environment.
• Hybrid working and flexible shift patterns.
• A vibrant workplace with employee networks (Disability, Family, LGBT+, Minority Ethnic, Women’s).

Reward And Benefits:

• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays.
• Hybrid working model.
• 35 hour working week (full-time), flexible working patterns, and flexitime.
• Competitive parental leave.
• Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 28.97%.
• Dedicated benefits portal (Edenred) offers retail, gym, tech and restaurant discounts, and a cycle to work scheme.

Our culture:

TPR strives to be a high-performing organisation, and we prioritise our people's growth and well-being. We offer various learning, secondment and development opportunities, support flexible working, and foster a diverse and inclusive environment. Equality, diversity and inclusion is very important to us and we strive to make sure everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed.

Our modern Brighton offices are in Telecom House overlooking Preston Park, they are over two floors of a shared building facility and when designed in 2023 we followed the government’s workplace design guide to ensure accessibility by design was achieved for our section. We’re proud to have a range of networks and opportunities to bring people together with supportive and safe spaces to connect with one another.

About The Pensions Regulator:

With a career at TPR, you’ll be joining an organisation with real purpose and who are proud of their diverse range of skills and experience that positively impact on millions of people. Everyone at TPR plays an important role in helping to keep more than £2trn of savings safe. Our Corporate Strategy outlines a bold and challenging vision of how pensions regulation should continue to evolve to keep pace with a change in the scale and nature of the pensions landscape. We believe diversity and inclusion are vital to good decision-making for positive saver outcomes. We’re committed to creating a supportive, inclusive, and dynamic work environment where everyone can thrive; understanding the link between the work we do and its positive impact on society.

Applications:

To avoid disappointment, we would invite you to submit your application as soon as possible, as we reserve the right to close the vacancy early if a high volume of applications are received. This is to ensure that we can continue to provide a positive candidate experience, with each application being reviewed and considered. Unfortunately, once a vacancy has closed, we are unable to consider further applications. Current TPR employees who want to apply for this vacancy should first contact their line manager to discuss their application. We welcome applications on a part time and job share basis.

Selection and interview:

If you are shortlisted for interview, we’ll be in contact with you shortly after the closing date. We aim to respond to every application however due to the large volume of applications this is not always possible. If you have not heard from us within 21 days of submitting your application, please assume you have been unsuccessful on this occasion.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we’re committed to the recruitment, employment, retention, and development of people with disabilities, and to improving their employment opportunities. Candidates who declare that they have a disability and who meet the criteria outlined in the ‘what you will bring’ section will be offered an interview.

Diversity and inclusion:

TPR is committed to promoting diversity, inclusion and equality in the workplace, creating an environment where everyone is encouraged to be themselves, enabling our people to feel supported, represented and do their best work. We encourage applicants from all backgrounds and with different identities and experiences to apply for roles with TPR.

Further information:

Please visit our website to find out what it is like to work at TPR, our culture, interview process and our commitment to our employees. If you have any queries about 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.