Director of Enforcement

The Pensions Regulator (TPR) is the UK’s regulator of workplace pensions, dedicated to protecting members’ benefits and promoting high standards across the pensions industry. TPR works to ensure that employers, trustees, and pension providers meet their obligations, safeguarding retirement outcomes for millions of savers.

This is an exciting time for TPR. The pensions sector is at a pivotal point, prompting a major shift in its focus. The market it regulates is radically changing, moving towards a system of fewer, larger schemes – schemes that could not just impact the retirement outcomes of millions of savers, but could also move markets. That is why it is shifting from a compliance-focused approach to a risk-based, high-performance culture, requiring new capabilities, training and behaviours. The goal through transformation is to foster a high-performance organisation through greater alignment, accountability, collaboration, and a performance mindset.

The Director of Enforcement plays a pivotal role in safeguarding the interests of millions of pension savers by ensuring that those entrusted with managing pension schemes comply with the law and uphold the highest standards of governance. This position is central to delivering The Pensions Regulator’s statutory objectives, using proportionate and risk-based enforcement to deter wrongdoing and protect member outcomes.

This role is a highly strategic role, ensuring that through the delivery of enforcement casework, support is aligned with the achievement of the organisation’s wider strategic vision to address systemic risks, emerging regulatory regimes, and market developments. The Director will implement the evolution of enforcement at TPR to reflect the changes that are happening across the pensions sector. The Division works closely with internal and external stakeholders to ensure that the focus is on delivering the TPR’s key objectives and operates as a senior leader across the organisation during this time of transformation.

Key responsibilities

• Lead and motivate a diverse multi-disciplinary department of enforcement specialists and intelligence professionals from a variety of backgrounds.
• Lead in organisational change and embed new regulatory regimes and ways of working.
• Actively manage and deliver a varied caseload of ongoing investigations at a variety of stages and to tight timeframes, ensuring those cases are delivered fairly, effectively, and efficiently, with an emphasis on the TPR’s approach to outcomes-based regulation.
• Strong collaboration with other Directors of the division and across the wider organisation to ensure the strategy of TPR is embedded and part of how day-to-day work is approached.
• Drive and embed a culture of high performance, relying on coaching, influencing and negotiating skills with a range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Assist in setting the strategic direction of the department and contribute to the strategic direction of the division.
• An understanding of and experience in complex investigations and tribunal processes.
• Demonstrate strong stakeholder management skills, with evidenced experience of influencing internally and externally, often in high-pressure contexts.

The successful candidate will bring:

• Strong people management and leadership experience - proven ability to lead, motivate and inspire large teams as well as experience in tackling performance issues to build high performing teams.
• Extensive experience in enforcement, major cases and/or investigations.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, with evidenced experience influencing internally and externally.
• An understanding of the regulatory and political environment in which the TPR operates.

The closing date for this role is Monday 23rd February at 23:59.