Post Introduction

The Pensions Board is hiring an Assistant Administration Manger to support the Pensions Administration Manager with the administration, benefit payments and contribution collections for the Board’s pension schemes and the associated relationships and facilitating a programme of operational improvements. This is an exciting opportunity to join a fast growing team for someone who has great administration, communications, managerial skills.

Please note that this is a fully remote role.

About the Department/Role

The Church of England Pensions Board is one of the seven National Church Institutions (NCIs), that support the mission and ministry of the Church of England.  

The Board provides retirement services to those who work or minister for the Church, providing pensions for 44,000 members, and providing support with retirement housing to 1 in 6 retiring clergy. We also directly manage c£3.2bn of pension investments, ensuring these are invested responsibly in line with the Church of England’s ethical policies.   

The Board is currently exploring the possibility of introducing a collective money purchase pension scheme, in tandem with simplifying its existing pension arrangements.  

What you'll be doing

• Support the Pensions Administration Manager to coordinate the administration of the Board’s pension schemes, ensuring that pension payments and all other benefits are paid on time.

• Coordinate the work of the administration and payroll teams. Allocation of work processes and forward planning of monthly and other regular tasks relating to contribution collections.

• Lead and coordinate regular tasks and annual exercises; including production of annual benefit statements; pension increase exercises; provision of Annual Valuation data to the Scheme Actuary and resolving data queries; monitoring of payroll reports for the pensioner buy-in insurer and pensioner existence monitoring.

• Understand the rules and calculation basis of all the Board’s Pension Schemes

• Manage and ensure quality of advice to the Pensions Manager, Chief Executive and Chairman for ill health retirement applications, death benefit settlements and complaint.

• Coordinate actions and processes relating to Pensions Online and Employer Hub websites.

• Identify areas for improvement and change. Continuously seek to make processes and team operations more efficient.

• Be involved in the testing and implementation of new pension arrangements

• Be the main support to the Pensions Administration Manager with financial management including the collection of contributions from the c700 participating employers, approximately £100m each year. This involves managing arrears and the Pension Board’s attaching statutory obligations to the Pensions Regulator

About You

The Church of England is for everyone and we want to reflect the diversity of the community the Church serves across the whole country. Therefore, while of course we welcome all applications from interested and suitably experienced people, we would particularly welcome applicants from UK Minoritised Ethnicities (UKME)/Global Majority Heritage (GMH) and other under-represented groups. As a Disability Confident employer, we are committed to recruiting disabled people. We offer interviews to disabled people who meet the minimum criteria for the role.

You will need to have experience of:

• Managing payroll and administration teams to deliver agreed business objectives.
• Presenting complex technical issues and potential solutions to non-expert audiences.
• Leading and initiating change.
• Proven track record in pension scheme administration – ideally in with experience of different types of UK pension arrangements.
• Must understand pension administration systems and wider financial functions of the Board.
• Ability to empathise with the concerns of different groups of stakeholders with a wide range of pensions knowledge and experience; and to communicate appropriately.
• Highly organised, self-motivated and self-disciplined.
• Progress towards Diploma of the Pensions Management Institute or equivalent.
• Associate of the Pensions Management Institute (APMI) or equivalent. 

Please refer to the Job Description for more information about the role and person specification. 

Interviews are expected to be held online on week commencing 19th May 2025.

What we offer

Your Salary 

• A salary of £63,488 per annum, plus age-related pension contributions between 8-15% of salary. We will also match any pension contributions you make up to an additional 3% of your salary.

Your Benefits

• 25 days annual leave (increasing to 30 days within 5 years) plus eight bank holidays and three additional days (pro-rated if working part-time).
• We welcome all flexible working arrangement requests. This is looked at in a case-by-case scenario and if this fits within the department’s needs. We try to be as flexible as we can in your work pattern to support you with other commitments, and to give a good work-life balance.
• We offer many services and initiatives under our Family Friendly Programme, some of these include enhanced Maternity Leave initiative, Adoption Leave, Paternity Leave, & Shared Parental Leave. Structured induction programme and access to a range of development opportunities including apprenticeships.

• Automatic enrolment and access to Medicash (one of the UK’s leading health cash plan providers), providing you with many services including reimbursements of routine dental treatment, optical, specialist consultations, and therapy treatments. Unlimited access to virtual GP & Private prescription service and health & Stress related helplines.

• Access to Occupational Health, and an Employee Assistance Programme 
• Access to the Department of Education Restaurant and Westminster Abbey with a plus-one guest.
• Apply for eligibility for an Eyecare voucher.
• Opportunity to join the Civil Service Sports & Social Club, and get involved in a range of staff networks, groups and societies.

ABOUT NATIONAL CHURCH INSTITUTIONS

The National Church Institutions comprises a wide variety of teams, professions and functions that support the mission and ministries of the Church of England in its vision to be a church, centred on Jesus Christ, for the whole nation - a church that is simpler, humbler, bolder.

We Include. You Belong.

Our Belonging and Inclusion Strategy aims for everyone in the National Church Institutions (NCIs) to feel that they belong, and are valued for who they are and what they contribute. Together, our people contribute in different ways towards our common purpose, whichever NCI they work in and whatever their background.

Living out our values in all that we do, we:

• Strive for Excellence
• Show Compassion
• Respect others
• Collaborate
• Act with Integrity

We believe our commitment to belonging and inclusion fuels our progress and drives us forward. The NCIs are a safe, inclusive workplace for people of all backgrounds and walks of life. We welcome applications from people of all faiths and of no faith. We want to encourage applications from a diverse group of people who share our values.  Even if you have never thought about working for us before, if you have the skills and experience we’re looking for then we would like to hear from you.

Please note: You must have the right to work in the UK to be considered for the role.