Overview

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.

The National Church Institutions (NCIs) are national administrative bodies that work together to support the mission and ministry of the Church of England. Their activities are hugely varied, ranging from management of a multi-billion-pound investment fund, to a grant-giving charity, a housing service for retired clergy and the administration of four multi-employer pension schemes.

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 42,000 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.

Post Introduction

The Policy Officer for Pensions Strategy supports the Head of Pensions Strategy and the Pensions Director in the development of policies (strategic rather than technical) for the Board’s pension schemes. Your responsibilities will involve monitoring legislative developments related to pensions, conducting research, and liaising with a wide range of stakeholders (including advisors, industry bodies, and the Pensions Regulator) to help formulate pension strategies and policies for consideration by the Board’s Pension Committee. Developing and implementing policies to deliver the Board’s strategic aims relating to its proposed new (collective money purchase) and existing pension schemes (defined benefit, cash balance, and defined contribution). 

Closing Date: 3 December 2023 (midnight).

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 Minority Ethnic Backgrounds and other under-represented groups.

Role Responsibility

The main responsibilities for this role are:

• Working as part of a team to deliver valuations and funding strategies for existing schemes, and end-game strategies where required – group transfers, individual transfer exercises, buy-ins, wind-ups etc. 
• Policy Development: Conduct research in response to announcements, changes, or trends affecting the Board’s ability to deliver its strategic aims regarding its pension schemes. Use this to identify potential areas for policy improvement or development.  
• Legislation & Regulation: Monitor legislative developments related to pensions and retirement. Research impact and, working with advisors, identify areas where new policy, or policy change, is required. 
• Policy Recommendations: Formulate evidence-based policy recommendations aimed at delivering the Board’s strategic aims. Present findings and proposals to senior management and other relevant stakeholders. 
• Stakeholder Engagement: Collaborate with stakeholders, including employer groups, industry bodies, and the Pensions Regulator to gather insights, address concerns and build consensus around policy matters.  
• Public Awareness: Attend conferences and industry forums to increase awareness and understanding of policy trends in pensions, including in other large pension schemes and government and regulatory bodies. Coordinate the Board’s response to public consultations. Assist with policy enquiries from employers, Synod, or the media. 
• Data Analysis: Carry out analysis of member or other relevant data to support the case for policy change or to evaluate the success or otherwise of existing policies. 
• Compliance & Governance: Working with the compliance manager and advisors, ensure that proposed pension policy changes adhere to legal and regulatory requirements while promoting good governance practices. 
• Benchmarking: Follow pensions industry developments and trends and conduct benchmarking exercises to check how the Board’s strategies and schemes compare. 
• Projects: Join project teams and collaborate with colleagues, suppliers, and advisors to provide strategic input on policy matters, and develop policy solutions where needed. 
• Policy record keeping: Develop and maintain an internal policy repository, with records of policy owners, version control, and review dates. [This one may sit better with the Compliance Manager] 

The Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate must have:

Essential

Skills/Aptitudes:

• Able to build relationships, trust, and credibility with a wide range of diverse stakeholders 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills including the ability to clearly and credibly communicate with both pension experts and audiences with low levels of pensions knowledge 
• Able to comfortably and confidently present to senior management, the Executive and Board members 
• Able to work collaboratively with pension experts e.g. actuaries, lawyers and covenant advisors 
• Able to conduct independent research and formulate policy ideas 

Knowledge/Experience: 

• Significant experience and thorough understanding of legal and regulatory framework of trust-based pension schemes 
• Previous roles to have included some pensions policy, governance or trustee secretariat experience 

Personal Attributes: 

• Personable and able to quickly establish productive working relationships with colleagues, professional advisors, and the Pensions Regulator 
• Self aware, with a good level of emotional intelligence 
• Able to build rapport quickly with colleagues at different levels 
• Takes pride in doing a good job 
• Adaptable to changing deadlines and priorities, with a ‘can-do’ attitude 
• Good attention to detail 
• Able to work calmly and efficiently under pressure 

Education: 

• Relevant pension qualifications (ideally APMI -  DipPMI, QPA, or equivalent also considered) 

Desirable 

Knowledge/Experience: 

• Knowledge of the UK’s master trust regulatory framework 
• Well connected within the pensions industry and pension industry bodies 
• Understanding of the structures of the Church of England and sympathy with its work and aims 

About Us

In the National Church Institutions (NCIs), we support the mission and ministries of the Church of England. We work with parishes, dioceses, schools, chaplaincies and other ministries, and with national and international partners including mission agencies, and other denominations and faith groups.-.  

Find out more about working for the National Church Institutions at Careers | The Church of England

NCI values

• We strive for excellence 
• We collaborate 
• We act with integrity 
• We show compassion 
• We respect others 

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. 

If there is anything we can do to support you in your application please get in touch via email to hr.recruitment@churchofengland.org

As a Disability Confident Leader, we actively look to attract, recruit and retain those of you who are disabled.  

• We are a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, and welcome applications from those of you who have served in our Armed Forces and their families.