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 (“the Pensions Board”) is a statutory body which is corporate trustee and administrator of defined benefit (final salary, hybrid and CARE) and defined contribution pension arrangements. We are the trustee and administrator of 3 major pension schemes (CEFPS, CWPF and CAPF). We are the administrator of the Clergy Pension Measures and CCSS on behalf of the Church Commissioners. We also administer two charitable schemes to assist retired clergy and their dependants who are in financial need. There are 36,000+ members, pensioners and other beneficiaries.

Post Introduction

To support the maintenance and development of the pension administration system, Universal Pensions Management (UPM2), and any other pension specific applications operated by the Pensions Board.

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:

Assist with the design and development of the UPM system and other pension applications, and implement agreed changes.

System Design and Development

• Agree requirements, scope and specification of system changes with the Head of Pensions Systems.
• Plan and deliver a continuous program of process upgrades and development under the direction of the Business Process Manager – continue to automate individual and bulk processes within UPM2 and any other applications, as prioritised by the Head of Pensions Systems.
• Maintain the technical specifications for benefit calculations, valuation extracts, benefit statements and contribution collections;
• Implement any system changes required to support the introduction of amendments to standard letters;
• Deliver the integration of UPM with external systems, including the Church of England website and 3^rd party software used by the Pensions Board, such as Horizon.
• Deliver the development of UPM in phase with the role-out of the self–service elements of the member and employer web offerings.
• Manage the testing and implementation of system upgrades and software releases, delegating the work to the systems administrator as appropriate. 
• Document system changes and deliver  user training as required.
• Agree scope and specification of system reporting requirements with the Head of Pensions Systems and implement agreed solution.
• Design and produce both standard and bespoke system reports for managers.​

Special Projects

• Undertake projects in relation to major UPM changes, systems development and implementation of new technologies.

Carrying out any other duties as required

• The main duties and responsibilities of your post are outlined in your job description.  This list is not exhaustive and is intended to reflect your main tasks and areas of work.  Changes may occur over time and you will be expected to agree any reasonable changes to your job description that are commensurate with your banding and in line with the general nature of your post.  You will be consulted about any changes to your job description before these are implemented.

The Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate should have:

Essential

Skills/Aptitudes:

• Logical and highly numerate
• Good written and verbal communication skills
• Proficient in delivering training to system users

Knowledge/Experience:

• Significant experience of database and workflow management applications
• Expert knowledge of Microsoft Office to include practical experience using complex macros in Office applications and Excel
• Proficient in using SQL and VBA 

Personal Attributes:

• Practical, adaptable, with pro-active ‘can-do’ attitude
• Determined, persistent and good at problem-solving
• Eager and willing to learn and develop
• Self-motivated, with strong work ethic
• Mentally tuned to working in small teams and delivering support to the users of the system

Education:

• A-levels in numerate subjects at Grade C or above (or equivalent).

Desirable

Knowledge/Experience:

• Experience of UK pensions
• Experience of modern pension administration systems, preferably UPM2
• Project management experience
• Working knowledge of best practice relating to information stored electronically
• Experience of Microsoft SQL Server or other reporting system

Education:

• Studying for Associate of the Pensions Management Institute (APMI) or equivalent and showing significant progress.
• A graduate in a numeric discipline such as maths or computer science.

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.