Operational Readiness Manager – Defined Benefit

Oliver James are recruiting on behalf of a leading BPA/ Pensions provider who are seeking the support of an experienced individual with expertise in defined benefits pensions to join their growing team.

This is a UK based opportunity, you must live and pay tax in the UK to be considered.


Location: London based - flexible travel arrangements. Home locations UK wide are encouraged to apply!
For this position, you will play a pivotal part in the business's operational delivery, coordinating operational readiness across ALL implementation workstreams. This is a technical position and does not include people management.
Role purpose

Collaborate with and influence third-party administrators (TPAs) and senior operational managers to deliver new client projects into the agreed operating model.
Support improvements to systems, processes and technology, securing stakeholder buy-in where required.
Provide knowledge, experience and oversight across scheme implementation, operational readiness, handover and go-live to support positive policyholder outcomes.
Support new business pitches with implementation expertise, including scheme onboarding and operational readiness requirements.
Deliver strong outcomes across capital, profitability, brand, market reputation and policyholder experience.
Provide oversight and challenge across operational readiness, ensuring risks, dependencies, readiness gaps, mitigations and actions are understood, owned and governed.

Specific accountabilities

Represent the business in decisions relating to client project delivery, ensuring alignment with the operating model and operational readiness requirements.
Support the Head of Pension Operations in delivering a high level of service to clients and policyholders.
Work with internal Transition Managers and outsourced administration teams to deliver successful scheme onboarding, with clear ownership of readiness items, risks, mitigations and handover activity.
Lead the operational readiness workstream, providing governance, oversight and challenge, and escalating issues where go-live readiness, customer outcomes, service delivery or BAU transition may be impacted.
Manage project workstreams to onboard new schemes into the operating model, ensuring scheme benefits are understood and specified and data is fit for administration and actuarial valuation.

Required Skillsets

Defined Benefits pensions expertise - minimum 10 years'
Strong experience within pensions implementation, ideally having worked as part of an implementation team previously
Understanding of end-to-end implementation process, ideally including buy-in to buy-out.
Good exposure to a wide range of schemes and understanding of scheme structures
Former project management experience (or similar role)
Calculation and calculation automation experience is advantageous
GMP experience is advantageous

Soft skills/ additional:

Excellent communication skills - prior experience influencing and communicating with stakeholders, TPA providers and wider team members
Good commercial awareness/ judgement

Team:
You will join a growing team complied of experienced individuals. Dependant on your career goals you will have the opportunity to progress upwards or gain exposure to new areas on business.
If you are interested to discuss this opportunity further, or would like to hear about contract or permanent opportunities in this industry, please reach out by sending an updated CV to [email removed].