Pensions Manager

Job summary

Flexible working: due to the sensitive nature of the work, this is an office-based role with little to no opportunities for home working. We recognise the importance of a good work-life balance and offer part-time and compressed hours, with flexibility around start and finish times. You can read more about our flexible working options on our website.

About us

MI5 keeps the country safe from serious threats like terrorism and attempts by states to harm the UK, its people and way of life. We carry out investigations by obtaining, analysing and assessing intelligence, and then work with a range of partners, including MI6 and GCHQ to disrupt these threats. Through our protective security arm, we provide advice and guidance to government, businesses and other organisations about how to keep themselves safe. A role in MI5 means you’ll do unique and challenging work in a supportive and encouraging environment, making a real difference to UK national security.

Job description

The role

As a Pensions Manager, you’ll help oversee our processes and support your colleagues as a subject matter expert. You’ll balance high-volume casework with training and mentoring a growing team as you bring your expertise to our busy department. Working at pace, you’ll maintain quality and ensure our processes and systems run smoothly. Day-to-day, you’ll be taking on project work, supporting with problem-solving, handling complaints and carrying out extensive quality checking. So, multi-tasking is key as you’ll be balancing your own workload alongside your team’s. You’ll answer queries from, and give advice to, pay teams and provide insights and guidance to senior leaders.

You’ll also collaborate with colleagues throughout the UK’s Intelligence Services and build relationships with external partners. Everything you do will contribute to supporting the growth of the department, from helping your team improve their skills and knowledge, to using your experience to come up with ideas for continuous improvement.

Person specification

About you

You’ll bring existing knowledge about, and experience working in, pensions and have a minimum of 3 years’ experience in a similar role or sector. This will be supported by line management experience overseeing 1 to 3 people. You’ll also need a minimum of 2 GCSEs at Grade 4/C or above in maths and English language (or an equivalent Level 2 qualification). Importantly, you’ll be an adaptable, organised leader with a focus on wellbeing.

Comfortable with numbers, you’ll have keen attention to detail and be able to check calculations and spot errors with ease. You’ll also be a confident communicator able to adjust your style depending on whether you’re supporting your team, building external relationships, or presenting to senior leaders.

Whether you’re managing complex retirement cases, identifying solutions or managing stakeholders, you’ll be organised and balance target-driven performance with empathy. And of course, you’ll be IT systems literate.

Benefits

Training and development

We’re passionate about your personal development, so we have lots of ways to help grow your skills. As a line manager, you’ll be offered a Management Training Pathway. Plus, you’ll have access to internal training courses available from any of the UK’s Intelligence Services, as well as access to internal communities, support networks, and mentors.

You’ll be expected to stay within Pensions for your first 4 years, after which time, you’ll be able to apply for roles across the organisation.

Rewards and benefits

You’ll receive a starting salary of £47,677, plus other benefits including:

· 25 days’ annual leave automatically rising to 30 days after 5 years' service, and an additional 10.5 days’ public and privilege holidays

· opportunities to be recognised through our employee performance scheme

· personal learning budget

· interest-free season ticket loan

· excellent pension scheme

· cycle to work scheme

· facilities such as a gym, restaurant and on-site coffee bars (at some locations)

· paid parental and adoption leave.

Equal opportunities

At MI5 diversity and inclusion are critical to our mission. To protect the UK, we need a truly diverse workforce that reflects the society we serve. This includes diversity in every sense of the word: those with different backgrounds, ages, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, ways of thinking and those with disabilities or neurodivergent conditions. We therefore welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including those from groups that are under-represented in our workforce such as women, those from an ethnic minority background, people with disabilities and those from low socio-economic backgrounds. Find out more about our culture, working environment and diversity on our website.

We’re Disability Confident

MI5 are proud to have achieved Leader status within the DWP’s Disability Confident scheme. This is aimed at encouraging employers to think differently about disability and take action to improve how they recruit, retain and develop disabled people. Being Disability Confident, we aim to offer a fair and proportionate number of person-to-person interviews to any candidate who self-identifies as disabled and meets the essential criteria for the role. This is our ‘Offer of Interview’ (OOI). To secure an interview for this vacancy, the essential criteria (in order of application process) are:

· a minimum of 2 GCSEs at Grade 4/C in mathematics and English language (or an equivalent O-Level, BTEC or Level 2 qualification)

· you must be able to demonstrate delivering positive outcomes in a timely manner.

· you will be required to meet the minimum pass mark for the questions which explore your motivation to work for the organisation and this particular role

There is a wide range of extra support available throughout the recruitment process to enable you to do your best, see our website for information on reasonable adjustments we can offer.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

What to expect

Our recruitment process is fair, transparent, and based on merit. Here is a brief overview of each stage, in order:

· application sift, looking at your motivation and skills for the role and the organisation. There will also be a competency question

· an interview, assessing competencies, skills and experience relevant to the role

· if successful, you will receive a conditional offer of employment and then proceed to the vetting stage

Please note, you must successfully pass each stage of the process to progress to the next. Your application may take around 6 to 9 months to process including vetting, so we advise you continue any current employment until you have received your final job offer.

Before you apply

To work at MI5, you need to be a British citizen or hold dual British nationality. You can read our full eligibility criteria on our website.

This role requires the highest security clearance, known as Developed Vetting (DV). It’s something everyone in the UK Intelligence Community undertakes. You can find out more about the vetting process on our website.

Please note we have a strict drugs policy, so once you start your application, you can’t take any recreational drugs and you’ll need to declare your previous drug usage at the relevant stage.

Before you apply, we advise you to consider setting up a separate email address for your contact with us, to ensure your personal and application correspondence remain separate. Try to avoid having identifying features in your email address, such as your first and/or surname and date of birth. This is good practice and will help you to manage your application with us more discretely. The role is based in London, so you’ll need to live within a commutable distance. Please consider any financial implications and practicalities before submitting an application. A loan is available to support people relocating to London.

Please note, you should only launch your application from within the UK. If you are based overseas, you should wait until you visit the UK to launch an application. Applying from outside the UK will impact on our ability to progress your application. You should not discuss your application, other than with your partner or a close family member.

Right to Withdraw Statement:

Please be aware that we withhold the right to bring forward the closing date for this role from the original closing date once a certain number of applications have been received. Please be mindful of this and submit your application at your earliest convenience to avoid disappointment.

The role is based in London, so you’ll need to live within a commutable distance. Please consider any financial implications and practicalities before submitting an application. A loan is available to support people relocating to London.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is developed vetting (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

Open to UK nationals only.

Working for the Civil Service

Please note this Post is NOT regulated by the Civil Service Commission.The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Recruitment
• Email : careers@recruitmentoffice.org.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : careers@recruitmentoffice.org.uk