Pensions Technician

Job summary

The Government Actuary’s Department (GAD) is a non-ministerial department. Our mission is to improve the stewardship of public sector finances by supporting effective decision-making and robust financial reporting through analysis, modelling and advice.

One of the teams within GAD is the Pensions Administration Consulting team. We work with a wide range of public service clients and provide high quality consultancy services that serve some of the largest pension schemes in the country.

Job description

We are looking to recruit a Pensions Technician to provide support in helping our clients navigate a range of challenges including:

• How to ensure that benefits payable to members are accurate.
• How to implement and communicate revised benefits for scheme members resulting from legal judgements.
• How to improve the quality and completeness of membership data.
• How to prepare for the launch of pensions dashboards, a significant step change in the way pension scheme members and administrators interact with each other.
• How to improve scheme governance.
• How to ensure that pension scheme change exercises such as provider or system transition and transformation projects are being delivered effectively and in line with expectations.

As a Pensions Technician, you will assist our Pensions Consultants and Actuaries in providing high quality advice to Government Departments, or other GAD clients relating to the administration of member benefits.

This role will involve significant levels of interaction with pension scheme administrators, sponsoring departments and other stakeholders. As such, strong communication and collaboration skills are important.

You will use your knowledge of private or public sector pensions and pensions administration to support actuarial colleagues, operating within a team of subject matter experts on pensions administration issues as well as identifying opportunities to add value and support our clients.

Further information on GAD is provided in the attached pack.

Person specification

1. To help provide high quality pensions advice to the sponsors and administrators of Public Service Pension Schemes.

2. To work with colleagues across GAD teams to ensure work is delivered in an efficient and timely manner, with a focus on providing value for money for our clients.

3. To maintain and build upon existing client relationships.

4. To assist in developing technical client content relating to pensions administration and scheme governance.

5. To provide a consistently high level of service with all work to be undertaken in accordance with GAD standards and professional requirements. This includes:

providing/supporting appropriate quality advice (oral or written) to agreed timescales and within budget;

• complying with peer review procedures;
• adapting to changing client needs and balancing conflicting priorities;
• complying with all relevant guidance.

6. To maintain an up-to-date knowledge of pensions, particularly public service pensions, and distill this information in an understandable way for clients and colleagues.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Delivering at Pace
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Communicating and Influencing
• Changing and Improving

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Knowledge of defined benefit occupational pension schemes, including administrative functions (Essential)
• Experience of working in pensions administration or a wider function of the occupational pensions industry (Essential)
• Knowledge of public service pension schemes and their benefit provision (Desirable)
• Pensions qualification (PMI or similar) (Desirable)

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £42,127, Government Actuary's Department contributes £12,204 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

As well as competitive salaries, we offer a substantial package of benefits:

• Exceptional learning and development opportunities that you can explore alongside your day-to-day work.
• 25 days annual leave per year, increasing to 30 days after 5 years’ service. In addition, we offer 9 days public and privilege days leave per year (pro rata for part time staff)
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
• 5 days of paid volunteering leave
• Up to 9 months maternity leave on full pay + generous paternity and adoption leave
• Staff reward and recognition bonuses that operate throughout the year.
• Occupational sick pay
• Family-friendly policies such as help with caring responsibilities, special leave, generous paid maternity, paternity, and adoption leave.
• Access to employee assistance programme which offers staff 24/7 confidential support and resources such as counselling, debt guidance and management advice.
• The opportunity to join a trade union.
• A working culture which encourages inclusion and diversity.
• Salary advances for travel costs, including annual season tickets and cycle-to-work schemes.
• Access to the Edenred employee benefits system which offers discounts to popular retailers and access to various useful resources such as financial and savings advice.
• Complimentary BUPA health check for permanent staff.

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

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Technical skills.

Stage 1: Application sift

As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete:

• A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you provide employment history that relates to the essential criteria, and that any gaps in employment history within the last 2 years are explained.
• A Personal statement of up to 500-words explaining how you meet the essential criteria for the role, with particular reference to the criteria provided in the person specification of the JD.

The Civil Service application process has a standardised method for assessing candidates, we strongly recommend that you read the descriptions of the civil service behaviours. Strong applications will present these in the Situation, Task, Action, Result (STAR) method.

We will use your CV and Personal Statement to assess the Experience and Technical skills listed in the JD.

Stage 2: Panel interview

During the interview you will be assessed on the experience and behaviours listed in the Person Specification and detailed in this advert. The interview will include a presentation, details of which will be sent to those invited to interview. There are likely to be follow-up questions on the Behaviours below leading on from the presentation to ensure the panel gain a rounded picture.

Timelines

Application deadline: 1200 hrs on 02 March 2026
Shortlisting: w/c 02 March 2026
Interviews: w/c 09 March and w/c 16 March 2026

Interview locations: London and Edinburgh office

Please apply via our recruitment portal below.

As part of the application form process, please submit your CV and supporting statement. Please do not email your CV outside of this process as it will not be accepted.

Shortlisting criteria is based on the Person Specification as set out in the Assessment Criteria section of the Job Description. Please ensure you provide examples of how you meet the Assessment Criteria; a strong application will also demonstrate that you meet the required criteria that are identified as key for this role. Applications will be shortlisted in line with the essential criteria for the role. The desirable criteria will not be assessed throughout the recruitment process, but will be used in the event of tied scores between candidates. Behaviours will be assessed at sift and interview stage. Candidates who are successful at shortlist will be contacted as soon as possible and advised of the interview process and assessment (exact times and dates will also be confirmed).

A reserve list will be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

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 for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).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 Team
• Email : recruitment@gad.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitment@gad.gov.uk

Further information

The Government Actuary’s Department’s recruitment processes are underpinned by the recruitment principles of the Civil Service Commissioner, which outline that selection for appointment be made on merit on the basis of fair and open competition http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/civil-service-recruitm… If you feel at any time your application has not been treated in accordance with the values in the Civil Service Code and/or if you feel the recruitment has been conducted in such a way that conflicts with the Civil Service Commissioner’s Recruitment Principles, you may make a complaint, by contacting recruitment@gad.gov.uk in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive you can contact the Civil Service Commissioners.

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/government-actuarys-department

Attachments

Pensions Technician JD Opens in new window (pdf, 595kB)