Senior Pensions Assistant

Job summary

The Pensions Administration Consulting team advises a wide range of public service clients, supporting some of the largest pension schemes in the UK. As a Senior Pensions Assistant, you’ll play a crucial role at the Government Actuary’s Department (GAD) by assisting a diverse team of professionals to produce high-quality, proactive, solution-focused advice on scheme administration, management, and governance issues to a range of public sector clients.

This will include providing support to our Pensions Technicians and Consultants in a wide range of areas including:

• Ensuring that benefit calculations and payments are accurate
• Implementing and communicating benefit changes arising from legal judgments and scheme change
• Improving the quality and completeness of member data
• Preparing for the launch of pensions dashboards
• Improving the governance and decision making of public sector pension schemes

We are an inclusive organisation that values the unique perspectives and strengths of a diverse team, we ensure everyone has the opportunity to thrive. We are seeking motivated individuals to join our pensions consulting team, where your contributions will be valued, and your voice heard.

Please find a link to our candidate pack at the bottom of the page for further information.

N.B. GAD may work with recruiters on this campaign provided prior agreement is reached for this specific campaign

Job description

• Key external stakeholders include: Public sector pension scheme clients and potential clients, scheme administrators, and members of the wider pensions industry.
• Key internal stakeholders include: members of the PAC team, members of wider GAD teams.

This role will involve routine interaction with both internal and external stakeholders. As such, good communication and collaboration skills are required.

The role holder will be expected to,

• Support others to deliver tasks effectively
• Build constructive relationships across GAD teams and external stakeholders on routine matters.
• Grow their knowledge of pension schemes and scheme administration.
• Liaise with relevant contacts within the PAC team and in other teams to share experiences, develop common approaches and ensure consistency where appropriate to do so.

Demonstrate GAD standards, values and behaviours in all internal and external communications

Person specification

1. Assisting the team with project management, pensions calculations for review and other pensions consultancy work.
2. Draft client-facing written material and analysis to a high standard, incorporating feedback from senior reviewers.
3. Manage routine stakeholder interactions (internal/external) to clarify requirements, agree next steps and resolve day-to-day issues, escalating where required.
4. Deliver allocated work to agreed timelines; monitor progress and flag risks to a senior colleague.
5. Identify and suggest new ways of working.
6. Drive agreed improvements to team processes and documentation (e.g., updating templates, trackers and guidance notes) and support consistent adoption across the team.
7. Able to work independently to deliver work within agreed parameters, seeking direction from senior colleagues when required.
8. Adaptable to changing client needs and balancing conflicting priorities.
9. Proactively develop your knowledge and understanding of pensions, pension scheme governance and pensions administration issues, particularly related to defined benefits and public service pensions.
10. Agile working within the team and within other GAD teams from time to time during key periods to deliver work.
11. Work within GAD’s professional standards and departmental procedures and guidance notes.

These job descriptions are a broad reflection of the required duties. They are not exhaustive, and changes may be made based on GAD’s needs at the discretion of the Head of the Pensions Administration Consulting team.

Behaviours

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

• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Managing a Quality Service
• Delivering at Pace

Technical skills

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

• Knowledge of defined benefit occupational pension schemes, including administrative functions and scheme governance (Desirable)
• Knowledge of public service pension provision (Desirable)
• Pensions qualification (PMI or similar) (Desirable)

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £34,543, Government Actuary's Department contributes £10,007 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

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.

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.

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.

Your CV and Personal Statement will be used to assess the essential criteria listed in the job description.

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.

Application deadline: 1200 hrs on 20 July 2026

Shortlisting: By w/c 27 July 2026

Interviews: w/c 03 August 2026

Interview location: In office (Either London, E14 4PU or Edinburgh, EH8 8FT)

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

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).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 the recruitment team at 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://gad-gov.pagetiger.com/cxapylq/1

Attachments

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