Trusteeship, Administration & DB Funding Supervision Principal

Job summary

The role and responsibilities

As a Principal in Trusteeship, Administration & DB Funding Supervision, you will oversee complex supervisory work, drive improvements across the pensions market, and lead a team delivering engagements that support better outcomes for savers.

You’ll join our Administration Relationships team, a specialist group within the Trusteeship, Administration & DB Funding Supervision Theme. The team works closely with third‑party administrators and trustees/scheme managers to strengthen the quality, resilience, and effectiveness of pension scheme administration.

You will provide expert judgement, and ensure your team delivers effective, risk‑based supervision across a diverse and evolving landscape. You will work collaboratively with trustees/scheme managers, advisers, administrators, industry bodies, and internal partners to address risks, improve practices, and uphold regulatory expectations.

Job description

You will:

• Lead and develop a team of specialists, ensuring high performance, strong judgement, and delivery against TPR priorities.
• Oversee complex and high‑impact interventions, providing guidance, challenge, and decision‑making on escalated issues.
• Act as a senior point of expertise, ensuring assessments, recommendations, and regulatory actions are robust, timely, and evidence.
• Drive continuous improvement, embedding new processes and working approaches across the team and helping colleagues build capability.
• Engage proactively with trustees/scheme managers, advisers, administrators, and external stakeholders at senior levels to influence behaviours and shape outcomes.
• Identify emerging risks and trends, sharing intelligence that supports early intervention and strategic planning.
• Contribute to cross‑TPR priorities, collaborating with colleagues in enforcement, policy, strategy, and analysis to deliver joined‑up regulation.
• Champion TPR’s values and leadership behaviours, acting as a role model for inclusive, flexible and transparent working.

Person specification

The role criteria

Essential

• Deep experience in regulation or the pensions industry, with a strong track record of delivering successful outcomes in complex environments.
• Demonstrable experience leading multi‑disciplinary teams of experienced professionals.
• Strong coaching, mentoring, and people‑leadership skills.
• Excellent influencing and negotiation skills, with credibility up to board level.
• Strong critical thinking and sound decision‑making informed by robust evaluation of evidence.
• Awareness of the financial, political, commercial, and social factors shaping the pensions landscape.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to adapt leadership style to ensure the team is supported appropriately and to champion changes in working practices.
• Experience of acting autonomously with confidence in decision‑
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills — both for complex casework and for supporting team members.
• Knowledge of Data Protection Act and Freedom of Information principles.
• Experience of relationship management in regulatory, supervisory or pensions contexts.
• Ability to assess and interpret complex information and convert it into clear, actionable strategies.
• Strong organisational skills and ability to prioritise effectively to meet deadlines.

Desirable

• Experience engaging with pension administration providers or overseeing administration‑related risks, issues or service standards.
• Experience using Artificial Intelligence tools to support process efficiency or decision‑

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £63,089, Pensions Regulator contributes £18,276 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

The team

TPR offers:

• Genuine opportunities for learning and development.
• A values-led, inclusive environment.
• Hybrid working and flexible shift patterns.
• A vibrant workplace with employee networks (Disability, Family, LGBT+, Minority Ethnic, Women’s).

We offer 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays, a hybrid working model, 35 hour working week (full-time), flexible working patterns, and flexitime. We also provide competitive parental leave, as well as a Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 28.97%. Our dedicated benefits portal (Edenred) offers retail, gym, tech and restaurant discounts, and a cycle to work scheme.

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

Applications

To avoid disappointment, we would invite you to submit your application as soon as possible, as we reserve the right to close the vacancy early if a high volume of applications are received. This is to ensure that we can continue to provide a positive candidate experience, with each application being reviewed and considered. Unfortunately, once a vacancy has closed, we are unable to consider further applications.

Current TPR employees who want to apply for this vacancy should first contact their line manager to discuss their application.

We welcome applications on a part time and job share basis.

Selection and interview

If you are shortlisted for interview, we’ll be in contact with you shortly after the closing date. We aim to respond to every application however due to the large volume of applications this is not always possible. If you have not heard from us within 21 days of submitting your application, please assume you have been unsuccessful on this occasion.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we’re committed to the recruitment, employment, retention, and development of people with disabilities, and to improving their employment opportunities. Candidates who declare that they have a disability and who meet the criteria outlined in the ‘what you will bring’ section will be offered an interview.

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

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

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 : Recruitmentteam@tpr.gov.uk
• Email : Recruitmentteam@tpr.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : Recruitmentteam@tpr.gov.uk