Head of Administration Operations

About Us Spence and Partners (part of 3173 Group), is a UK firm of pensions experts with a focus on consultancy, actuarial, administration and the development of specialist IT solutions. Spence specialises in advising on and managing defined contribution and final salary pension schemes (including the provision of the services of a Scheme Actuary) in the United Kingdom and Ireland and acts as a provider of administration to employers, trustees, pension plan members and professional advisers. We are a leading provider of pensions data audit and pensions benefit audit services for pension scheme trustees and have significant expertise in remedial pension scheme data work often in the run up to Buy-Out or during a Pension Protection Fund Assessment Period. We are looking for a highly experienced pensions administration professional to take the role of Head of Administration Operations in our Pension Administration business. About You You have a track record of successfully managing the operational aspects of a growing and profitable Pensions Administration business (or comparable business or business area). You have significant experience and successful track record of managing the operational aspects of the delivery of Pension Administration services (including but not limited to, installation/transition of new clients, benefit administration, treasury services and pensioner payroll). Experience in the UK defined benefit scheme market is essential, as is experience across a variety of different client types and sizes, including larger clients which will be a key area of focus for the business over the coming years. You have a track-record of successfully designing and implementing process improvements and operational change in Pension Administration, especially in relation to capacity planning/resource management. You have commercial acumen and an understanding of the key drivers for the profitable growth and operational efficiency of pension scheme administration (and each business line in it). You have a demonstrable track-record of meeting the operational demands of growth of a Pension Administration business in client size, and as per client size increases (e.g. implementation of new delivery models, handling high process volumes, resource and capacity planning and management, workflow/workload management and measurement). You have experience of managing the design, collation and reporting of Key Performance Indicators relevant to the operational aspects of a Pension Administration business and implementing change and process improvements in response to Management Information. You have successful experience of managing key operations individuals in a Pension Administration business, managing change, goal setting for the key leaders in the business and in leading performance management across the business. You have a strong desire to help our Company profitably grow and flourish and to take a leading role in the operations of how services are delivered, and how our proposition will evolve and adapt to market and technological trends. You will have a strong awareness of current defined benefit regulatory matters, industry trends and new innovations. You will be able to filter and prioritise industry developments to ensure our Pension Administration services continue to provide the services demanded by the market. You have excellent written and verbal communication skills. You have the relevant gravitas and leadership skills to act as a role model to colleagues in the firm. You exhibit the highest standard of professionalism and ethical behaviour, and are pragmatic and adaptable. You are capable of negotiating and influencing decision making at a strategic/complex level by putting forward a persuasive, reasoned argument for why a particular course of action should be taken or avoided. You have strong inter-personal skills and are capable of building strong relationships and proactively engaging with members of the Board, key individuals within the firm and the pensions industry. You are pro-active and have the ability to work on your own initiative and are a collaborative team player who will work well with the wider team. Responsibilities & Criteria Reporting to the Managing Director and Spence Board, the role involves the following (which may not be an exhaustive list and will evolve over time) Accountability for the operational aspects of the Pension Administration business (including new scheme installations/transitions) Accountability for operational performance in the Pension Administration business as measured by Key Performance Indicators and other Management Information Active contribution to the overall leadership of the Spence business as a member of the Spence Operations board Accountability for improving gross margin responsibility across the Pension Administration business. This will include input to pricing and efficient structure of service delivery teams (in conjunction with the relevant managers) Line management responsibility for relevant key members of the Operations team Positively contribute to Spence Operations Board meetings Report to and present to Spence Board, 3173 Board and 3173 TopCo Board as required Board level accountability for recruitment and retention of staff providing services in the Pension Administration business Work constructively and collaboratively with other Practice and Function Heads for the best interests of the Practice business and wider group as required. Circumstances Location: Belfast, or Glasgow. Working hours: Monday to Friday, 37.5 hours per week with additional hours as and when required. Our Company is committed to work life balance and our flexi-working policy and opportunity for remote working enables individuals to maintain that balance. All roles are subject to a six-month probationary period and all prospective employees are required to complete an Access NI check. As part of the pre-hire process the successful candidate will be subject to reference checking security vetting. 3173 is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Applying with a disability or long-term health condition? As part of our belief that we benefit from the differences among us, we are committed to increasing the representation of disabled colleagues and want to remove any barriers or challenges that get in the way of candidates with a disability or long-term health condition from applying to work with us. As part of this commitment, we guarantee to automatically interview anyone with a disability who meets the minimum criteria. If there is support or an adjustment that we can provide to enable you to be at your best during the recruitment and selection process, we encourage you to advise us in good time so that we may make suitable arrangements. We understand that being open with us may feel uncomfortable so please only share with us the information that you are comfortable to share, and rest assured that we will use this only to provide you with the right support. Any information you give us will be treated completely confidentially. To discuss this further please call and ask to speak to a member of the People team.