Retirement Plans Defined Contribution Specialist - Defined Contribution Specialist

Job Description

Purpose of the role

To develop, implement, deliver, and provide governance to employee retirement plans and benefits programmes, and provide counsel to resolve any related issues.  

Accountabilities

• Responsible for the development, implementation and delivery of the retirement plans and benefits programmes and processes aligned to the organisation’s strategy and enabled by supporting technology where appropriate, including the resolution of any escalated retirement and benefits issues from colleagues and people leaders (either directly, through HR operational teams or through oversight of a third party).
• Responsible for ensuring that retirement plans and benefit programmes are delivered in a manner that is compliant with all applicable internal governance standards and external regulation; staying up to date with applicable legislative and regulatory changes.
• Communication and engagement to educate employees and managers on the available retirement and benefit options, such as retirement, health insurance and other benefit solutions.
• Market research and the development of appropriate retirement and benefits strategy, administration and compliance, as appropriate.
• Identification, engagement and management of external vendors/ stakeholders to manage the administration and delivery of the retirement and benefits services and provision of advice and counsel to employees and people leaders where relevant.
• Oversight and governance to all cost elements relevant to the provision of the retirement and benefits plans; ensuring that costs are appropriately forecasted, managed in line with budgets and spend approvals, and any funding requirements are actively monitored and maintained.

Vice President Expectations

• To contribute or set strategy, drive requirements and make recommendations for change. Plan resources, budgets, and policies; manage and maintain policies/ processes; deliver continuous improvements and escalate breaches of policies/procedures..
• If managing a team, they define jobs and responsibilities, planning for the department’s future needs and operations, counselling employees on performance and contributing to employee pay decisions/changes. They may also lead a number of specialists to influence the operations of a department, in alignment with strategic as well as tactical priorities, while balancing short and long term goals and ensuring that budgets and schedules meet corporate requirements..
• If the position has leadership responsibilities, People Leaders are expected to demonstrate a clear set of leadership behaviours to create an environment for colleagues to thrive and deliver to a consistently excellent standard. The four LEAD behaviours are: L – Listen and be authentic, E – Energise and inspire, A – Align across the enterprise, D – Develop others..
• OR for an individual contributor, they will be a subject matter expert within own discipline and will guide technical direction. They will lead collaborative, multi-year assignments and guide team members through structured assignments, identify the need for the inclusion of other areas of specialisation to complete assignments. They will train, guide and coach less experienced specialists and provide information affecting long term profits, organisational risks and strategic decisions..
• Advise key stakeholders, including functional leadership teams and senior management on functional and cross functional areas of impact and alignment.
• Manage and mitigate risks through assessment, in support of the control and governance agenda.
• Demonstrate leadership and accountability for managing risk and strengthening controls in relation to the work your team does.
• Demonstrate comprehensive understanding of the organisation functions to contribute to achieving the goals of the business.
• Collaborate with other areas of work, for business aligned support areas to keep up to speed with business activity and the business strategies.
• Create solutions based on sophisticated analytical thought comparing and selecting complex alternatives. In-depth analysis with interpretative thinking will be required to define problems and develop innovative solutions.
• Adopt and include the outcomes of extensive research in problem solving processes.
• Seek out, build and maintain trusting relationships and partnerships with internal and external stakeholders in order to accomplish key business objectives, using influencing and negotiating skills to achieve outcomes.

All colleagues will be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Values of Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence and Stewardship – our moral compass, helping us do what we believe is right. They will also be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Mindset – to Empower, Challenge and Drive – the operating manual for how we behave.

This role offers an opportunity to take ownership of the day-to-day governance and regulatory oversight of the UK Retirement Fund’s Defined Contribution (DC) pension arrangements. You will support the trustees and their DC subcommittee in ensuring that governance, compliance and regulatory responsibilities are delivered effectively and in line with industry requirements. Acting as a key liaison between trustees, advisers, internal stakeholders and external providers, you will coordinate governance activities, prepare papers and recommendations, and ensure that governance frameworks continue to operate smoothly while broader transformation initiatives are underway.

You will oversee the annual programme of DC governance activity, including trustee and committee meetings, regulatory reporting, climate-related disclosures and value-for-members assessments. You will monitor risks, track actions and regulatory developments, support reviews of service providers and investment arrangements, and work collaboratively with stakeholders to gather information and drive governance outcomes. Success in this role will require the ability to communicate complex pensions matters clearly and confidently to both specialist and non-specialist audiences, while delivering high-quality governance support and maintaining stakeholder relationships.

To be successful as a Retirement Plans Defined Contribution Specialist – 18 Months Fixed Term Contract, you will have experience with:

• Working in a Defined Contribution pensions environment.
• Detailed understanding of DC pension governance and regulatory requirements.
• Supporting pension trustees, trustee subcommittees, senior boards or comparable governance groups.
• Managing senior stakeholders and external professional advisers or service providers.
• Written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain technical pensions matters clearly.
• Recurring governance responsibilities, regulatory deliverables and competing deadlines.
• Sound judgement and the confidence to identify and escalate governance or delivery risks.

Some other highly valued skills may include:

• Experience conducting provider, default fund or value-for-members reviews.
• Knowledge of the pensions industry and regulation.
• Experience working with large occupational pension schemes or complex DC arrangements

You may be assessed on the key critical skills relevant for success in role, such as risk and controls, change and transformation, business acumen strategic thinking and digital and technology, as well as job-specific technical skills.

Your role can be located from our Glasgow or London office.