DC Admin Manager

Synchronicity Group; South Yorkshire; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Synchronicity Group is seeking a DC Administration Manager to oversee a defined contribution administration service delivered through a third-party partner and an offshore team. You will ensure accuracy, timeliness and care in member lifecycle events.

You will lead across time zones, monitor SLAs and KPIs, and challenge processes to improve accuracy and accountability while staying within regulatory and data protection requirements. You’ll communicate confidently with trustees and advisers.

Qualifications

• Real-time experience in occupational pension administration with DC focus.
• Experience managing offshore or third-party teams and optimising partner performance.
• Experience running a customer service operation with multi-level teams.
• Solid understanding of pension legislation and governance for trustee-level communication.
• Comfort with budgets and supplier performance management.
• Ability to make data-driven decisions under pressure with a commercial mindset.
• Ability to lead with warmth while handling difficult conversations.

Responsibilities

• Own the whole journey from benefit calculations to retirements, transfers and bereavements, overseeing delivery and holding partners to account.
• Run the numbers and manage SLAs, KPIs and performance reviews; identify drift and address root causes rather than masking issues.
• Turn complaints into actionable insights by identifying patterns, fixing root causes and preventing recurrence.
• Lead teams across time zones, guiding, coaching and developing offshore staff and planning resources.
• Be the trusted voice for trustees, employers and advisers, presenting data-backed narratives in boards.
• Ensure compliance with legislation, data protection and audit requirements; maintain robust controls and accurate records.
• Shape future improvements through system upgrades, migrations, and process innovations.

Skills

Leadership

People management

Pension administration

Stakeholder management

Data-driven decision making

Budget management

Regulatory compliance

Offshore team leadership

Job description

We're looking for a DC Administration Manager to take charge of a defined contribution administration service delivered through a third-party partner and an offshore team. You won't be doing the processing yourself. You'll be the one who makes sure it's done well, done on time and done with care.

What you'll actually do

• Own the whole journey. From benefit calculations to retirements, transfers and bereavements, you'll oversee every moment that matters in a member's life, and keep our partner honest about how it's delivered.
• Run the numbers, then act on them. SLAs, KPIs and performance reviews are your instruments. You'll spot the drift early, *escalate with purpose*, and get to the root cause rather than papering over it.
• Turn complaints into fuel. Every complaint is data in disguise. You'll find the pattern, fix the cause and make sure it doesn't come back.
• Lead people across time zones. You'll guide, coach and develop teams on and offshore, planning resource, spotting training gaps and building a culture where good enough never is.
• Be the trusted voice. Trustees, employers and advisers will look to you. You'll walk into the boardroom with a story the data supports, and walk out with their confidence.
• Keep us on the right side of the rules. Legislation, regulation, data protection, audit: you'll make sure the controls hold and the records are right.
• Shape what comes next. System upgrades, migrations, process improvements and the odd new business pitch will all land on your desk.

You might be the one if you...

• Have spent real time in occupational pension administration, with DC being your day-to-day focus
• Have managed an offshore or third-party team and know how to get the best from a partner you can't see across the desk
• Have run a customer service operation and led teams across multiple levels
• Understand pension legislation and governance well enough to explain them to a room of trustees
• Are comfortable with budgets and supplier performance
• Make decisions with data, stay calm when three things are on fire, and bring a commercial mind to a service role
• Can lead with warmth and still have the difficult conversation

Why this is different

Most administration roles are about keeping the machine running. This one is about making the machine better: more accurate, more human and more accountable. You'll have real influence, real visibility and a leadership team that wants to hear what you think.

If you've ever thought "pension administration could be so much better than this", here's your chance to prove it.