Head of Benefit Operations

West Midlands Pension Fund; Wolverhampton; Hybrid; GBP 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent pension fund organization is seeking a Head of Benefit Operations to oversee pension benefit services for over 360,000 members. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in managing complex operations, experience in driving transformation, and excellent leadership skills. This pivotal role involves working closely with senior leadership to shape the pension operations strategy and ensure high-quality service delivery. Located in Wolverhampton, this position offers a dynamic leadership opportunity with significant impact on pension administration.

Qualifications

• Proven track record of senior management in pensions or operations.
• Experience driving transformation and new processes.
• Strong knowledge of pension administration systems.
• Excellent analytical, communication and influencing skills.
• Ability to motivate and develop large teams and manage diverse stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage pension benefit operations.
• Drive service development and process improvements.
• Oversee escalated case reviews and complaints.
• Manage and develop a team of around 60 employees.
• Manage and develop a team of around 60 employees.
• Lead Delivery Management Committee and align with Business Plan.
• Build relationships with internal colleagues and external partners; represent at national/regional level.

Skills

Senior management experience

Leadership in complex operations

Knowledge of LGPS

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Team motivation capabilities

Education

Degree in finance, pensions, or business

Tools

Pension administration systems

Job description

The West Midlands Pension Fund is seeking an experienced and strategic leader to join us as Head of Benefit Operations, responsible for leading the delivery of a high-performing and customer-focused pension operations service.

Reporting to the Deputy Director of Pension Operations, this pivotal leadership role will ensure the effective delivery of pension benefit services for one of the UK’s largest pension funds. You will lead the planning and delivery of benefit operations, ensuring the service has the capability and capacity to support over 360,000 scheme members, while maintaining best practice standards recognised by the Pensions Administration Standards Association (PASA).

Working closely with the Fund’s Senior Leadership Team, you will play a key role in shaping and delivering the pension operations strategy, ensuring it supports the Fund’s corporate objectives now and in the future.

About WMPF

WMPF is one of the UK’s largest pension funds providing local authority pension benefits for employees across the West Midlands. We manage and administer the pension interests of over 330,000 scheme members, 800+ employers and currently have over £21 billion in assets under management.

We are recruiting for a Head of Benefit Operations to join our continually growing Operations Service area. Our modern offices are based at the i9 building in Wolverhampton and is an excellent location for transport links by car, bus, train and tram.

What the day will look like

Responsibilities include:

• Lead and manage the Fund’s pension benefit operations, ensuring capacity and capability to deliver a high-quality service.
• Drive service development, process improvements and transformation to meet KPIs, customer expectations and regulatory standards.
• Provide high-quality management information and regulatory returns, benchmarking performance and supporting decision-making.
• Oversee escalated case reviews, complaints, and complex member or employer enquiries, including IDRP cases.
• Manage and develop senior managers, with overall responsibility for a team of around 60 employees.
• Lead the Fund’s Delivery Management Committee, ensuring alignment with the Business Plan.
• Build and maintain effective relationships with internal colleagues, external partners and industry peers, representing the Fund at national and regional level where required.
• Deputise for the Deputy Director of Pension Operations as appropriate.

About you

We are looking for a dynamic leader with:

• A proven track record of senior management and leadership in a pensions or complex operations environment.
• Experience of driving transformation and embedding new processes or systems.
• Strong knowledge of LGPS and pension administration systems, with the ability to interpret regulations and manage compliance.
• Excellent analytical, communication and influencing skills, with the ability to manage change and engage effectively with diverse stakeholders.
• The ability to motivate and develop teams, building an inclusive and high‑

This is an exciting opportunity to play a key leadership role within one of the UK’s largest pension funds, helping to shape the future of pension administration while delivering excellent outcomes for members, employers and stakeholders.

For full details of the responsibilities and requirements of this role please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification.

Should you wish to discuss this opportunity further, please contact Annie Egginton - [e-mail]

NJC Pay Award for 2026 / 2027:

The annual pay increases for 2026/27 for NJC Local Government Employees are currently being negotiated and, once agreed, will be effective from 1 April 2026.

For more information about working for our organisation including the culture of the Council, the Council plan and vision, staff equality forums, core HR policies and much more please click here.

Our working arrangements

All council roles are allocated to either a fixed, field or flexible work style. Some roles are agile which enable and empower employees to maximise their performance and productivity, whilst maintaining a healthy work life balance. Roles with a fixed workstyle work in a fixed permanent council location. Roles with a field workstyle are usually allocated where employees are required to be out working in the community with a minimum requirement for 'touch down' space at any council location. Roles with a flexible workstyle have a flexible base location to meet the needs of the business and employees can work from a mixture of home or any council office, partner/client, or external location, as required to meet service requirements.

Please refer to the Job Description for further information on the workstyle assigned to the role you are applying for.

For more information about working for our organisation including the culture of the Council, the Council plan and vision, staff equality forums, core HR policies and much more please click here.