Head of Pension Systems (UPM)

LPPA Pensions; Preston; Hybrid; GBP 85,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus scheme

Local Government Pension Scheme

Car parking in Preston

Job summary

LPPA is seeking a Head of Pensions Systems to drive the strategic direction, development and operational capability of the Civica UPM platform. You will manage day-to-day relationships with Civica and other technology partners to keep systems robust, compliant, scalable and aligned to LPPA’s strategy.

You will build and lead a Pensions Systems team responsible for configuration, workflows, automation, data integrity and member/employer portals, enabling LPPA to deliver excellent pension services

Qualifications

• Extensive experience managing a pension administration system (UPM preferred).
• Understanding of UK pension administration processes and regulatory requirements.
• Experience in system configuration, workflow design and governance.
• Leadership experience of a support and/or development team.

Responsibilities

• Serve as technical product owner for the UPM system and portals.
• Oversee release management, testing and safe deployment of changes.
• Lead the Pensions Systems team to deliver high-quality support.
• Monitor SLAs and drive continuous service improvement.
• Manage incident, request, problem and change management per ITIL 4.
• Drive workflow automation to reduce manual processes.
• Own development and enhancement of Member and Employer Portals.
• Manage relationships with Civica and technology suppliers.
• Collaborate with external organisations to share best practice.

Skills

Pension systems management

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Vendor management

SQL and database development

Automation and ITIL 4

Tools

Civica UPM

Job description

Hybrid or remote-based, with travel to Preston

Salary: £85,000-£95,000 DOE | 37 hours per week

A glance at the role:

Our Head of Pensions Systems is a business-critical role, responsible for driving the strategic direction, development and operational capability of the LPPA pension administration system, currently based around the Civica UPM pension platform. You will manage the day-to-day relationship with Civica and other technology partners, ensuring the systems remain robust, compliant, scalable and aligned to LPPA’s strategy.

You will build and lead a sector-leading Pensions Systems team, responsible for developing and supporting the platform, including its configuration, workflows, automation, data integrity and web portals, enabling the LPPA to provide an excellent service to its members, employers and clients.

Working closely with member services teams and internal and external project teams, you will ensure there is a responsive and well-governed project delivery pipeline that supports regulatory compliance, operational efficiency, and continuous improvement that underpins LPPA’s ability to deliver excellent pension services at scale.

A bit about us:

Local Pensions Partnership Administration (LPPA) is a multi-award-winning organisation and one of the UK’s leading pension administration companies. We strive to deliver the best experience for over 1,500 employers and more than 700,000 members of Local Government, Police and Firefighter pension schemes, keeping them fully informed about their pensions whilst working closely with employers to continuously educate and support them.

What we can offer you:

• Competitive salary £85,000-£95,000 DOE + inclusion in annual bonus scheme
• 30 days’ holiday, plus bank holidays and 2 additional concessionary days and 1 day for your birthday, with the option to ‘buy and sell’ leave
• Access to an excellent pension scheme (Local Government Pension Scheme) with generous employer contributions
• Access to Health or Dental Plan and an Enhanced Employee Assistance Programme
• Free Car Parking in Preston City Centre

What you’ll be doing:

Product Ownership & System Governance

• Serve as the technical product owner for the UPM system and its associated portals
• Ensure UPM is configured to best practice and documentation is maintained
• Oversee release management, testing and safe deployment of changes
• Lead the Pensions Systems team in delivering a high-quality support service
• Monitor SLAs, XLAs, and drive continuous service improvement
• Manage incident, request, problem, and change management aligned with ITIL 4
• Drive workflow automation to reduce manual processes and improve efficiency
• Own development and enhancement of Member and Employer Portals
• Manage relationships with Civica and relevant technology suppliers
• Collaborate with external organisations to share best practice
• Incident manager for performance and availability issues with the pension system and associated portals

Leadership & People Management

Lead and develop high performing operational technology teams, promoting:

• Clear accountability
• Develop talent, capability, and succession within the team
• Develop the team to support the change portfolio and day-to-day operational needs
• Foster a culture of collaboration, resilience, and service excellence
• Communicate clearly to ensure team members are working harmoniously and to the same standard
• Communicate effectively with stakeholders at all levels, ensuring clarity, alignment, and shared understanding of priorities

Strategic Contribution

• Act as key adviser to the Chief Technology Officer, contributing to the development and delivery of the IT Strategy
• Attendance at Change Board, ensuring effective decisions are reached to aid with the progression of projects and problem solving
• Provide expert leadership on the strategic direction of the UPM platform and associated portals, ensuring alignment with LPPA’s digital and operational goals
• Champion automation, workflow optimisation, and integration opportunities to reduce manual effort and improve service quality

You’ll need:

• Proven experience of managing a pension administration system (UPM preferred)
• Understanding of UK pension administration processes and regulatory requirements
• Experience in system configuration, workflow design and governance
• Leadership experience of a support and/or development team
• Proven leadership experience in managing and developing high-performing teams, with a focus on talent development, performance management, and fostering a culture of innovation and accountability
• Experience managing suppliers and third party service providers
• Strong stakeholder engagement, communication and analytical skills
• Experience and understanding of system development and SQL database development
• Understanding of ISO 27001 and managing audit requests

Nice to have:

• Experience working with Civica UPM or other pension administration platforms
• ITIL v4 certification or experience applying IT service management principles
• Experience with automation tools, workflow technologies, APIs and system integration solutions
• Familiarity with Agile delivery methodologies and continuous improvement practices