Independent Person - Sutton Pension Fund

London Borough of Sutton; Carshalton; Hybride; GBP 170 000 - 207 000; Plein temps

Avantages offerts par ce poste

Holiday entitlement 26-32 days

Flexible working

LGPS membership

Résumé du poste

The London Borough of Sutton is seeking an Independent Person to provide objective, expert support, challenge, and advice to the Pension Committee and Senior LGPS Officer in overseeing the Sutton Pension Fund.

You will contribute independent commentary across pension governance, investments and administration, helping ensure robust decision-making and long-term fund sustainability.

Qualifications

• PMI qualification
• APPT membership
• Extensive LGPS knowledge and experience

Responsabilités

• Provide independent oversight, assurance and challenge across pension areas (investment, funding, administration, governance).
• Offer strategic advice to develop and review pension fund strategies and business plan.
• Support Pension Fund Committee to enable effective decision-making with informed challenges.

Description du poste

Employer Sutton Council

Location(s) Sutton

Workplace Type Hybrid Working

Contract Type Fixed Term

Length of Employment / Contract End Date 3 Years

Working Hours Part Time

Grade 14

2

Salary Range £169,779 - £207,021 (£211,681 unconsolidated maximum)

Salary Basis Per annum

Enhancements/Additional Payments This post will not be an employee of Sutton Council - the pension fund is required by the new regulations to have an independent person to advise the pension committee and Senior LGPS Officer in running the Pension Scheme. The pay will be £20k per annum plus reasonable travel expenses and will be paid by invoice funded by the pension fund

Leave Entitlement 31 days

Application Deadline

06/11/2026, 23:55

Anticipated Interview Date(s) 24th November 2026

About the Borough

The London Borough of Sutton is situated less than 30 minutes by train from Central London, with direct connections to London Victoria and London Bridge. Found in zone 5 with good transport links in and out of London, Sutton boasts award winning parks and open spaces, low crime rates, affordable housing and great schools. As well as high levels of resident engagement and satisfaction, providing quality services and success in addressing our financial challenges, whilst involving residents in key issues and high street changes.

Sutton is continuously investing in the health, wellbeing and education of our residents and the future generation, as set out in the "Ambitious for Sutton" corporate plan. We are home to the Royal Marsden Hospital and the Institute of Cancer Research. Together with the development of the London Cancer Hub, Sutton will be the world's leading life-science district, specialising in cancer research and treatment. Our vision will create around 13,000 jobs while contributing £1.2bn to the UK economy each year, a vibrant community of scientists, doctors and innovative companies intended to deliver real benefits for cancer patients and drive economic growth. With the regeneration of the local areas with new homes and schools, Sutton is passionate about working closely with our residents and vulnerable groups to help them maintain their independence and create a balance between support and independent living.

The Council is seen as a driving force within the South London Partnership of five outer south west London boroughs focused on strategic growth, regeneration and investment. As we strive to improve our services and spaces for our residents as set out in the 'Ambitious for Sutton' corporate plan, Sutton aims to shape the future of the borough and adapt to the needs of its residents to make our Borough a great place to live, work and raise a family.

About the Role and our Ideal Candidate

The Independent Person plays a key oversight role, contributing independent commentary, technical expertise, and constructive challenge across all aspects of fund management.

• Provide independent oversight, assurance and challenge across all pension areas, including investment and funding, administration and governance.
• Provide strategic advice to support the development and review of pension fund strategies and the business plan.
• Support Pension Fund Committee in being an effective decision-making body, working with Committee members to build knowledge and understanding to enable effective assessment and challenge of advice.
• Provide impartial advice and broader pensions sector perspective to assist in decision making.
• Constructively challenge advice presented by investment advisers, actuaries, officers, the asset pool and other advisers as appropriate.
• Work with officers to help identify emerging risks and support the monitoring and mitigation of these.
• Work in the best interests of scheme members and employers to promote the long-term sustainability of the Fund.
• Support the LGPS Senior Officer, acting as a trusted adviser and sounding board, contributing wider industry insight and best practice to support effective governance, robust oversight and high quality decision-making.
• Contribute to the development and continuous improvement of governance and compliance arrangements, including the implementation of governance review recommendations.
• The role will also encompass oversight of the administering authority's position as both shareholder and client of its asset pooling company, London CIV, supporting the monitoring of the asset pool’s implementation of the Fund’s investment strategy.

About You

The successful candidate will bring significant pensions experience and expertise together with an understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing the LGPS. Applicants should either:

• Hold a relevant qualification from the Pensions Management Institute (PMI)
• be a member of, and accredited by, the Association of Professional Pension Trustees (APPT)
• or be able to demonstrate extensive knowledge and experience within the LGPS environment.

Candidates should possess in-depth knowledge of pension fund governance, investments and administration, (Within an LGPS environment preferred) together with a comprehensive understanding of the regulatory framework and current developments affecting schemes. The ability to work effectively with elected members, senior officers, advisers and other stakeholders, while providing independent and objective challenge will be essential.

The Independent Person must be able to act independently and avoid any conflict of interest. You should not have current roles, relationships or interests that could reasonably be seen to compromise your independence in relation to the Sutton Pension Fund, its administering authority, scheme employers or investment arrangements.

The Independent Person is expected to comply with the Fund’s Conflicts of Interest Policy, including making an annual declaration of interests

About Us

The London Borough of Sutton is seeking to appoint an Independent Person to provide objective, expert support, challenge, and advice to the Pension Committee, Senior LGPS Officer and Pension Board in overseeing the award winning Sutton Pension Fund.

Applications are welcome from qualified individual professionals or from named individuals representing a specialist consultancy or advisory firm.

About the Sutton Pension Fund

The Sutton Pension Fund is part of the UK Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS). The Fund manages net assets of over £1 billion on behalf of more than 19,000 scheme members and nearly 70 active and scheduled employers, including local education authorities, academies, and admitted bodies.

The Fund is proud to have been awarded LGPS Pension Fund of the Year (Assets under £3.5 billion) at the 2026 LAPF Investment Awards, highlighting its strong governance, innovative investment strategies, and commitment to delivering excellent outcomes for its stakeholders.

The role is non-voting, and there to act as an independent voice helping the Committee make well-informed decisions and to support the strengthening of overall fund governance.

Our Offer To You

As an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we're committed to helping you fulfil your potential and will offer you a supportive, friendly and collaborative environment to grow and develop your career and skills. We're constantly striving to improve our ways of working so putting your ideas across however big or small; will be fully encouraged and supported by your colleagues and our dynamic and experienced management team.

Employees have access to a wide range of benefits to enable staff to achieve a work life balance, some of which include:

• A generous annual leave entitlement of 26-32 days plus bank holidays (pro-ratio if part-time working hours apply) depending on service and grade
• Enhanced Maternity, paternity, shared parental, adoption and dependents leave
• Two volunteering days per year
• Flexible Working - Smarter Working Scheme (dependent on the role)
• Adjustable and agile working arrangements using Google Chromebooks
• Learning and development portal offering a range of courses
• Discounts on a range of local shops, restaurants, gyms and leisure centres
• Interest free season ticket loans
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Bicycle loan facilities and cycle to work scheme
• Electric vehicle leasing scheme
• Confidential health & wellbeing and counselling support

Additional Information

We are proud to be a diverse and welcoming Borough and we strive to create a workforce which reflects the community we serve, and instil a sense of belonging in our staff. We celebrate and respect differences and appreciate the value of having a diverse workforce, therefore we welcome applications from under represented groups.

To support our workers and their families we offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, staff engagement forums and inclusive staff networks who help drive our diversity agenda.

We are also proud to be a Disability Confident Leader Employer and guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum essential criteria for a role. As an accredited London Living Wage Employer all our employees are guaranteed the London Living Wage regardless of their length or type of contract.

The UK has a points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the GOV.UK website for right to work guidance. Sponsorship availability varies and is subject to eligibility requirements and budget limitations. As a result, we cannot guarantee sponsorship for all roles and will evaluate sponsorship requests on a case-by-case basis.