Pensions Apprentice

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust; Calthorpe Fields; On-site; GBP 12,000 - 18,000; Full time

Job summary

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust invites applications for an Apprentice Pensions Officer to join our Pensions Team based in Five Ways. You will look after a section of NHS pension members, learning on the job and benefiting from structured study time to complete the apprenticeship.

You will build knowledge of the NHS Pension Scheme, support pensions processing, and develop IT skills (Word, Excel, Outlook).

Qualifications

• GCSEs required, including Maths and English (5 grades at 5 or above).
• Experience of clerical work and workload management in health or NHS setting.
• Ability to understand and apply NHS Pension regulations.
• Must have resided in the UK for 3 years; visa conditions must cover the duration of the apprenticeship.

Responsibilities

• Prioritise own workload to meet deadlines while handling a section of NHS Trust pension duties.
• Process payroll systems and view/amend pension records for allocated sections; perform calculations and handle sensitive information.
• Explain terms and conditions of service within the Pension environment e.g. Agenda for Change, Trust policies and statutory legislation.
• Ensure work relating to pensions meets Audit and Standing Financial Instructions.
• Communicate complex information with empathy and maintain clear, professional communication.

Skills

Analytical

Communication

Organisational skills

Attention to detail

Education

GCSEs including Maths & English (Grade 5+ in both)

Tools

Word

Excel

Outlook

Job description

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust

Pensions Apprentice

The closing date is 15 November 2026

University Hospitals Birmingham are recruiting for an enthusiastic and hardworking Apprentice Pensions Officer to join their fantastic Pensions Team based in Five Ways.

The 20 staff that make up our Pensions Department provide a pension service to the 26,000 staff at UHB and for 25 other NHS Trusts, meaning we provide a service to 130,000+ NHS Pension members!

We work together to support each other, providing on-going training and development. We actively encourage our staff to develop their skills and progress. We encourage our team to be motivated, dedicated and hard-working.

As a Pensions Officer you will be allocated a section of pension members that you will look after, supporting them by providing subject matter expertise on the NHS Pension Scheme. You will work with the team to ensure an efficient and exceptional delivery of the service.

Candidates must not already have a qualification in the specific apprenticeship standard. They must have resided in the UK for 3 years, if they are on a VISA, the VISA must cover the duration of the apprenticeship.

The apprenticeship will be delivered by an external training provider, you will spend most of your time learning on the job, with regular study time to complete your apprenticeship qualification. You will usually spend one day a week studying towards the apprenticeship, with a clear training plan supported by your manager and training provider, being organised and motivated will help you achieve this great opportunity.

Main duties of the job

You will be expected to prioritise your own workload to ensure timely completion meeting strict deadlines. Using the systems for processing the payroll and viewing/amending pension records, you would be responsible for the managing and preparation, input and checking of an allocated section of NHS Trusts. This will involve basic and complicated calculations and include the provision and receipt of sensitive and critical information.

Relating terms and conditions of service to the Pension environment e.g. Agenda for Change, Trust policies, Local agreements and Statutory legislation.

Providing and receiving complex or sensitive information using developed interpersonal and communication skills and carrying out the job with empathy.

Ensuring work relating to pensions meets Audit and Standing Financial Instructions

Previous NHS Pensions experience is desirable but not essential, we can teach all you need to know...just be a sponge as there is a lot to take in!

You will however be an organised and efficient person who is used to working to deadlines; able to prioritise your own workload, ensuring all tasks are completed on time. You will need to have excellent communication skills with a calming and pleasant telephone manner. The ability to understand complex legislation, and a sound knowledge of IT packages such as Word, Excel and Outlook are essential.

Above all you will be enthusiastic and hardworking.

You will complete the apprentice programme during the required time period.

About us

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust strives to have an inclusive culture where everyone feels like they belong, can thrive, knows that they add value and feels valued. We do this by developing compassionate and culturally competent leaders, being values driven in all that we do and by creating a welcoming and inclusive workplace that thrives on the diversity of our people. As such we want to attract and recruit talented individuals from all backgrounds, and for each of you to feel supported for the diversity you bring, to achieve your full potential. For those staff with a disability, including physical disability, long term health condition, mental health or neurodiverse condition, this also means being committed to making reasonable adjustments needed for you to carry out your role.

Job responsibilities

*Please Note : For a detailed job description for this vacancy, please see attached Job Description*

Qualifications

• *Minimum of 5 GCSE's at grade 5 or above to include Maths and English

Experience

• *Relevant clerical experience.
• *Experience of working in an NHS Pensions environment.
• *Experience of managing own workload and pensions allocation.

Additional Criteria

• *Be able to work flexibly to meet the needs of the service (E)
• *Reliable, Punctual, Courteous, Polite, Helpful, Intuitive to the needs of others (colleagues, peers and clients),
• *Analytical.
• *In depth understanding of client organisation, Agenda for Change regulations.
• *Able to understand and interpret changes in local, national and statutory regulations.
• *Knowledge of NHS Pension scheme.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer name

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust