Pensions Manager – Payroll, Payments and Projects

London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and London Borough of Wandsworth; City Of London; On-site; GBP 57,000 - 73,000; Full time

Job summary

A local authority in London is looking for a Pension Manager to lead payroll operations and oversee the transformation of pension services. The ideal candidate will have substantial payroll knowledge, experience in defined benefit schemes, and strong interpersonal skills. The role offers a salary range between £57,171-£72,186 and includes extensive benefits such as 40 days annual leave and a generous pension plan.

Benefits

40 days annual leave

Flexible working

Generous pension plan

Qualifications

• Understanding and working experience of payroll procedures and relevant legislation including HMRC.
• Experience of Heywood Altair or equivalent system.
• Excellent interpersonal and influencing skills.
• Payroll implementation/testing experience.
• Use of leading business analysis and change tools.

Responsibilities

• Drive the successful implementation of a new pensioner payroll and payments system.
• Manage ongoing payroll operations and pensioner services.
• Lead annual service-wide projects.
• Champion innovation through new technologies.
• Provide expert guidance to colleagues and stakeholders.

Skills

Payroll procedures knowledge

Experience with defined benefit schemes

Interpersonal and influencing skills

Payroll implementation/testing experience

Business analysis and change tools

Tools

Heywood Altair or equivalent system

Microsoft Excel

Business Objects

Power BI

SharePoint/O365

Job description

Job Title Pension Manager-Payroll, Payments and Projects

Salary Range £57,171-£72,186 per year (starting salary dependent on experience)

Permanent, Full time

Wandsworth, London

This is a fantastic opportunity to shape the strategic direction of the Pensions Shared Service, helping to deliver innovation and service excellence to pension provision.

About you:

You'll thrive in a fast-paced, collaborative environment and are passionate about delivering high-quality public services. You’ll be a strategic thinker with a hands-on approach and a track record of delivering change.

About the role:

Take the lead on a major transformation project - bringing pensioner payroll under direct control of the Pensions Shared Service and separating it from our partner Councils’ systems. Once implemented, you will manage payroll administration for over 30,000 LGPS pensioner members, ensuring accuracy, efficiency, and outstanding service.

Key responsibilities:

• Drive the successful implementation of a new pensioner payroll and payments system
• Manage ongoing payroll operations and pensioner services
• Lead annual service-wide projects, ensuring alignment with our business objectives
• Champion innovation through new technologies and process improvements
• Provide expert guidance to colleagues, senior leaders, and external stakeholders

About us:

The Pensions Shared Service is based in Wandsworth Town Hall and runs the administration of the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) for five London boroughs: Camden, Merton, Richmond, Waltham Forest, and Wandsworth.

Essential Qualifications, Skills and Experience

• Understanding and working experience of payroll procedures and defined benefit schemes and a working knowledge of relevant legislation including HMRC;
• Experience of Heywood Altair or equivalent system;
• Excellent interpersonal and influencing skills, in order to engage with senior officers and stakeholders, senior management teams, and the service users;
• Payroll implementation/testing experience;
• Use of leading business analysis and change tools such as Microsoft Office (specifically Excel and Access), Data interrogation software (e.g., Business Objects, Power BI, etc.), and SharePoint/O365

Closing Date: Monday 22 September 2025

Shortlisting Date: Tuesday 23 September 2025

Interview Date: w/c Monday 6 October 2025

Richmond and Wandsworth Councils are committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a culture that values differences, recognising that employees from a variety of backgrounds bring important and positive contributions to the Councils and can improve the way we deliver services.

We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer. If you require any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment and selection process, please let us know.

We are also committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Some posts may be exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to these posts will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

We offer a wide range of benefits designed to attract, develop, and reward our employees, such as 40 days annual leave (including Bank Holidays), flexible working, and a generous pension plan.