Pensions Officer (Fixed Term Contract)

West Northamptonshire Council; Northampton; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

West Northamptonshire Council is seeking a Pensions Officer to deliver high-quality LGPS pension administration for members, employers and pensioners. You will work within our dedicated Pensions team, handling complex calculations, maintaining records and ensuring compliance with regulations.

We value attention to detail, strong customer service and the ability to explain complex pension information clearly.

Qualifications

• Experience with LGPS regulations and pension processes.
• Strong numerical and data accuracy skills.
• Excellent communication and ability to explain complex pension information.

Responsibilities

• Manage a varied portfolio of pension administration casework, ensuring benefits are calculated and processed in line with LGPS regulations and HMRC requirements.
• Provide clear advice and guidance to scheme members, employers and pensioners on pension processes and regulations.
• Support service quality, data accuracy, and identify process improvements to enhance customer experience.

Skills

Pensions knowledge

LGPS knowledge

Customer service

Job description

About the role

At West Northants Council, it's about our people and the difference they make. As a Pensions Officer, you'll play an important role in delivering a high-quality pension administration service for members of the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS). Working within our Pensions team, you'll help ensure pension benefits are administered accurately, efficiently and in line with complex pension legislation, supporting members at key stages throughout their pension journey.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone with pensions experience or a strong interest in developing their expertise within a specialist area. You'll work in a supportive and collaborative environment where attention to detail, customer service and professional development are highly valued. Through your work, you'll help ensure scheme members, pensioners, dependants and employers receive the advice and support they need to make informed decisions about their pension benefits.

What will you be doing?

You'll manage a varied portfolio of pension administration casework, ensuring benefits are calculated and processed accurately and in accordance with LGPS regulations, HMRC requirements and associated pension legislation. This will include maintaining and validating pension records, processing member and employer information, carrying out detailed calculations and supporting the effective administration of pension benefits.

You'll provide advice and guidance to scheme members, employers, pensioners and dependants, explaining pension processes and complex regulations in a clear and accessible way. Working closely with colleagues, payroll teams, employers and external organisations, you'll investigate queries, maintain accurate records and ensure all work is completed within agreed service standards and timescales.

Alongside your day-to-day casework, you'll contribute to maintaining high standards across the service, supporting quality assurance activities, reviewing data accuracy and helping identify opportunities to improve processes and customer experience.

About you

You're an organised and analytical individual with excellent attention to detail and a commitment to delivering high-quality customer service. You're comfortable working with detailed information, interpreting legislation and regulations, and applying your knowledge to ensure accurate and compliant outcomes.

You'll have strong communication skills and the ability to explain complex pension information clearly and confidently to a range of audiences. Experience within pensions administration or a related environment would be advantageous, particularly knowledge of the Local Government Pension Scheme, but just as important is your ability to learn, solve problems and work effectively as part of a team.

Most importantly, you'll share our THRIVE values and our commitment to delivering an excellent pensions service that supports colleagues, employers and scheme members across West Northamptonshire.

Our benefits

You can also see our full list of employee benefits on our careers site here: Why you should work for us | West Northamptonshire Council.

About us

At West Northants Council, it's about our people. People who thrive with ambition, bubble with new ideas, demand better ways of working, caring about every detail, and who never shy away from a challenge. Our culture is a gateway for new experiences. A place to forge new opportunities. To empower you in your career and unite you with like-minded people.

Our vision is 'to make West Northants a great place to live, work, visit and thrive'. We truly stand by this and work hard every day to make this a reality. Our corporate values, THRIVE, stand for: Trust, High Performance, Respect, Innovate and Empower, they underpin everything we do and how we deliver services.

We are committed to ensuring diversity, equality, equity, and inclusion is woven into the fabric of WNC and everything we do, to enable all colleagues to develop and maximize their full potential. We are a disability confident employer, a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, and a Care Leaver Covenant partner

The following film was created by us to communicate our intentions - watch WNC colleagues explain what DEI means to us.

If you need additional support or reasonable adjustments during the application process, including needing the job description in another format or language, please email [e-mail] for support.

West Northants Council, where careers thrive.