Employer: LGA

Location: Westminster, London or Home-Based

Hours: 35 per week

Advert details:

About us

The Local Government Association (LGA) is the national membership body for local authorities. We work on behalf of our member councils to support, promote and improve local government.

We are a politically led, cross-party organisation that works on behalf of councils to ensure local government has a strong, credible voice with national government. We influence and set the political agenda on the issues that matter to councils to help them deliver local solutions to national problems.

We also provide councils with the tools and resources to respond to challenges present and emerging, and support improvement across the sector.

We value diversity and encourage applications from all sections of the community to this high-profile role.

About the role 

This is your chance to take on a high-profile role as the Head of Pensions within the Local Government Association at a challenging time for the public sector. Articulate and persuasive, you will quickly establish your credibility within the LGA, the employers we represent and the key stakeholders across the public service pension schemes we support.

Leading a team of experts with a significant budget, you will take responsibility for representing the interests of local authorities to Government and other stakeholders including the national trade unions in relation to the development and implementation of policy for those schemes.

Such policy will encompass the governance, administration, funding and investment of those schemes and related compensation matters. We’ll also look to you to build strategic networks and maintain our positive reputation with local authorities, central government, partners, and other stakeholders.

You will also act as secretary to the statutory Local Government Pension Scheme Advisory Board in England and Wales.

As we encourage flexible working at the LGA, we are happy to discuss the option of a home-based contract. The salary for a home-based worker is from £103,569 per annum or office-based from £107,753 per annum (including London Weighting). The office-based working requirement is a minimum of two days per week.

About you 

It’s likely that you’re currently working at a senior level in the area of local government or public service pensions. It’s essential that you have experience of representing employer interests at a strategic level to government, national unions and other bodies together with detailed knowledge of the policy and legislative framework within which local government and public service pensions operate. You will have the ability to manage and develop a team of technical experts and develop the service that is offered to our clients.

You will have a detailed knowledge of the structure and governance arrangements of local government together with an excellent grasp of the governance, administration, management and investment of public service pension schemes in general, and the local government and firefighters’ pension schemes in particular.

This is a demanding but highly satisfying role at the centre of policy development and service delivery with many opportunities for personal development and growth. You will work within the Corporate Leadership Team at the LGA, advising the Senior Leadership Team, as well as leading a growing Pensions Team.

You must have the right to work in the UK, the LGA are unfortunately unable to offer sponsorship visas. Evidence for the right to work in the UK will be requested at the interview stage. 

To apply

We are in the process of transitioning our Applicant Tracking System. If you would like to be considered for the role, please complete this offline supporting statementdetailing how you meet the criteria of the role and email this, alongside your CV, to Recruitment@local.gov.uk before the closing date.

Please click here for the Head of Pensions - Job Description

We are specifically assessing candidates against the following criteria:

• An expert in pensions policy and practice with extensive technical and practical knowledge of the Local Government, Firefighter and Teachers’ Pension Scheme Regulations and their implementation, including related compensation regulations.

• Experience of managing relationships and dealing effectively with internal and external customers, advising senior officers and elected members on a range of multifaceted issues in a complex technical and political environment.

• Experience of representing employer interests at a national strategic level to Government, national unions and other bodies.

• Excellent written and oral communication skills in order to communicate and present technical information in an understandable way to a wide and diverse audience, including pensions practitioners, employers, councillors, civil servants and union officials.

• The confidence to represent the LGA and the Local Government Pension Scheme Advisory Board (LGPSAB) when providing advice, information and / or training to a wide range of audiences including ministers, governmental bodies, pensions practitioners, councillors, and employers.

• Practical experience of managing a team of technical experts.

Closing Date: Wednesday 29th January, 11:59PM

Interview Date: W/C Monday 10th February, interviews will be in-person

We use anonymous recruitment, which is the practice of hiding candidates’ identities. This process involves removing any identifying information from candidates’ applications which includes names. 

At the LGA we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. Our recruitment decisions are based on fair, open competition, with appointment on merit. The LGA are proud to be awarded a “Disability Confident Leader”. If you are require an reasonable adjustment, which is a change to the format or conditions of the recruitment process to accommodate any disability-related needs you may have. Please contact us via recruitment@local.gov.uk

Our benefits

• LGA annual leave entitlement is 29 days, rising to 31 days after three years’ service and to 33 days after five years’ service, plus all UK public holidays (pro rata for fixed term and part time contracts).* 

• Flexible & agile working – office-based staff are required to work in the LGA’s London office two days per week as a minimum, subject to business need and this may vary significantly between different roles and from week to week. 

• Future development – face-to-face and virtual courses are scheduled in line with developmental goals 

• The LGA offers 24/7 access to a free, confidential employee assistance programme managed by Health Assured. This service is also available for Dependants. 

• Family friendly policies 

For more of LGA’s benefits and working with us, please view our webpage https://www.local.gov.uk/benefits-and-working-lga 

Our values & behaviours 

Our Values and Behaviours are there to give us an understanding of who we are as an organisation and who we want to be. They are a framework to help us understand: 

• how we work with each other  

• how we work with our members and stakeholders 

• our expectations for ourselves and each other  

Our values are: 

Inclusive - We ensure that our work is inclusive of all voices.  

Ambitious - We are ambitious for councils and their communities and are committed to striving for excellence in all that we do to support our colleagues, our membership and the sector to deliver the best possible outcomes. 

Collaborative - We bring together the expertise and skills needed, working as one team.