Job ref: 215513
TPR grade: R&O 5 – Business Lead
About us
More than half the UK working population rely on The Pensions Regulator (TPR) to regulate their retirement savings. With a career at TPR, you’ll be joining an organisation that will impact on millions of lives for decades to come.
Everyone at TPR plays an important role in helping to keep more than £2 trillion of savings safe. We’re committed to bringing people into TPR who are ready to make a difference and put UK savers at the heart of what we do.
It is important to us that TPR remains a great place to work. We do all we can to help our people reach their full potential with learning, secondment, and development opportunities. We put our 900+ employees first, supporting flexible working and offer a diverse, lively, and inclusive environment. This includes our Disability Network, Family Network, LGBT+ Network (Proud), Minority Ethnic (ME) Network and Women’s Network, which offer spaces to connect.
Our new corporate strategy outlines a bold and challenging vision of how pensions regulation should evolve to keep pace with a change in the scale and nature of the industry. We are at the start of that journey. Join us to find out what part you can play.
We operate a hybrid working model, with regular attendance in our Brighton office to connect with colleagues across the business.
Role
We’re looking for a Private Secretary to support our CEO and help make workplace pensions work for savers. You’ll be joining at a critical point in our journey as the pensions landscape transforms and TPR evolves into a more proactive, risk-based regulator.
The primary purpose of the role is to ensure the smooth and efficient running of the CEO’s office, delivering the highest quality support to the CEO across their internal and external responsibilities. You will also provide this support to the Chair as and when required.
Working with the Senior Executive Assistant, you will serve as the gatekeeper to the CEO. It will be crucial for you to delve into the substance of matters, meticulously verifying details to ensure accuracy. You will also collaborate with the business to deliver well-crafted written papers and timely advice, particularly on intricate regulatory, operational, and policy matters.
Reporting into the Chief of Staff and deputising in their absence, this is a senior role where you will need to identify potential issues that need to be brought to the attention of the CEO and help maintain positive working relationships with colleagues across TPR.
As well as providing substantive input across the whole range of TPR’s work, it will require strong collaboration and influencing skills with the wider business, and will involve providing clear, concise and insightful written and verbal advice to the CEO, often on complex issues, making sure the business acts on the CEOs steers.
This requires a senior, level headed and flexible approach - linking together relevant issues to provide coherent strategic advice, rooted in an understanding of the CEOs wants and needs and the wider political and policy landscape. At times you will need to support the CEO in her face-to-face meetings in London and elsewhere, taking actions, following up and contributing to discussions when required.
This role offers exposure to the top-level workings of a regulator as it and the market it regulates goes through a significant change. It is an excellent opportunity for the right individual to develop the skills needed to progress further into senior leadership.
Responsibilities
As Private Secretary, you’ll be responsible for:
- Stakeholder and relationship management: Develop a strong and trusted relationship with key internal and external stakeholders, acting as a gatekeeper to the CEO for the business, anticipating where key decisions and pressure points may be in advance. Build relationships with counterparts and others at the Department for Work and Pensions, and HM Treasury as well as key regulatory partners such as the Financial Conduct Authority.
- Strategic advice: Provide clear, concise and insightful written and verbal background and advice to the CEO, and ensuring appropriate actions are taken internally in response to steers from the CEO, linking together relevant issues to make coherent strategic advice.
- Briefing and submissions: Commissioning briefing and submissions. Taking ownership of the production of advice and material, tactfully challenging where it is not of the appropriate quality and steering so it meets the CEOs needs.
- Process efficiency: Drive process efficiencies in the CEOs office’s engagement with TPR governance forums, making sure that actions and accountabilities are clear. Work autonomously to improve internal processes that means the CEO is well equipped to bring about change which protects, enhances and innovates in savers’ interests.
- Project and portfolio management: Manage a portfolio of work autonomously to respond to multiple emerging issues, while continuing to ensure the CEO’s strategic vision and priorities are delivered. Support the Chief of Staff as and when required on longer-term projects which deliver on the CEOs strategic intent.
- Administrative and meeting support: Support the Senior Executive Assistant and Executive Assistant as required in managing the CEOs day-to-day work and diary, and covering in their absence, including drafting emails to internal and senior external stakeholders, including Government, Schemes, trustees and employers. Attend in-person meetings with the CEO in Brighton, London and elsewhere, taking actions, following up and contributing to discussions when required.
- Leadership and culture: Lead visibly and help set the direction of the organisation. Support and challenge to where needed to get the best out of people and to build a culture that promotes equality, diversity and inclusion and empowers people to success. Ensure the CEO and Chair’s steers on the development of Board and ExCo paper are met by accountable ExCo members, and that papers are sequenced in a way which allows the CEO to deliver on their change agenda.
Essential criteria
- Demonstrable experience providing support to senior executives including planning of day-to-day activity, anticipating their needs and ensuring a high-quality flow of information and briefings.
- Experience of policy or strategy development or implementation within a government, regulatory or political environment.
- Proven experience of working effectively with multiple internal and external stakeholders at all levels, and to work collaboratively to resolve difficult issues using excellent interpersonal skills and understanding of different perspectives.
- Excellent organisational and prioritisation skills, with the ability to work effectively across a range of tasks and under pressure.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, and the confidence to effectively and sensitively review the work of other, often more senior colleagues.
- Experience of identifying areas of improvement, using strategic and creative thinking to find solutions and implement them.
- The drive and enthusiasm to work autonomously, proactively communicating regularly within the CEO team and directly with the CEO.
Person specification
- Ability to prioritise tasks effectively and use initiative to address challenges.
- Excellent problem solving and analytical abilities to address complex issues.
- Ability to think strategically and creatively, identifying and implementing improvements.
- Outstanding judgment with the ability to offer compelling advice and clear recommendations based on critical analysis of evidence.
- Discernment underpinning the ability to offer compelling advice and clear recommendations where appropriate, based on critical analysis of evidence.
- Understanding of the political nuances involved in working across government and industry.
- Drive and enthusiasm to work autonomously, proactively communicating regularly within the CEO team and directly with the CEO.
Salary and benefits
As well as a salary between £67,253 and £74,725, we offer:
- Civil Service Pension arrangements, which are recognised as some of the best in the pensions world
- discretionary bonus arrangements
- access to performance related pay progression
- 25 days annual leave provision
- flexible working arrangements
- development opportunities
- enhanced parental leave arrangements
- a free employee assistance programme
- an excellent office location in Brighton
How to apply
To apply please email recruitmentteam@tpr.gov.uk quoting role reference number 215513 along with:
- a covering letter with details of how your skills and experience meet the role requirements
- a copy of your CV
- details of your notice period
Current TPR employees in their first 12 months of employment who want to apply for this vacancy should first contact their line manager to discuss their application.
We are an inclusive employer and offer equal opportunities regardless of an individual’s age, disability, gender identity, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.
As a Disability Confident employer, we’re committed to the recruitment, employment, retention, and development of people with disabilities, and to improving their employment opportunities. Candidates who declare that they have a disability and who meet the essential criteria for the job will be offered an interview.
Due to the nature of this role, we are only able to consider full-time applications at 35 hours per week.
In accordance with Home Office guidance, the successful candidate will be required to provide their right to work in the UK before they start employment. Unfortunately, TPR is not able to offer sponsorship at the time. TPR is a UK-based organisation with a working location in Brighton, candidates must live in the UK to be employed by us.
TPR is an arm’s length government body and part of the public service.
Any offer of employment will be subject to the receipt of satisfactory background screening checks and criminal record checks (BPSS).
Whilst it is our aim to respond to all applicants, if you have not heard from us within 21 days of the advert closing, please assume you have been unsuccessful on this occasion. Specific feedback will only be provided if you have attended an interview or assessment.
If you have any queries about this role, or if you have a disability and wish to request a reasonable adjustment at any stage of the recruitment process, please email recruitmentteam@tpr.gov.uk.