Careers in Essex Pension Fund

Customer and Contact Team

The Customer and Contact Team is the first point of contact for all Scheme Members, past and present, as well as over 700 Employers. We use various methods of communication to ensure we help answer any enquiries our Members or Employers have whilst utilising the team’s knowledge to help our Members understand their pension options so they’re able to make important and sometimes life changing decisions.

Our team is responsible for helping our Members investigate transfers into the Scheme of any pensions they may hold outside of the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS), as well as aggregating any pensions they hold with other LGPS Funds. We also calculate and provide estimates of their pension benefits to help with their retirement planning and we also provide information and guidance on how Members can increase the value of their benefit by purchasing additional pension.

In addition to this we are responsible for the maintenance of accurate Member records, and ensuring our data is always as up to date as it can possibly be.

As the world of digital communication is rapidly growing, it is also our responsibility to utilise and manage our Member Online service and dedicated inboxes.

Deferred and Pre-Retirement Team

The Deferred and Pre-Retirement Team is accountable for overseeing the successful transition of Scheme Members paying into the Pension Scheme to subsequently leaving the Scheme. This would generally involve calculating a deferred benefit or a refund of contributions specifically for those who had been active Members in any of the Police and Firefighter Pension Schemes and the LGPS.

On leaving the Scheme we advise Members of their options which includes the opportunity of transferring their pensions to another pension provider. If a Scheme Member joins another LGPS Fund, we also help them to investigate aggregating their LGPS pensions by joining them together. We also provide information for divorce purposes and assist with any other general information deferred Members of the Scheme may require.

This requires the team to not only work with Members and Employers, but also to liaise with other pension funds, financial advisers and solicitors to ensure that clear and accurate information is provided to all parties in a timely manner.

Our team also manages all death on deferment cases, working with the bereaved family to sensitively assess whether death benefits are due to the spouse or partner, and to dependent children.

Retirement Team

The Retirement Team’s main objective is to ensure both our active and deferred Members in the LGPS, Police and Firefighter Pension Schemes receive payment of their retirement benefits promptly.

We work closely with our Members and their Employers to ensure there is a smooth transition from working life into retirement. As the Fund is the final link within the retirement process it is important that we develop and maintain a good working relationship with Employers and their payroll providers, making them aware of the information they have to provide and when they must provide it.

The  Fund is often the only remaining relationship former staff members have with their previous Employer. Therefore, we play a vital role when individuals approach us seeking information or decisions concerning things such as early payment of their deferred benefits on ill health grounds. We are always mindful of the sensitivity surrounding our Members personal requests so we make sure we can guide them, and their former Employers through this process in an understanding way.

We pride ourselves in providing a bespoke, professional and friendly service, offering our Members the opportunity to discuss their concerns, answer questions and provide information in ways which best suit their needs. Whether their preferred method of communication is face to face, over the telephone or through email, we will help guide them through the entire retirement process.

Pensioner and Payroll Team

The Pensioner and Payroll Team are responsible for all processes relating to a Scheme Member from the time they begin to receive their pension.

This predominately involves processing death in retirement cases; from the point we have received a notification that our Scheme Member has died to working with the bereaved family to calculate ongoing pension entitlements for the surviving spouse or partner and any dependent children.

We will always act with sensitivity and compassion at this emotive time and aim to resolve any issues and arrange payment of any monies due as swiftly as possible.

We also conduct annual child pension eligibility reviews, annual injury pension reviews and resolve over/under payment of pensions amongst other processes.

In addition to this we are also responsible for running 6 payrolls each month along with all the associated tasks this brings (such as creating new payroll records, ceasing records, changing bank details, the BACS submission etc.). By running our own payrolls and not outsourcing this element of the role, we are able to provide a very professional and efficient service, paying over 43,000 pensioners each month with a total monthly amount of over £17 million.

System Development and Support Team

The System Development and Support Team are responsible for managing all aspects of the Universal Pensions Management (UPM) system (our bespoke pensions administration software system), including document, profile, security and process management.

We liaise with over 700 Employers and their payroll providers to onboard all new Members of the Scheme, and to update and maintain all records throughout the year, including processing monthly returns, pensions increase and annual allowance details each year, which allows us to generate the Annual Benefit Statements (which is a statutory requirement).

The team collates and reports data to team managers to ensure that relevant information about Scheme performance is reported to statutory bodies as needed, including for Actuarial Triennial Valuations.

In addition to this the team manages the online portals (Member Online and Pensions Online) and supports users to troubleshoot any issues they encounter with using the system. The Support Team also works with Civica to test new online facilities, and implement UPM system developments, updates and patches.

Technical Hub

The Technical Hub works with team managers to ensure the correct interpretation of current and new Scheme regulations, and wider pensions legislation, to ensure our systems and processes remain fit for purpose.

The team liaises regularly with our peers and attend regional and national meetings to ensure we both influence and keep up to date with Scheme developments. The team also drafts responses to government consultations on the Local Government, Police and Firefighter Pension Schemes and is responsible for assessing the training needs of Fund Officers and co-ordinating its delivery.

The team is also responsible for the Fund’s Communications Policy and undertakes regular reviews of the guidance the Fund provides to Scheme Members and Employers, and also internally to our staff, to ensure it is consistent and up to date.

Employer Team

The Employer Team is responsible for the initial onboarding of Employers into the Fund, starting from the point that they first apply to join the Scheme. We manage and reconcile all contributions from them up until they leave the Scheme, at which point we will manage the cessation process from the Fund.

Our biggest responsibility is for funding arrangements. We manage and supply all information to the Funds Actuary, Barnett Waddingham, for various reporting requirements.

Currently every three years the LGPS is statutorily required to have a valuation to establish the level of Funding, this will then set new rates for the Employers each April after the valuation is complete. The Employer Team manage this process from start to finish.

Compliance Team

The Compliance Team are responsible for the implementation and oversight of the Governance arrangements in place for the Fund’s Boards and Committee. Namely the Essex Pension Fund Strategy Board, Pension Advisory Board and the Investment Steering Committee.

Our team monitors the Fund’s achievements against objectives, management of risk and performance against Key Performance Indicators (KPI) to enable onward reporting to the Pension Strategy Board.

In addition, the Compliance Team are accountable for the monitoring of the Fund’s contracts with external suppliers.

Investment Team

The Investment Team are responsible making sure the money received into the Fund from its Scheme Members and Employers are invested effectively. To this end the team are responsible for shaping and implementing the Fund’s Investment Strategy over the medium (3 to 6 years) and long term (50 years). This translates into a range of activities including business as usual and projects across the asset portfolio, shortlist fund managers, custodians, operators and advisers during procurement processes, and analysing and monitoring investment performance across the asset portfolio along with oversight of the monitoring of all stakeholder activities (custodian, pool operator, fund managers and investment advisers).

The Team advises senior leaders and decision makers on the Fund’s Pension Strategy Board and Investment Steering Committee on both the Investment Strategy and other Fund Strategies and policies.

Accountable for influencing and furthering the interests of the Essex Fund within the group of partnering organisations which form the ACCESS pool, with particular reference to both the future design and implementation of the £40bn + pool’s sub fund layered architecture and the migration of fund assets now and in the future. The Team act as the interface between EPF, and the ACCESS pool including ACCESS Support Unit (ASU).

We take the lead and have responsibility for the oversight, translation of data and co-ordination of the Fund’s Annual Report and Accounts and all aspects of investment accounting, including liaising with internal and external auditors.

Current Vacancies

If you’re interested in a role within the Essex Pension Fund, then we may have something that suits you:

Systems Analyst

Permanent, Full Time

£32,499 to £38,235 per annum

Location: Chelmsford

Working Style: Anywhere worker – expectation to attend the office is typically twice per week based on business needs

Closing Date: 9th December 2024

Apply now