UK Pensions Delivery Executive

We’re looking for a passionate Pensions Executive to join our Pensions team to support the management of National Grid’s various multi-£bn pension arrangements in the providing of pension benefits for historic and current company employees. The role supports the identification, evaluation, and delivery of options available for the cost-effective management of benefits and risk across our pension arrangements.  It also involves contributing to the delivery of projects such as those resulting from corporate activity.

This role is based out of our Strand office, and we’d hope to see you at least two days per week but you’re welcome to be in the office more often if that would work best for you. We’re happy to discuss any additional flexibility in working patterns or requirements that you feel could help to make this job work for you!

What You'll Do

• Support funding discussions (including valuation negotiations) with trustees of National Grid’s UK DB plans.
• Lead actuarial input into year end and mid-year IAS19 company accounting, involving the management of our key advisors, auditors and internal finance teams.
• Manage the monitoring and internal reporting of pension scheme performance. This includes providing pensions forecasting information to the wider business and managing expectations regarding key financial metrics.
• Support the pensions aspects of company-wide projects, such as work on mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, and other restructurings, typically working in a cross-functional team.
• Act as a subject matter expert to provide innovative, strategic, and best-practice solutions that address the needs / wants of business customers to reduce risk and cost.
• Support the development of the long-term strategic priorities and business plans for Group Pensions, contributing to the development of our pensions strategy and setting a clear direction for meeting National Grid’s objectives.
• Where initiatives are approved, the role will be responsible for the detailed planning of the initiative – either as a subject matter expert or as part of a working party – to ensure their successful implementation.
• Act as an internal consultant to HR on pension matters, including leading the HR aspects of pensions change within wider company projects (e.g., mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures), supporting HR on benefit programmes (e.g., flexible benefits annual cycle and renewal) and on pay and benefit negotiations with Unions.
• Support with pension trade union forums, including the running of meetings and providing pensions updates.
• Manage internal pension communication including proactively maintaining our online pensions resources and producing relevant articles on UK pension changes.

What You'll Have

• Educated to degree level or equivalent.
• Actuarially qualified, with at least three years of post-qualified experience. Another relevant professional qualification may be appropriate.
• Detailed technical knowledge of UK pensions plans and of the options available to them. Ability to navigate, problem solve and develop innovative options for best outcomes.
• Ability to develop trusted expert relationships with key stakeholders (e.g., pension scheme trustees) to achieve a shared understanding of needs and goals.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills to act as an internal consultant to HR, manage internal pension communications, and provide updates to trade union forums.
• Strong relationship-building skills to liaise with trustees, HR, payroll teams, third-party administrators, and other key stakeholders effectively.
• Proven ability to work effectively in cross-functional teams, understanding how the role we play in pensions fits into the wider strategy and objectives of the business.

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of colour are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At National Grid, we are committed to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace for everyone. So, if you’re excited about this role but your experience or qualifications don’t match the job description exactly, we encourage you to apply anyway. You might just be the right person for our growing business in this role or another one.

What You'll Get

Up to £85,000 dependent on experience.

Plus:

• Up to 15% Annual Bonus (based on personal and company performance)
• 28 days annual leave, plus eight statutory days in addition
• The option to buy additional or sell holiday days every year.
• A generous contributory pension scheme - we will double match your contribution to a maximum company contribution of 12%
• Financial support to help cover the cost of professional membership subscriptions.
• Life Insurance 10 x base salary.
• Family care benefits including a back-up care service for when your usual care arrangements fall through (six paid days each year as standard with the option to purchase further days).
• Access to apps which support health, fitness, and wellbeing.

Further Information

This is a hybrid working role from our Strand office with circa 2 days in the office. The closing date for this vacancy is Midnight 20 Jan 25, with interviews due to take place w/c 27 Jan 25 onwards. We encourage candidates to submit their applications as early as possible and not to wait until the published closing date. National Grid’s recruitment periods can and may vary. We reserve the right to remove this advert or close it to further applications at any point during the recruitment process.

About us

Every day we deliver safe and secure energy to homes, communities, and businesses. We are there when people need us the most. We connect people to the energy they need for the lives they live. The pace of change in society and our industry is accelerating and our expertise and track record puts us in an unparalleled position to shape the sustainable future of our industry. To be successful we must anticipate the needs of our customers, reducing the cost of energy delivery today and pioneering the flexible energy systems of tomorrow. This requires us to deliver on our promises and always look for new opportunities to grow, both ourselves and our business

At National Grid, we work towards the highest standards in everything we do, including how we support, value and develop our people. Our aim is to encourage and support employees to thrive and be the best they can be. We celebrate the difference people can bring into our organisation, and welcome and encourage applicants with diverse experiences and backgrounds, and offer flexible and tailored support, at home and in the office. Our goal is to drive, develop and operate our business in a way that results in a more inclusive culture. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, the innovation from diverse teams & perspectives and business need. We are committed to building a workforce so we can represent the communities we serve and have a working environment in which each individual feels valued, respected, fairly treated, and able to reach their full potential.

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