Business Manager. 51,469 per annum

Transcription

1 Business Manager 51,469 per annum Welcome. I m delighted you re interested in working with the Pensions Ombudsman Service. Let me tell you a little more about us so that you can decide if you like what you hear and think you might be the right fit to join us as our Business Manager. We are a small office - about 45 strong. Strong is the right word, because we have such great people working here. Our aim is to support one another to provide the best service we can for people who use us. What we do makes a real difference to people s lives, particularly at a time when every penny counts; and people have to have faith in pensions if they are to save for tomorrow. We currently have an Ombudsman and a Deputy Ombudsman. When an Ombudsman determines a case the decision is legally binding on the parties, subject only to appeal on a point of law to the Courts. We have teams of adjudicators who investigate and issue opinions on the complaints we receive about pensions. These teams are supported by the Business Support Team which covers finance, HR, communications, IT, projects and administration. Following the promotion of the existing post-holder we have a vacancy for a Business Manager to lead the Business Support Team. This is a key management post and together with the Casework and Gateway Managers is part of the Operational Group responsible for the day-to-day running of our service. This is an exciting time for the Pensions Ombudsman Service and we have many opportunities and challenges ahead of us. We are looking to our managers to deliver changes that enable us to meet our Business Plan, so you will need to be an effective and supportive manager with the drive to make a difference. Please find included: a description of the work of the Pensions Ombudsman Service; the job descriptions and a person specification; summary of terms and conditions; and information about the HMG Baseline Personnel Security Standard

2 I hope that you will find all you need here, but should you have any further queries about the organisation or the role, please call Elaine Hopkinson, HR Manager or Jane Carey, Business Director on Please send your application to by Wednesday 17 February 2016 (midnight). Anthony Arter Pensions Ombudsman

3 A description of the work of the Pensions Ombudsman Service When someone has tried to resolve a problem with their pension and isn t satisfied with the outcome, they can ask us to help. We are an independent organisation set up by law to investigate complaints about pension administration. We also consider complaints about the actions and decisions of the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) and about some decisions made by the Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS). We look at the facts, without taking sides. And we have legal powers to make decisions that are final, binding and enforceable in court. Our service is free. We are funded by grant-in-aid paid by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The grant-in-aid is largely recovered from the general levy on pension schemes administered by the Pensions Regulator. Around 47 staff work here dealing with (on average) around 5,000 enquiries and conducting in the region of 1,200 investigations each year. A number of these investigations are resolved without the need for a full Ombudsman determination. Job Description Reports to: Business Director The Business Manager is accountable to the Business Director for the efficient and effective discharge of their duties. Key responsibilities The main responsibilities associated with the role are summarised below. This is not an exhaustive list of the duties. 1. Manage the operational elements of the business finance function. 2. Direct line management of six staff; HR Manager, Communications Manager, Projects Manager, PA to the Board, Finance/Payroll Officer and IT Officer. 3. Support the Business Director to ensure the Business Plan is delivered. 4. Support the Business Director in managing the organisation s risk/governance strategy. 5. Co-ordinate all corporate office support functions. 6. Member of the Operational Group responsible for the day to day management of the business. Person Specification Essential skills Experience of managing a finance function, preferably in the public sector

4 Experience of setting, monitoring and reporting on budgets. Experience of managing risk management/governance processes. Experience of managing and monitoring external contractors/suppliers. Experience of managing corporate functions. Ability to successfully manage multiple portfolios. Ability to work under pressure and deliver high quality work to tight deadlines. Ability to make decisions on competing priorities. Excellent IT skills, specifically excel. Excellent communication skills. Experience of managing a team of staff effectively. Desirable skills CCAB or CIMA qualified. Essential personal qualities Delivery focused. Problem solver. Decisive. Flexible, adaptable, able to deal with uncertainty and change. Organised and methodical. Self-aware. Self-motivating. Able to work on your own and as part of a team. Able to share knowledge. Active supporter of the principles of diversity and equality of opportunity. Main terms and conditions This is a permanent full-time post. Location The successful candidate will be based at the Pensions Ombudsman Service, 11 Belgrave Road, Victoria, London, SW1H IRB. Salary The starting salary is 51,469 per annum in a pay range of 51,469 to 60,428. Pension The post holder is entitled to join the Civil Service Pension Scheme. Further details are available from

5 Leave Annual leave allowance is 25 days per annum rising to 30 after 10 years service plus public holidays and 2½ days privilege holiday. Hours Contracted hours will be 41 per week including meal breaks. Probation The successful candidates will work a probationary period of 6 months. The appointment will be confirmed when this period has been completed successfully. Other benefits include Interest free loans for the purchase of season tickets. Flexi time. Buying and selling annual leave. Other flexible working arrangements, subject to satisfactory performance. Free eye tests. Employee assistance programme

6 How to apply Please complete the attached application form and submit it with your CV. In the section "Why I am suited to this role", we want you to provide clear examples of how you have demonstrated four of the requirements under the essential skills heading of the person specification. These four requirements are Managing a finance function including setting, monitoring and reporting on budgets. Managing risk/governance processes. Managing multiple portfolios while delivering high quality work to tight deadlines. Successfully managing corporate functions. Please complete the form using Arial font size12, this is a font common to all PCs and easily read. Do not exceed 1000 words. We will use your CV and application form to decide who to invite to interview. As well as considering the substance of your application and CV, we will also use them to judge your written communication skills. To help us to monitor the effectiveness of our diversity policy, please complete the diversity monitoring form and submit it with your application. This is not compulsory and will form no part of your application. Please return the completed form along with your CV marked Private and Confidential to: Elaine Hopkinson, Pensions Ombudsman Service, 11 Belgrave Road, London, SW1V 1RB. Or by elaine.hopkinson@pensions-ombudsman.org.uk Closing date Wednesday 17 February 2016 (midnight) Selection Process Firstly applications will be sifted to decide who to invite to interview. The sift will be carried out by assessing CVs, the applicants demonstration of their abilities and experience against the four essential criteria identified and by assessing written communication skills (as demonstrated by the application form and CV). As well as an interview we will ask candidates to give a presentation as part of the selection process. Disability Under the guaranteed interview scheme disabled candidates who have the right qualifications for the role will be guaranteed an interview. If you wish to claim this right under the scheme please say so on the application form.

7 HMG Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) Everyone who works at the Pensions Ombudsman Service is expected to successfully complete the BPSS. There are four elements of verification and we must be satisfied that evidence has been made available to enable verification of each element. These are: confirmation of nationality and immigration status; confirmation of identity; verification of previous three-year employment history; disclosure of unspent criminal convictions. We will carry out the first three checks internally but for the unspent criminal conviction check we use Disclosure Scotland (an agency) to provide a disclosure certificate. BPSS ensures that: new staff are entitled to undertake the employment in question and, where appropriate, meet nationality rules for government service; we are guarded against the employment of anyone posing as a prospective employee for commercial or personal gain; and a sound basis is provided for any subsequent security checks. The check will be carried out when a contract offer has been made. The offer will be subject to successful completion of the BPSS. The contract will not commence until BPSS has been completed successfully. Applicants should be aware that supplying false information or failing to disclose relevant information could be grounds for refusal/dismissal and could amount to a criminal offence. Data protection Checks require processing of personal data about individuals. The provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998 will apply at all times. Information about criminal records (self-disclosures, or other vetting disclosures) will only be held by the Business Manager and/or Human Resources Manager. Disclosure information will only be used for the specific purpose for which it was requested. For successful candidates, the information will be kept securely and will not normally be kept with standard personnel records if such records can be accessed by other staff. Disclosed - 7 -

8 information will be kept for a further six months beyond the duration of employment. For unsuccessful candidates such information will be kept for six months in line with all other recruitment paperwork. Once the retention period has elapsed, disclosed information will be destroyed by secure means. We may check information provided by you, or information about you provided by a third party. We will not disclose information about you to anyone outside our organisation unless the law permits us to. Information provided by you in this application, and the supporting documentation, will be used by the panel to consider your suitability for the post applied for. If you are successful, this information will become part of your employment record. If you are unsuccessful, some data may be used for monitoring purposes and will be destroyed after twelve months.