Pension Scheme Risk Manager and Pension Scheme Secretary

Job title:

Pension Scheme Risk Manager and Pension Scheme Secretary

Company

National Treasury Management Agency

Job description

Necessary arrangements can be made at interview stage to accommodate the needs of candidates with disabilities. If you are having difficulty uploading your CV online or in fully accessing any information on this site please emailRole ProfileJob Title: Pension Scheme Risk Manager and Scheme SecretaryDivision: FTOCareer Stream: ProfessionalCareer Zone: Professional / SpecialistContrct Type: Permanent***Closing Date for Applications: Wednesday 13th November 2024***Summary of the BusinessThe National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA) provides asset and liability management services to the Irish Government. It has evolved from a single function agency managing the National Debt to a manager of a complex portfolio of public assets and liabilities. Businesses managed by the NTMA include borrowing for the Exchequer and the management of the National Debt, the State Claims Agency, the New Economy and Recovery Authority (“NewERA”), the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund, National Development Finance Agency and the NTMA Future Ireland Funds business unit with responsibility for the management of the Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund. The NTMA also assigns staff to the National Asset Management Agency, the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland (SBCI) and Home Building Finance Ireland (HBFI).Working at the NTMA offers excellent benefits including:

• Flexible work options including remote working and variable work hours
• An extensive wellbeing programme
• Excellent learning and development opportunities that allow for full career development within the organisation
• A diverse range of initiatives: LGBT+, Gender Matters, Disability Awareness, Sports & Social, Volunteering and lots more
• Reimbursement of annual professional membership fees
• Career average Defined Benefit Pension Scheme

Role Summary:The role provides support to the Trustees of the NTMA’s defined benefit pension scheme (fund value c.€300m) (the “Scheme”). The successful candidate will, inter alia:

• act as the Risk Management Key Function Holder for the Scheme, with responsibility for the Scheme’s Risk Management Key Function (supported by external risk management advisor);
• provide secretarial services to the Scheme, including overseeing the Scheme’s governance system and general management of the Scheme;

Operating in a stimulating and diverse sector, the role represents an excellent opportunity for a professional to take up a challenging position to support manage and improve the Scheme’s governance processes, as well as provide risk management services.Principal AccountabilitiesRisk Management Key Function Holder:

• Maintain and monitor the Scheme’s risk management system in line with the Scheme’s Risk Management Policy;
• Support the Trustees with the identifying, assessing and responding to risks, including emerging risks;
• Provide expertise, support and challenge in relation to the management of risk, including attending Trustee meetings and relevant sub-committee meetings;
• Maintain the Scheme’s Risk Register, and be responsible for the review of the Scheme’s other risk management documentation;
• Support the Trustees in undertaking their Own Risk Assessments (“ORA”) and all other reporting requirements, and ensure agreed actions are completed;
• Support the Trustees in producing and submitting any statutory risk disclosures to the Pensions Authority, as required;
• Maintain operational risk events log, including suggesting potential control updates;
• Manage the provision of risk analysis, and the provision of semi-annual risk monitoring report;
• Assist the Trustees with monitoring third party risk associated with the Scheme’s service providers, including the completion risk monitoring, as required by NTMA Risk.

Scheme Secretary

• Responsible for the day-to-day management and governance of the Scheme, including supporting the Trustee Chair in their role;
• Liaise with key personnel, both internal and external to the NTMA;
• Organise Trustee meeting, sub-committee meetings and other meetings (as requested by Trustees), including circulation of papers and drafting of minutes and ensure actions are completed in a timely manner;
• Take overall responsibility for ensuring effective governance of the Scheme, including monitoring timing of, and co-ordinating reviews of Scheme policies, as well as completing annual compliance reviews of relevant policies;
• Responsible for the design, operation and implementation of internal controls, including assisting the Trustees in their oversight of the Scheme’s compliance monitoring processes;
• Liaise with Internal Audit Key Function Holder to provide information required for internal audits, and ensure audit findings are addressed;
• Provision of information to Risk Manager Key Function Holder, as required;
• Draft the annual Scheme budget (liaising with HR and Finance), provide updates to Trustees regularly, and organise review, approval and payment of relevant invoices;
• Ensure third party service providers are fulfilling their obligations to the Scheme, including services provided by the NTMA to the Scheme;
• Manage the completion of the Trustee Annual Report and Accounts;
• Draft annual business plan and communication plan for approval by the Trustees;
• Assist the Trustees in relation to complaints and / or disputes, in line with the Trustees’ IDR and Complaints Policy;
• Manage triennial critical review of administrator, as well as other projects, as requested by the Trustees;
• Assist the Trustees in drafting communications to members, and complying with disclosure regulations;
• Assist in the arrange of insurances as required by the Trustees and the Scheme.

Skills

• Excellent verbal and written skills, including report writing.
• Ability to interact effectively and collaboratively with others, particularly at a senior level.
• Self-motivated with strong else of accountability.
• Strong stakeholder management and organisational skills.
• Exercise discretion in handling confidential and sensitive information.
• Ability to manage concurrent responsibilities and ensure capability to discharge all the duties of the role.

Knowledge

• The candidate should hold an honours primary degree and/or relevant professional qualification.
• Knowledge of Defined Benefit (DB) Pension Schemes and the related regulatory, legislative and governance environments, with at least two years relevant experience at a senior level.
• Has knowledge that is sufficient and appropriate to competently support the Trustees and to perform the risk management Key Function Holder role effectively, including comprehensive knowledge regarding operation of pension schemes (specific to DB schemes) and advanced understanding and capability in one or more of the following areas:

• actuarial advice on funding, reserving, and solvency for DB schemes,
• investment advice covering investment policy principles, strategic advice, budgeting, and risk-mitigation techniques (hedging and derivative bases structures),
• asset liability modelling,
• stress tests or scenario analysis,
• operational risk, and
• regulatory environment,
• Must have a clear and comprehensive understanding of the governance, regulatory, and legal environments relating to the risk management key function.
• Must meet the ‘proper’ requirements for a key function holder, as detailed in the Pensions Authority’s Code of Practice.
• Previous experience as a Pension Scheme Secretary/Manager and/or a related qualification an advantage

Pension AbatementIf an appointee has previously been employed in the Civil or Public Service and that appointee is entitled to or in receipt of a pension from the Civil or Public Service or where a Civil/Public Service pension comes into payment during the appointee’s re-employment that pension will be subject to abatement in accordance with Section 52 of the Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and other Provisions) Act 2012.Please note: In applying for this position, you are acknowledging that you understand that the abatement provisions, where relevant, will apply. It is not envisaged that the employing Department/Office/Body will support an application for an abatement waiver in respect of appointments to this position.Applicants will be required to complete a pre-employment declaration to confirm whether they have previously availed of a Public sector pension scheme.The NTMA is proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We recognise that a diverse and inclusive workplace informs better decision making, creative thinking, innovation and drives business performance. We are strongly committed to ensuring that our workforce is representative of our society.

Expected salary

Location

Ireland

Job date

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 00:15:36 GMT

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