An exciting opportunity has arisen within Pension Services for a full time, permanent Pensions Officer. WHAT IS INVOLVED? You will work as part of a cohesive Pensions Team providing an efficient and effective service to customers and employees in relation to the administration of the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) You will be expected to carry out checking and authorising of benefit calculations relating to a range of pensions related processes, including retirements, transfers and beneficiary payments. Duties also include completion of year-end processes, including pension increase, data quality exercises and development of the UPM Pensions Admin system. You should have recent experience of working in Pensions or in a financial environment; preparing and processing pensions, dealing with customer queries and resolving pension related problems. We encourage you to contact Ashleigh Phillips or Mark Burnham via email ashleigh.phillipsdurham.gov.uk / mark.burnhamdurham.gov.uk for an informal discussion about this role. WHAT WILL I NEED? You should already hold or be studying towards a pensions qualification, NVQ Level 4, or an equivalent relevant qualification. You should also have good knowledge of the LGPS regulations, experience of developing and providing an efficient, high-quality service to customers, have good organisational and skills and be accurate and numerate.Please refer to the attached person specification for the full criteria. You may be required to undertake an in-house knowledge assessment as part of our interview process. REWARDS AND BENEFITS We offer generous rewards and benefits that are designed to help you perform at your best: Competitive salaries and 27 days holiday per year rising to 32 days after five years continuous local government service. Option to purchase up to 10 additional days annual leave per year. Excellent work/life balance through schemes including job sharing, compressed hours and flexi-time (allowing up to 13 flexi days per year). Hybrid working (home and office working). Excellent contributory career average Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS). Plus, top up options - Salary Sacrifice Shared Cost AVC scheme and standard AVC scheme for members of the LGPS. Wellbeing Portal and access to an Employee Assist Scheme. Wide range of learning and development opportunities including professional qualifications, coaching and mentoring. Employee Benefits Portal and Lifestyle Savings Scheme (discounts across a host of major retailers). Discounted DCC gym membership. Staff networks run by staff for our staff, including Race Equality and Diversity, Disability, LGBT, Armed Forces, Carers, Menopause. Trade Union membership. A range of other salary sacrifice schemes such as car leasing. Rewards and benefits are subject to individual terms and conditions. Take a closer look: Rewards and Benefits SOCIAL MEDIA Don’t see the perfect role for you right now? Keep an eye on our social media channels for updates on new opportunities at Durham County Council Follow us on Instagram Like us on Facebook HYBRID WORKING Durham County Council currently operates a hybrid working policy where a model of 2 days in the workplace and 3 days at home/remote will apply. This model is pro-rated for part time roles and arrangements are at managers discretion, alternatively you can work all of your contracted hours within the workplace if you prefer. EQUALITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION We are a proud equal opportunities employer and recognise that a diverse, talented workforce brings new ideas and new perspectives, which will facilitate growth and improvements to services. We are committed to ensuring that our employment policies and processes are fair and equitable to all. We welcome job applications from everyone, and successful candidates are considered only on their skills and ability to do the job. As a Disability Confident Leader, we encourage applications from disabled people and provide support throughout the recruitment process. Take a closer look: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion INTERVIEWS We anticipate interviews to be held in early May. We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that can show they meet all the essential criteria and have indicated they have a disability, are a looked after young person, care leaver or a veteran. HOW TO APPLY In line with the County Council's Recruitment and Selection Policy, please note that we are unable to accept CVs. Applications must be submitted on-line via the Northeast Jobs portal. Please use the ‘Person Specification’ section of your application form to demonstrate that you have the essential and where possible, desirable experience, skills, and knowledge. Candidates who do not evidence that they meet the essential qualifications and experience listed on the person specification will not be short-listed. If you have any support needs or require assistance when applying for this role, please contact our Recruitment Helpdesk on 03000 26 27 27, or the Recruitment Team via email at RecruitmentResouresdurham.gov.uk REMOVAL AND LODGINGS Removal, lodging and separation expenses may be available to the successful candidate if at the time of application for appointment their place of residence is outside the administrative area of County Durham and more than 30 miles in a straight line from their new administrative centre, along with several other criteria for eligibility. We collect personal information from you when you register with North East Jobs and make an application. Details on how we process your personal data is available in our Privacy Notice. 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