Job ref: 212436
TPR grade: R&O Business Lead
About us
More than half the UK working population rely on The Pensions Regulator (TPR) to regulate their retirement savings. With a career at TPR, you’ll be joining an organisation that will impact on millions of lives for decades to come.
Everyone at TPR plays an important role in helping to keep more than £2 trillion of savings safe. We’re committed to bringing people into TPR who are ready to make a difference and put UK savers at the heart of what we do.
It is important to us that TPR remains a great place to work. We do all we can to help our people reach their full potential with learning, secondment, and development opportunities. We put our 900+ employees first, supporting flexible working and offer a diverse, lively, and inclusive environment. This includes our Disability Network, Family Network, LGBT+ Network (Proud), Minority Ethnic (ME) Network and Women’s Network, which offer spaces to connect.
Our new corporate strategy outlines a bold and challenging vision of how pensions regulation should evolve to keep pace with a change in the scale and nature of the industry. We are at the start of that journey. Join us to find out what part you can play.
We operate a hybrid working model, with regular attendance in our Brighton office to connect with colleagues across the business.
Role
As a Strategic Prioritisation Lead, you will play a crucial role in shaping and influencing TPR's long-term regulatory and policy direction. You will be passionate about using evidence and insight to guide regulatory decision-making and enable delivery that truly benefits savers. You’ll be confident working as part of a multi-disciplinary team and are accustomed to going above and beyond to deliver excellence. You’ll be skilled at translating complex data insights into clearly defined problems and positions that inform organisational strategy and external engagement.
The purpose of this role is to act as a trusted advisor to senior leadership, integrating internal expertise and external insight to address key regulatory challenges. This includes responsibility for securing prioritisation steers from the Executive Team and shaping TPR's engagement with key external stakeholders, ensuring our regulatory strategies are aligned with best practices and global standards.
In this role you will:
- lead collaborative discovery work to surface emerging issues and co-create high-impact policy positions
- translate data insights into clearly defined problems and positions, securing prioritisation steers from the Executive Team
- foster a culture of long-term thinking and innovation in strategic and policy development
- engage with senior stakeholders, both internally and externally, to test ideas, build consensus, and promote regulatory clarity and influence
- apply strategic consulting methodologies, facilitation, analytical, and thought leadership skills to inform organisational strategy
- promote a collaborative and forward-thinking culture across the organisation, encouraging multi-disciplinary problem-solving
- work closely with the Director of Policy and Public Affairs to alleviate workload related to strategic prioritisation and policy development
- ensure consistency in TPR's strategic narrative and policy positioning, contributing to regulatory excellence and protecting savers' interests
Responsibilities
As a Strategic Prioritisation Lead, you will be responsible for shaping and influencing TPR's long-term regulatory and policy direction. Your key responsibilities will include:
- Lead collaborative discovery efforts to identify and surface emerging regulatory issues. Engage with internal and external stakeholders to co-create high-impact policy positions that inform organisational strategy.
- Translate complex data insights into clearly defined problems and positions. Secure prioritisation steers from the Executive Team to guide regulatory decision-making and external engagement.
- Apply strategic consulting methodologies, facilitation, analytical, and thought leadership skills to address key regulatory challenges. Foster a culture of long-term thinking and innovation in strategic and policy development.
- Build and maintain meaningful engagement with senior stakeholders, both internally and externally. Test ideas, build consensus, and promote regulatory clarity and influence.
- Work closely with the Director of Policy and Public Affairs to develop and refine TPR's regulatory strategies. Ensure consistency in TPR's strategic narrative and policy positioning.
- Identify and frame regulatory problems based on TPR's missions, statutory objectives, stakeholder input, risk assessments, and environmental scanning. Define problem scope and desired outcomes in clear, measurable terms.
- Lead thought leadership initiatives to shape high-impact outputs that are well-reasoned, timely, and externally relevant. Promote a collaborative and forward-thinking culture across the organisation.
- Encourage multi-disciplinary problem-solving and collaboration across professional practices and policy areas. Connect staff across silos to contribute to shared regulatory and policy goals.
- Enhance TPR’s engagement with domestic and international regulatory bodies. Ensure that TPR’s regulatory strategies are informed by best practices and aligned with global standards.
Essential and desirable criteria
Essential
- A degree in a relevant field such as public policy, political science, economics, law, or a related discipline.
- Extensive experience in shaping and influencing public policy or regulatory strategy in a complex environment.
- Strong understanding of the UK political and regulatory landscape.
- Proven ability to act as a strategic internal consultant, working collaboratively across professional disciplines.
- High levels of judgement, horizon scanning, and evaluative reasoning.
- Excellent political judgement and communication skills, with the ability to influence senior stakeholders.
- Mastery-level professional expertise combined with strategic insight and organisational influence.
- Demonstrated ability to translate complex data insights into clearly defined problems and positions.
- Advanced facilitation and engagement skills, with experience drawing out insights from subject matter experts.
- Strong strategic thinking and analytical capability, with the confidence to navigate ambiguity and anticipate emerging issues.
- Proven ability to communicate complex ideas simply and effectively across multiple audiences and channels.
Desirable
- Advanced qualifications or professional certifications in strategic consulting, policy analysis, or regulatory affairs are desirable.
- Knowledge of pensions policy, financial regulation, or a closely related area.
- Experience working at or advising Director-level or Board-level stakeholders.
- Familiarity with strategic consulting methodologies including frameworks such as SWOT analysis, PESTLE analysis, Porter's Five Forces, Root Cause Analysis, McKinsey’s 7S Framework, Balanced Scorecard, and Theory of Change.
- Experience in building or contributing to cross-organisational communities of practice, thought leadership programmes, or collaborative policy networks.
- Familiarity with innovation methods or strategic foresight tools (for example, futures thinking, systems mapping, design thinking).
- Experience in developing and implementing engaging and accessible ways of communicating thought-leadership outputs.
- Ability to work effectively with other technical specialists in various disciplines, including actuaries, investment consultants, lawyers, intelligence, policy, and covenant advisers.
Person specification
- Intellectual leadership and the ability to frame complex issues in a way that supports robust decision-making.
- Ability to work effectively within a multi-disciplinary team and assimilate information from various sources.
- Strong organisational influence and the ability to promote a collaborative and forward-thinking culture.
- Confidence and credibility in defending evidence-based positions and influencing key stakeholders.
- Commitment to regulatory excellence and protecting the interests of UK pension savers.
- Proactive and flexible.
- Ability to prioritise and use initiative.
- Creative problem solving and analytical skills.
- Communication skills at all levels.
Salary and benefits
As well as a salary starting at £67,253, we offer:
- Civil Service Pension arrangements, which are recognised as some of the best in the pensions world
- discretionary bonus arrangements
- access to performance related pay progression
- 25 days annual leave provision
- flexible working arrangements
- development opportunities
- enhanced parental leave arrangements
- a free employee assistance programme
- an excellent office location in Brighton
How to apply
To apply please email recruitmentteam@tpr.gov.uk quoting role reference number 212436 along with:
- a covering letter with details of how your skills and experience meet the role requirements
- a copy of your CV
- details of your notice period
Current TPR employees in their first 12 months of employment who want to apply for this vacancy should first contact their line manager to discuss their application.
We are an inclusive employer and offer equal opportunities regardless of an individual’s age, disability, gender identity, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.
As a Disability Confident employer, we’re committed to the recruitment, employment, retention, and development of people with disabilities, and to improving their employment opportunities. Candidates who declare that they have a disability and who meet the essential criteria for the job will be offered an interview.
In accordance with Home Office guidance, the successful candidate will be required to provide their right to work in the UK before they start employment. Unfortunately, TPR is not able to offer sponsorship at the time. TPR is a UK-based organisation with a working location in Brighton, candidates must live in the UK to be employed by us.
The Pensions Regulator is an arm’s length government body and part of the public service.
Any offer of employment will be subject to the receipt of satisfactory background screening checks and criminal record checks (BPSS).
Whilst it is our aim to respond to all applicants, if you have not heard from us within 21 days of the advert closing, please assume you have been unsuccessful on this occasion. Specific feedback will only be provided if you have attended an interview or assessment.
If you have any queries about this role, or if you have a disability and wish to request a reasonable adjustment at any stage of the recruitment process, please email recruitmentteam@tpr.gov.uk.