Transitions Operations Delivery Manager 

Location: Reigate or London (Hybrid - 50%)

Contract: Permanent

Hours: 35 hours

Purpose

The role is responsible for leading the transition management activity of transactions from contract signing through to implementation handover.

The role holder will manage the transition teams and the end-to-end flow of schemes across streamlined and core transaction routes. They will translate agreed priorities into clear delivery plans, allocate work effectively, monitor capacity and performance, and ensure risks or issues are escalated promptly to the Head of Transition & Buy out Services.

The role will have a strong external and commercial focus, managing day-to-day relationships with Employee Benefit Consultants (EBCs), supporting professional trustees and the Commercial team. The role holder will support new business activity, communicate our transition capability and service model, coordinate responses and meetings, and use market feedback to improve processes while ensuring agreed client commitments are delivered.

The role holder will work closely with all teams across wider DB area to ensure strong communication and collaboration to help design, implement and embed new propositions and identify opportunities.

• Manage the day-to-day delivery of the transition teams, setting clear priorities and oversee scheme allocation across the Transition Team according to complexity, capacity and customer commitments.
• Work with the Head of Transition & Buy out Services and wider Member & Operational Services leadership team to deliver a consistent, high-quality transition experience for trustees, EBCs, professional trustees and other interested parties.
• Drive trustee communication and engagement capabilities, ensuring expectations are considered, managed and appropriate to the scheme timelines and data position.
• Ensure agreed controls, vetting and sign-off requirements are completed across the teams so that data accepted for onboarding is accurate, complete and aligned to the benefits specified.
• Act as the operational point of contact for the Commercial team on prospective and in-flight transactions, coordinating timely input from the transition teams and subject matter experts.
• Build and maintain effective working relationships across the EBC market, managing operational queries and escalations and providing clear, timely updates to internal stakeholders.
• Lead, coach and support the management team, setting clear objectives, monitoring delivery and creating development and progression opportunities that build capability and engagement.

• Manage the team’s contribution to commercial activity, including capability materials, insurer selection meetings, requests for information (RFIs), due diligence and prospective client discussions.
• Oversee effective project and stakeholder management across all transitions through to calculation, communication and settlement of the final premium, ensuring milestones, dependencies, decisions and customer communications are actively managed.
• Review data cleanse extension requests and recovery plans where schemes are not progressing to agreed timescales, escalating material risks or commercial impacts in line with the governance framework.
• Coordinate transition input to change and technology initiatives, ensuring clear operational requirements and appropriate subject matter expertise are provided, and that new processes and tools are embedded effectively within the teams.
• Produce accurate and timely management information for operational governance and relevant committees, highlighting volumes, capacity, service performance, risks, issues, commercial activity and emerging market themes.

What we’re looking for 

• Proven planning and organisational skills, with the ability to manage a varied portfolio of scheme transitions, competing priorities and team capacity.
• Ability to work independently and through others to tight deadlines, maintaining strong standards of accuracy, control and attention to detail.
• Good understanding of the life and pensions industry, particularly DB pensions, the DB de-risking market and the roles of EBCs and professional trustees.
• Strong influencing and relationship-management skills, with the ability to work effectively with trustees, EBCs, professional trustees and internal commercial stakeholders to progress transactions.
• Excellent verbal, written and interpersonal communication skills, with the confidence to represent the transition operation in external meetings and present our capability clearly and concisely.
• Strong problem analysis, decision-making and resolution skills, with sound judgement on when to escalate.
• Strong operational, project, people and stakeholder management skills, supported by a practical understanding of commercial priorities.

• Experience in a transition, implementation, operations or relationship management role within DB de-risking, gained with an insurer, pensions consultancy or a third party administrator supporting an insurer.
• Relevant experience within the DB pensions industry is essential.
• Experience of managing complex or large scheme transitions is desirable.
• Experience of working with trustees, EBCs and commercial colleagues, with evidence of coordinating teams and driving scheme transitions through to conclusion.
• Previous people-management experience in an operations, implementation or customer service environment is beneficial.