The Pensions Ombudsman has a number of exciting opportunities for both Lawyers and Senior Lawyers to join our team based in Canary Wharf, however the majority of the time you will be able to work remotely. We have permanent and fixed-term roles available; you will join us on either a full-time or part-time basis, Fixed term contract roles will run until the end of October 2022 but may become permanent depending on funding. In return, you will receive a competitive salary of £60,360 per annum for Lawyers and £67,626 per annum for Senior Lawyers plus substantial benefits including flexible working, pension scheme and 27.5 days annual leave. Level of appointment dependent on experience.

Who are we?

As a totally independent body, we investigate and make decisions when someone has been unable to resolve a complaint about how their pension has been managed. Our service is free but we have legal powers to make decisions that are final, binding and enforceable in court.

About the role of our legal team:

You will be part of an expanding in-house legal team that acts as primary legal advisers to all staff including the Ombudsman, the Executive Committee, and Corporate Board.

In the coming year, The Pensions Ombudsman is expecting to take on more complaints concerning alleged dishonesty by pension scheme trustees which resulted in significant losses for the scheme. There may be an opportunity for you to work on these complex, challenging cases, particularly if you have regulatory prosecution, investigation, or enforcement experience.

Key responsibilities:

You will have the opportunity to be involved in a wide range of work including:

• Providing legal advice to caseworkers to ensure decisions are consistent, based on sound legal analysis and which accord with our statutory powers;
• Advising on the design and implementation of a range of policy matters, including internal policies and legislative change;
• Providing written content across a wide range of audiences and channels including reviewing and revising existing internal and external publications;
• Participating in internal and external working groups;
• Being involved in litigation, advising The Pensions Ombudsman on strategy and merits.

Please note: Senior Lawyers are expected to deal with the more complex cases and work more autonomously.

The experience we’re looking for:

As a guideline, you will be a qualified solicitor or barrister with experience in one of the following areas:

• Litigation
• Dispute resolution
• Regulatory law (preferably financial services regulation) or public law
• If you have knowledge of pensions, legal or otherwise, this would be very desirable

You will need first-class interpersonal, customer service and communication skills, both in writing and on the telephone, and be able to interpret the law and translate it across in a way that is practical and jargon-free. You will also have excellent analytical and problem-solving skills and possess the ability to give presentations when necessary.

We offer a range of benefits, including flexible working, a generous leave entitlement, and a defined benefits pensions scheme.

If you feel that you have the skills and experience required to join our team, please click ‘apply’ today. We would love to hear from you!

All applicants must have a right to work in the UK and be prepared to be security cleared to Baseline Personnel Security Standard, which requires a basic disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service.

The Pensions Ombudsman is an accredited disability confident employer. This means we have a positive approach to employing disabled people.