Private Secretary to CEO

Requirements of the role

We’re looking for a Private Secretary to support our CEO and help make workplace pensions work for savers. You’ll be joining at a critical point in our journey as the pensions landscape transforms and TPR evolves into a more proactive, risk-based regulator.

The primary purpose of the role is to ensure the smooth and efficient running of the CEO’s office, delivering the highest quality support to the CEO across their internal and external responsibilities. You will also provide this support to the Chair as and when required.

Working with the Senior Executive Assistant, you will serve as the gatekeeper to the CEO. It will be crucial for you to delve into the substance of matters, meticulously verifying details to ensure accuracy. You will also collaborate with the business to deliver well-crafted written papers and timely advice, particularly on intricate regulatory, operational, and policy matters.

Reporting into the Chief of Staff and deputising in their absence, this is a senior role where you will need to identify potential issues that need to be brought to the attention of the CEO and help maintain positive working relationships with colleagues across TPR.

As well as providing substantive input across the whole range of TPR’s work, it will require strong collaboration and influencing skills with the wider business, and will involve providing clear, concise and insightful written and verbal advice to the CEO, often on complex issues, making sure the business acts on the CEOs steers.

This requires a senior, level headed and flexible approach – linking together relevant issues to provide coherent strategic advice, rooted in an understanding of the CEOs wants and needs and the wider political and policy landscape. At times you will need to support the CEO in her face-to-face meetings in London and elsewhere, taking actions, following up and contributing to discussions when required.

This role offers exposure to the top-level workings of a regulator as it and the market it regulates goes through a significant change. It is an excellent opportunity for the right individual to develop the skills needed to progress further into senior leadership.

Responsibilities

As Private Secretary, you’ll be responsible for:

• Stakeholder and relationship management: Develop a strong and trusted relationship with key internal and external stakeholders, acting as a gatekeeper to the CEO for the business, anticipating where key decisions and pressure points may be in advance. Build relationships with counterparts and others at the Department for Work and Pensions, and HM Treasury as well as key regulatory partners such as the Financial Conduct Authority.
• Strategic advice: Provide clear, concise and insightful written and verbal background and advice to the CEO, and ensuring appropriate actions are taken internally in response to steers from the CEO, linking together relevant issues to make coherent strategic advice.
• Briefing and submissions: Commissioning briefing and submissions. Taking ownership of the production of advice and material, tactfully challenging where it is not of the appropriate quality and steering so it meets the CEOs needs.
• Process efficiency: Drive process efficiencies in the CEOs office’s engagement with TPR governance forums, making sure that actions and accountabilities are clear. Work autonomously to improve internal processes that means the CEO is well equipped to bring about change which protects, enhances and innovates in savers’ interests.
• Project and portfolio management: Manage a portfolio of work autonomously to respond to multiple emerging issues, while continuing to ensure the CEO’s strategic vision and priorities are delivered. Support the Chief of Staff as and when required on longer-term projects which deliver on the CEOs strategic intent.
• Administrative and meeting support: Support the Senior Executive Assistant and Executive Assistant as required in managing the CEOs day-to-day work and diary, and covering in their absence, including drafting emails to internal and senior external stakeholders, including Government, Schemes, trustees and employers. Attend in-person meetings with the CEO in Brighton, London and elsewhere, taking actions, following up and contributing to discussions when required.
• Leadership and culture: Lead visibly and help set the direction of the organisation. Support and challenge to where needed to get the best out of people and to build a culture that promotes equality, diversity and inclusion and empowers people to success. Ensure the CEO and Chair’s steers on the development of Board and ExCo paper are met by accountable ExCo members, and that papers are sequenced in a way which allows the CEO to deliver on their change agenda.

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