Human resources manager to pensions administrator
A human resources manager already meets 41% of what the pensions administrator role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.
56.4/ 100
1 How much of what a pensions administrator is expected to do is already part of a human resources manager’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the pensions administrator role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A pensions administrator role treats 7 of its required skills as things a human resources manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advise on social security benefits
- apply technical communication skills
- comply with legal regulations
- ensure information transparency
- government social security programmes
- social security law
What stands in the way is 7 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 9 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A pensions administrator role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a human resources manager background worth leading with.
- already held manage pension funds management skills
- already held types of pensions business, administration and law
- already held advise on social security benefits communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held government social security programmes social sciences, journalism and information
- already held social security law business, administration and law
- already held ensure information transparency information skills
All 9 carried skills, including the 7 the pensions administrator role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 19 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn communicate with beneficiaries required
- still to learn protect client interests required
- still to learn provide financial product information required
- optional, not held handle financial disputes optional
- optional, not held promote social security programmes optional
- still to learn calculate employee benefits required
- still to learn obtain financial information required
- optional, not held analyse financial risk optional
- optional, not held maintain records of financial transactions optional
- optional, not held manage financial risk optional
- optional, not held provide support in financial calculation optional
- optional, not held synthesise financial information optional
- optional, not held trace financial transactions optional
- still to learn actuarial science required
- still to learn use IT tools required
- optional, not held develop pension schemes optional
- optional, not held handle financial transactions optional
- optional, not held investigate social security applications optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a pensions administrator role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 actuarial science study this
- 02 calculate employee benefits practise this
- 03 communicate with beneficiaries practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 9 skills that carry over
- already held advise on social security benefits skill
- already held apply technical communication skills skill
- already held comply with legal regulations skill
- already held ensure information transparency skill
- already held government social security programmes knowledge
- already held social security law knowledge
- already held types of pensions knowledge
- already held corporate social responsibility knowledge
- already held manage pension funds skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held legal research optional
12 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held develop pension schemes optional
- optional, not held analyse financial risk optional
- optional, not held handle financial disputes optional
- optional, not held handle financial transactions optional
- optional, not held investigate social security applications optional
- optional, not held legal research optional
- optional, not held maintain records of financial transactions optional
- optional, not held manage financial risk optional
- optional, not held promote social security programmes optional
- optional, not held provide support in financial calculation optional
- optional, not held synthesise financial information optional
- optional, not held trace financial transactions optional
75 held skills the pensions administrator role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role adapt training to labour market skill
- not needed by the target role administer appointments skill
- not needed by the target role advertising techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role advise on conflict management skill
- not needed by the target role advise on organisational culture skill
- not needed by the target role advise on personnel management skill
- not needed by the target role advise on risk management skill
- not needed by the target role apply company policies skill
- not needed by the target role apply conflict management skill
- not needed by the target role build trust skill
- not needed by the target role company policies knowledge
- not needed by the target role consultation knowledge
- not needed by the target role coordinate educational programmes skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate operational activities skill
- not needed by the target role corporate law knowledge
- not needed by the target role create a work atmosphere of continuous improvement skill
- not needed by the target role develop corporate training programmes skill
- not needed by the target role develop employee retention programs skill
- not needed by the target role develop professional network skill
- not needed by the target role develop staff skill
- not needed by the target role develop training programmes skill
- not needed by the target role discharge employees skill
- not needed by the target role employment law knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure gender equality in the workplace skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate performance of organisational collaborators skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate training skill
- not needed by the target role gather feedback from employees skill
- not needed by the target role give constructive feedback skill
- not needed by the target role government policy implementation knowledge
- not needed by the target role hire human resources skill
- not needed by the target role human resource management knowledge
- not needed by the target role human resources department processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role identify necessary human resources skill
- not needed by the target role identify policy breach skill
- not needed by the target role identify with the company's goals skill
- not needed by the target role interview people skill
- not needed by the target role labour law knowledge
- not needed by the target role labour legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role leadership principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
35 further entries not listed here
2 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn actuarial science required
- optional, not held legal research optional
Other moves recorded from human resources manager
- equality and inclusion manager 80% covered · adjacent
- pension scheme manager 68% covered · moderate
- public employment service manager 59% covered · moderate
- labour relations officer 59% covered · moderate
- human resources officer 56% covered · moderate
- corporate training manager 51% covered · substantial
- health and safety inspector 44% covered · moderate
- employment agent 43% covered · substantial
Common questions about this move
Can a human resources manager become a pensions administrator?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A human resources manager already covers 41% of what a pensions administrator is expected to do: 9 skills carry over, 7 of which the pensions administrator role treats as required.
What skills does a human resources manager need to become a pensions administrator?
7 required skills are missing, plus 12 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is actuarial science.
How hard is the move from human resources manager to pensions administrator?
Its learning distance is 56.4 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.