Pensions administrator to pension scheme manager
A pensions administrator already meets 34% of what the pension scheme manager role asks for. The move turns on 18 required skills not yet in the profile.
70.1/ 100
1 How much of what a pension scheme manager is expected to do is already part of a pensions administrator’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 pension scheme manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A pension scheme manager role treats 9 of its required skills as things a pensions administrator already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advise on social security benefits
- analyse financial risk
- communicate with beneficiaries
- comply with legal regulations
- develop pension schemes
- government social security programmes
What stands in the way is 18 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 18 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A pension scheme manager role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a pensions administrator background worth leading with.
- already held develop pension schemes management skills
- already held communicate with beneficiaries communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held manage pension funds management skills
- already held promote social security programmes communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held types of pensions business, administration and law
- already held advise on social security benefits communication, collaboration and creativity
All 18 carried skills, including the 9 the pension scheme manager role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 33 missing skills fall into 5 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 develop employee retention programs required
- still to learn apply strategic thinking required
- still to learn coordinate operational activities required
- still to learn identify necessary human resources required
- still to learn manage budgets required
- still to learn organise staff assessment required
- still to learn plan medium to long term objectives required
- optional, not held develop financial products optional
- optional, not held develop training programmes optional
- optional, not held manage payroll optional
- still to learn employment law required
- still to learn human resources department processes required
- still to learn labour legislation required
- optional, not held principles of insurance optional
- optional, not held financial markets optional
- optional, not held financial products optional
- optional, not held human resource management optional
- optional, not held types of insurance optional
- still to learn evaluate training required
- still to learn monitor legislation developments required
- still to learn track key performance indicators required
- optional, not held maintain financial records optional
- optional, not held monitor company policy optional
- still to learn promote gender equality in business contexts required
- still to learn apply company policies required
- still to learn identify with the company's goals required
- still to learn analyse insurance needs required
- still to learn liaise with managers required
- optional, not held negotiate employment agreements optional
- optional, not held negotiate with employment agencies optional
- optional, not held promote financial products optional
- optional, not held develop professional network optional
- optional, not held establish collaborative relations optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a pension scheme manager role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 develop employee retention programs practise this
- 02 promote gender equality in business contexts practise this
- 03 analyse insurance needs 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 18 skills that carry over
- already held advise on social security benefits skill
- already held analyse financial risk skill
- already held communicate with beneficiaries skill
- already held comply with legal regulations skill
- already held develop pension schemes skill
- already held government social security programmes knowledge
- already held handle financial transactions skill
- already held social security law knowledge
- already held types of pensions knowledge
- already held corporate social responsibility knowledge
- already held ensure information transparency skill
- already held legal research knowledge
- already held manage financial risk skill
- already held manage pension funds skill
- already held obtain financial information skill
- already held promote social security programmes skill
- already held provide support in financial calculation skill
- already held synthesise financial information skill
15 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held develop financial products optional
- optional, not held develop training programmes optional
- optional, not held negotiate employment agreements optional
- optional, not held negotiate with employment agencies optional
- optional, not held principles of insurance optional
- optional, not held promote financial products optional
- optional, not held develop professional network optional
- optional, not held establish collaborative relations optional
- optional, not held financial markets optional
- optional, not held financial products optional
- optional, not held human resource management optional
- optional, not held maintain financial records optional
- optional, not held manage payroll optional
- optional, not held monitor company policy optional
- optional, not held types of insurance optional
10 held skills the pension scheme manager role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role actuarial science knowledge
- not needed by the target role apply technical communication skills skill
- not needed by the target role calculate employee benefits skill
- not needed by the target role handle financial disputes skill
- not needed by the target role investigate social security applications skill
- not needed by the target role maintain records of financial transactions skill
- not needed by the target role protect client interests skill
- not needed by the target role provide financial product information skill
- not needed by the target role trace financial transactions skill
- not needed by the target role use IT tools skill
8 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 employment law required
- still to learn human resources department processes required
- still to learn labour legislation required
- optional, not held principles of insurance optional
- optional, not held financial markets optional
- optional, not held financial products optional
- optional, not held human resource management optional
- optional, not held types of insurance optional
Common questions about this move
Can a pensions administrator become a pension scheme manager?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A pensions administrator already covers 34% of what a pension scheme manager is expected to do: 18 skills carry over, 9 of which the pension scheme manager role treats as required.
What skills does a pensions administrator need to become a pension scheme manager?
18 required skills are missing, plus 15 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by management skills. The single most important is develop employee retention programs.
How hard is the move from pensions administrator to pension scheme manager?
Its learning distance is 70.1 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.