Principal Pensions Systems Development Specialist - UPM

Principal Pensions Systems Development Specialist - UPM Remote/Hybrid Working with 2 days in Preston, LancashireFully Home working contracts for candidates living 50+ miles from our offices in Preston, with occasional travel to Preston required.Salary circa £50k DOE 37 hours a week A glance at the role: An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Systems development specialist to join our growing Technology and Innovation department in our Applications Team.You will report in to the Systems Development Manager, using your knowledge and experience to lead on the development of the current Pension System, suggesting and implementing improvements to ensure it meets our requirements as a successful third-party administration organisation.This is a fantastic opportunity to join our fast paced, collaborative and customer focused business. You will join a friendly, welcoming and sociable work culture where there are many opportunities for continuous personal and professional development where you will be supported to reach your full potential.A bit about us: Local Pensions Partnership Administration (LPPA) is one of the UK’s leading pension administration companies. We strive to deliver the best experience for over 2,100 employers and more than 700,000 members of Local Government, Police and Firefighter pension schemes, keeping them fully informed about their pensions whilst working closely with employers to continuously educate and support them.What we can offer you:- Attractive salary of circa £50k DOE- 25 days’ holiday, plus bank holidays and 2 additional concessionary days and 1⁄2 day for your Birthday, with the ability to 'buy and sell leave- Access to an excellent pension scheme (Local Government Pension Scheme) with generous employer contributions- Access to Health or Dental Plan- Access to our Enhanced Employee Assistance Programme for when you might need some support- The opportunity to earn through our Employee Referral Scheme- Access to our bespoke Reward Discount Scheme - 'Your Perk Site’- Opportunities to attend Wellbeing webinars and social events- Daily free fruit and snacks available to you in our office- Free Car Parking in Preston Town Centre What you’ll be doing:- Take the lead on complex developments within UPM- Work with project teams to introduce new features and processes- Liaison with pension administration teams to identify improvements in processes and procedures to deliver the benefits of the pension system- Responsible for change management as part of the LPPA Methodology- Specifically, within UPM:- Proficient in SQL to enable development of BDIs processes- Development of workflows for LGPS, Fire and Police schemes, providing guidance to the business on improvements via automation and bulk processing- Development of standard letters, working with administration and project teams on standardisation of communications- Configuration and development of the employer and member websites, suggesting improvements to the product and extending use of self-service and automation- Create ad-hoc SQL reports using in-built tools and SSRS- 2nd/3rd Level Support for the Support team for complex issues- Provide Development Handover to the Support Team- Support Mentor/Provide Training for BAU/Support Team- Take the lead on Identifying Improvements- Keep up to date with latest UPM developments and best practice- UPM Version Control/Configuration Management- System/Training Documentation Version Control- Liaison with Test Manager co-ordinating updates of environments- Liaise with other schemes using UPM to share knowledge and suggest improvements to Civica- Representation on Working Groups- Representation on UPM Internal Group- Comply with LPPA’s Data Protection and Information Security policies and any relevant GDPR legislation What we need from you:- Practical experience in the support and development of workflows in a pension administration system, ideally UPM- The ability to evaluate issues and challenge effectively to create and deliver solutions that improve processes and attitudes within a team environment, including logical thinking and problem-solving skills- The ability to take the lead on complex changes providing a range of solutions- To encourage best practice within the team, taking ownership of issues and suggesting improvements to workflows- To support team members with less experience, nurturing their development- Display excellent verbal and written communication skills, be able to use evidence and knowledge to support accurate, expert decisions and advice to support LPPA objectives- Attention to detail and innovative thinking skills- Self-motivated, decisive, with the ability to adapt to change and competing demands- Ability to represent the LPPA at external meetings and working groups- Confident and comfortable in implementing and driving change in a team within a dynamic work environment to deliver results- Proven ability to work effectively on own initiative whilst promoting positive behaviour and attitudes- Demonstrable ability to plan workloads, ensuring deadlines are met- Always committed to providing great customer service- Resilient and people centric at all times Nice to Have:- Proficient in SQL