BBC Career Opportunities: Pension Systems Development Manager

JOB DETAILS

JOB BAND: E

CONTRACT TYPE: Permanent, Full-time

DEPARTMENT: BBC HR

LOCATION: Cardiff

PROPOSED SALARY RANGE: £80,000 - £95,000 depending on relevant skills, knowledge and experience. The expected salary range for this role reflects internal benchmarking and external market insights.

We're happy to discuss flexible working. If you'd like to, please indicate your preference in the application – though there's no obligation to do so now. Flexible working will be part of the discussion at offer stage.

This role is currently advertised as internal only. Freelancers are eligible to apply if they have been on a Worker Contract (more info here) continuously for 6 months. If less than 6 months (or they have had a break of 3 weeks or more between engagements), they must seek Divisional HR approval to apply.

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

An exciting opportunity for a data and technology professional to join the BBC Pensions and Benefits Centre in Cardiff as Lead Data Engineer. You will lead a team of six, providing coaching, performance management and wellbeing support while fostering a collaborative, high-performing culture. The role oversees pension systems supporting scheme administration, including benefit calculations, data quality, workflows, member communications and annual processing activities. You will also lead technology projects and manage relationships with internal teams and external providers. We are looking for someone with strong knowledge of data management, relational databases, software development and user experience, alongside a passion for people leadership. Hands-on SQL and PL/SQL expertise is essential, with working knowledge of web technologies, automation, APIs, GitHub and Jira to support and develop the team effectively.

WHY JOIN THE TEAM

Join the Pension & Benefits Centre (P&BC), providing in-house administration services to the BBC Pension Scheme, one of the UK's largest occupational pension schemes with around 50,000 members and £13bn in assets. Based in Cardiff, you'll work within a close-knit pensions operations team of around 30 people, supporting the Trustee and Executive of a functionally independent scheme. The role also involves supporting the BBC's wider pension arrangements, including LifePlan and NEST. This is a varied and rewarding opportunity offering significant autonomy, visibility, and the chance to influence pension policy and make a real impact.

YOUR KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND IMPACT:

•    Lead, coach and develop a team of six, driving performance, wellbeing, accountability and knowledge sharing.
•    Own and enhance the pension benefit calculation suite, including Oracle PL/SQL development, testing and actuarial change management.
•    Manage administration system data, ensuring high data quality through measurement, reporting and remediation.
•    Oversee and improve manual and automated workflows to optimise pension administration processes.
•    Own member-facing technology and communications, including the self-service portal, statements, quotations and letters.
•    Deliver pension technology projects, support annual bulk exercises, and ensure reliable business-critical system performance.
•    Lead data protection, cyber security and business continuity activities while driving innovation to improve member experience, reduce risk and increase efficiency.

YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA:

•    Proven leader of technical teams, with strong coaching, mentoring, and people management experience.
•    Excellent communicator, able to engage effectively with both technical specialists and non-technical stakeholders.
•    Strong expertise in SQL, relational databases (ideally Oracle), data analysis, reporting, and data quality management.
•    Experienced in software development, translating complex specifications into tested, secure, and scalable solutions using robust change control practices (e.g., Jira, GitHub).
•    Successful delivery of multiple technology projects, balancing competing priorities while ensuring reliability, security, and regulatory compliance. 

If you can bring some of these skills and experiences, along with transferable strengths, we’d love to hear from you and encourage you to apply.

Before your start date, you may need to disclose any unspent convictions or police charges, in line with our Contracts of Employment policy. This allows us to discuss any support you may need and assess any risks. Failure to disclose may result in the withdrawal of your offer.