Description Are you an experienced senior operations leader ready to deliver high-quality outcomes for public sector pension customers as Chief Operating Officer at the Scottish Public Pensions Agency? The Scottish Public Pensions Agency (SPPA) is an Agency of the Scottish Government with just over 400 staff. Our principal role is to administer the pensions for employees in the National Health Service, Teachers’, Police and Fire-fighters’ pension schemes in Scotland. The Agency administers these pension schemes which have over 500,000 members and an annual pension spend of almost £6 billion. As our Chief Operating Officer, you’ll report directly to the Chief Executive, working closely with the Agency’s Executive Team and leading a department of approx 220 staff, accountable for helping to deliver our Annual Business Plan and corporate objectives. In this critical and high impact senior role, you will be raising the bar on engagement and service standards, focused on providing the best experience for customers. Responsibilities Ensure that end-to-end service delivery consistently meets customer requirements. You will be accountable for making sure payments are accurate and on time, while driving innovation and continuous improvement to enhance the overall customer experience. Foster a culture of engagement and high service standards, working to improve job quality and the day-to-day experience for your colleagues. Promote wellbeing, development, and empowerment, ensuring everyone’s contribution is valued. You’ll also support specialists and help build resilience, succession, and talent pathways across the organisation. Lead and improve operational delivery and customer services, implementing joined-up, customer-focused processes. Redesign services to boost efficiency and effectiveness, manage complex agendas with creativity and pace, and inspire large teams to deliver high performance in a dynamic environment. Oversee an operations area of around 220 staff, ensuring high-quality, cost-effective service delivery to a wide range of internal and external customers. This includes providing excellent, proactive service to 350,000 scheme members, 170,000 pensioners, and 1,200 employer organisations. Ensure pensions are administered in full compliance with Scheme rules. You will handle all queries and complaints promptly, accurately, and courteously, always within agreed timescales, maintaining high standards of service and professionalism. Develop and implement customer engagement strategies and operational plans aligned with the agency’s business and corporate strategies. Set and evaluate performance objectives, ensure compliance with all relevant regulations, and build strong relationships with suppliers, employers, and Pension Boards. You’ll also report regularly to Ministers, the Management Advisory Board, and the Scottish Parliament. Manage risk and compliance within the operations function and resolve complaints efficiently. Lead workforce development strategies to improve performance and wellbeing, ensuring your teams are motivated, engaged, and supported. As a member of the Executive Team, you’ll contribute to corporate priorities, manage financial resources responsibly, and act as the designated senior officer in the absence of the Chief Executive Officer. This role has line management responsibilities. Responsibilities Success Profile Success profiles are specific to each job and they include the mix of skills, experience and behaviours candidates will be assessed on. Technical / Professional Skills: Connections and Communication - Practitioner Data and Insight - Practitioner You can find out more about the skills required here Experience: Proven experience working in a senior leadership role where you have ensured the consistent delivery of a high quality customer services function in a pensions or financial services environment. Behaviours: Seeing the Bigger Picture - level 4 Leadership - level 4 Making Effective Decisions - level 4 Managing a Quality Service - level 4 You can find out more about Success Profiles Behaviours, here: Behaviour levels - Success profiles: candidate guide - gov.scot How to apply Apply online, providing a CV and Supporting Statement (of no more than 1000 words) which provides evidence of how you meet the skills, experience and behaviours listed in the Success Profile above. If invited for further assessment, this will consist of an interview and presentation. Assessments are scheduled for w/c 25 August 2025 however this may be subject to change. Interview and assessment are expected to take place in person on site at SPPA, 7 Tweedside Park, Tweedbank, Galashiels, TD1 3TE. Qualifications About Us The Scottish Public Pensions Agency is an Agency of the Scottish Government. Our principal role is to administer the pensions for employees in the National Health Service, Teachers’, Police and Fire-fighters’ pension schemes in Scotland for over 500,000 key workers. The Agency administers these public service pension schemes on behalf of Scottish Ministers with an annual pension spend to over 200,000 pensioners to the value of more than £2.5 billion. SPPA Careers | SPPA (pensions.gov.scot ) Civil Service Nationality Rules Working Pattern Our standard hours are 35 hours per week. We offer a range of flexible and hybrid working options, with two days minimum working on site at SPPA. If you have specific questions about the role you are applying for, please contact us. Equality Statement We are committed to equality and inclusion and we aim to recruit a diverse workforce that reflects the population of our nation. Find out more about our commitment to diversity and how we offer and support recruitment adjustments for anyone who needs them. Further Information Find out more about our organisation, what we offer staff members and how to apply on our Careers Website. Read our Candidate Guide for further information on our recruitment and application processes. Apply Before: 7th August 2025 (23:59) - This role is open to internal candidates and Common Citizenship organisations only.