Project Manager

At Smart, our mission is to transform retirement, savings and financial wellbeing, across all generations, around the world.

THE ROLE

We are seeking a dynamic and results-driven Project Manager to lead the effective delivery of change into the Smart Pension Master Trust (SPMT). The successful candidate will play a key role in leading the effective delivery of change, ensuring projects are completed on time, within scope and in accordance with business strategy and regulatory requirements. This includes:

• Leading local initiatives specifically for the SPMT.

• Managing SPMT product changes through cross-entity collaboration.

• Leading workstreams within broader strategic business initiatives.

As a Project Manager you will be responsible for overseeing the scope, planning, delivery and communication of SPMT change. Ensuring projects are organised, tracked and reported consistently so that management has visibility of progress, risks, budget, resourcing and benefit realisation. The successful candidate will be an organised, analytical thinker capable of converting strategic visions into an actionable plan. A focus on cross-functional and third-party collaboration is vital for managing multi-disciplinary workstreams and ensuring that all project outcomes transition smoothly into daily operations, upholding our commitment to service excellence and operational efficiency.

Responsibilities:

• Sets direction through project governance and oversees all elements of the project delivery.

• Align project scope and risks with core change drivers and the broader UK strategy to ensure high-quality member outcomes.

• Gives direction and manages business readiness for propositional, operational, regulatory and technology change.

• Coordinate resources and set baseline standards to confirm that all readiness criteria are met prior to "go live" approval.

• Manage and update project documentation, including status reports, RAID logs and detailed plans for several concurrent projects.

• Track milestones and deadlines, providing senior management with early visibility into emerging issues or risks.

• Cultivate relationships with internal stakeholders and third parties to align deliverables with requirements and facilitate a smooth transition to BAU operations.

• Organise project meetings, develop agendas and monitor action items to drive efficient resolution.

• Generate governance reporting, dashboards and management information for senior leadership review.

• Embed a data-led approach, utilising KPIs to substantiate business cases, inform strategic decisions and measure project delivery against intended outcomes.

• Facilitate the integration of new initiatives into the Change framework while maintaining compliance with internal standards.

• Improve change delivery through the development of enhanced tooling, templates and processes.

• Utilise internal communication channels to promote project success and share delivery updates with the wider organisation.
  

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

The skills, experience, and aptitudes we are looking for are listed below but please don’t be discouraged from applying if you don’t meet every single one of these criteria – having a ‘can do’ attitude is sometimes more important than being able to tick every box:

• Project management experience.

• A recognised project management qualification or willing to study (e.g. PRINCE2 Foundation, APM PMQ, PMP).

• Experience working within DC pensions, financial services or professional services sector.

• Familiarity with pensions legislation, scheme governance or regulatory frameworks (e.g. TPR, HMRC) desirable.

• Professional and accountability, projects credibility.

• Prepared to roll sleeves up and respond to changing business needs.

• Strong interpersonal and influencing skills.

• Creative problem solver with strong analytical and decision making skills.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with high attention to detail. Ability to produce clear reports and correspondence for senior audiences.

• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines simultaneously.

• Resolves issues using commercial and business awareness.

• Proficiency in project management tools such as Confluence, Jira or equivalent.

WHO WE ARE

We work in partnerships with governments and financial institutions in the UK and internationally. Our cloud-native digital platform is revolutionising how people around the world think about, and save for, their retirement.

At heart, we’re a financial technology business. What we do is all about innovation, and using the power of digital change to put the customer first. Our Engineers will tell you that working at Smart gives you the opportunity to play your part in developing world-class technological solutions, working with – and learning from – like-minded people.

You’ll also find that, across our business, our colleagues love Smart’s culture, and how what we do means better financial outcomes for savers. That feels worthwhile, and it means that what we do, collectively, goes way beyond the nine to five of a typical working day.

Don’t just take our word for it – you can see what our colleagues say about working at Smart on  LinkedIn Life and Glassdoor .

BENEFITS

At Smart, one of the eight principles we work to is “We want happy and good people in our team”. We created a list of benefits that helps us achieve this goal:

• 25 days’ holiday per year, increasing with length of service.

• £500 annual training budget to spend on your professional development.

• Extensive private healthcare, including dental, eyecare and EAP.

• Enhanced sick leave (three months’ pay per year).

• Enhanced maternity and paternity (maternity – 6 months fully paid/paternity – 3 weeks fully paid).

• Death in service insurance cover.

• Fully-paid five-week sabbatical after five years of employment.

• In office wellbeing, such as manicures, massages and barbers. 

• Smart employees also enjoy a 50% discount on orders from our sister company Arena Flowers, Britain's most ethical florist. They offer unique hand-tied bouquets, luxury flowers, letterbox flowers, plants and gifts to spend on friends and loved ones or even for yourself.

At Smart, we are committed to creating an inclusive and equitable workplace where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to do their best work.

We believe that diverse perspectives help us lead the way in transforming retirement, savings, and financial wellbeing. We welcome differences in background, experience, thinking, and identity, and we recognise that innovation is strongest when it is built on inclusion and fairness. We encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and experiences and do not discriminate on the basis of any protected characteristic.

If you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process or in the workplace, we encourage you to let us know - we are committed to supporting you.

We think Smart is an awesome place to work. If it sounds like somewhere you’d like to work, too, and if you’re ready to play your part in our continued success in the future, then naturally we’d love to meet you.