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About Police Federation of England & Wales

 

When you join the Police Federation of England and Wales, you will be part of a non-for-profit organisation that serves more than 139,000 rank and file police officers in the political and personal arena. You will work with experts in policing, motivated colleagues, and front-line officers to position the organisation as the undisputed voice of policing.

 

If you enjoy working in a challenging and complex environment, connecting with a diverse range of people, Police Federation of England & Wales is a great place to work.

 

Primary Function

 

• To provide information, advice and guidance to all levels of the Federation on pensions and other work-related issues, especially with regard to remuneration
• Provide comprehensive policy advice and support to the National Secretary and others on the terms and conditions of service of police officers
• Advise in respect of Ill Health Retirement (IHR) queries

 

Key Responsibilities

 

• Provide comprehensive policy support to the National Secretary on pensions and related matters, providing legal advice and support with the support of PFEW Policy Support department
• An understanding of the relevant statutory rubric and advising in relation to police ill-health cases, the grant of Injury on Duty awards and Regulation 37 reviews and knowledge and experience of conducting cases through the statutory appeals process (Police Medical Appeal Board), appeals to the crown court, and, where relevant, judicial reviews, is essential to the role
• Identify and interpret the implications of all possible policy position scenarios for specific issues that the PFEW is consulting on / responding to, taking into account the context for policy such as political, economic and legal considerations, and gender equality and work-life balance issues, to enable the provision of informed advice as to what the PFEW stance should be on a range of pensions related issues
• Scrutinise changes to Regulations and Determinations, and to Home Office Guidance, and provide professional advice as to appropriate content that is consistent with existing Regulations and Determinations, and with the discussions with stakeholders (held at the Scheme Advisory Board and other meetings)
• Monitor Remedy implementation and advise the NSO of any issues that need to be communicated to the wider membership
• Ensure PFEW website is updated with current pension position
• Prepare papers for submission to and assess and prepare responses to proposals from the Government and external bodies
• Liaise with Home Office officials on pensions issues
• Liaise with the Federation’s solicitors on pensions and other employment issues
• Seek specialist advice as appropriate, including managing the input of external consultants such as solicitors and actuaries and assess and disseminate the output from this work
• Assimilate and record advice from a range of external and internal sources on pensions and other conditions of service
• Attend high level and senior meetings on behalf of the PFEW, making specific recommendations to the National Secretary and others about what the PFEW stance should be, based on previous information and the current political climate
• Prepare technically detailed correspondence, briefing papers, and other documents as necessary in a user-friendly format to support the National Secretary in meetings, presentations and written submissions to the Police Consultative Forum, Police Advisory Board, PRRB, and TWGs
• Prepare briefings for the National Board which are focused to achieve specific aims, clearly explaining their recommendations and rationale for making them
• Assist and attend quarterly update National Board meeting on current pension issues
• Assess and prepare responses to suggested changes to pensions made by the NPCC, Home Office and others
• Plan own work, and lead on input to the Scheme Advisory Board and associated TWGs
• Provide pensions input to the Senior Policy Officer who is the technical lead on the PAB
• Ensure that the department’s files on terms and conditions matters (other than pensions) are kept up-to-date and can be accessed readily for all information about policy stances decided to date
• Liaise with the other stakeholders in policing as appropriate
• Draft circulars and other correspondence on behalf of the General Secretary
• Liaise with the Claims department regarding relevant cases and positions taken and attend inter departmental meetings. Recommend improvements to the management of Pension claims, reducing external spend where possible
• Respond to queries on the interpretation of Regulations and Determinations from Branch Board Chairs and Secretaries. This to be mainly pensions queries: but not exclusively so, and it is important to be able to answer a range of queries to maintain department resilience
• Support upskilling of the local Branches and Representatives to assist in improving the end-to-end process and service

 

                                                                                                                

Key Skills & Experience

 

• Qualified to degree level, with a professional legal qualification and registration with the relevant regulatory body (SRA, CILEX or equivalent) and 2 years minimum PQE in Pensions law
• Knowledge and experience of the criminal police pension process and of the various appeal arrangements, including relevant court procedure
• A knowledge and experience of related areas of police law such as Regulation 28, , ill-health retirement and injury on duty processes the Unsatisfactory Performance and Attendance Regulations would be useful
• A high degree of interpersonal and communication skills (both written and verbal) and the good ability to make complex legal matters accessible to non-lawyers be proactive in identifying what is required during consultations on documents provided by the Home Office and others
• be able to demonstrate sound judgement and skills in decision-making, and develop these within the bounds of the post, and be aware of the limits of their own authority
• have the ability to work in partnership with and influence a range of contacts, both internal and external, to achieve the highest possible benefit to the Federation and its members
• have an excellent working knowledge of the Regulations and Determinations that apply to police officers
• Experience of working in public sector, knowledge of police pension regulations and associated case law is desirable
• Experience of working successfully as part of a team or independently and with limited supervision, together with a strong ability to plan and prioritise work effectively

 

 

What PFEW will offer you

 

We offer multiple benefits to our HQ employees including: flexible working, hybrid working, competitive salary, private healthcare, enhanced pension contribution, enhanced leave, employee assistance program, onsite free lunches and refreshments, free onsite gym, free onsite parking, 26 days holiday (increasing with length of service), mental health clinics, support for continuous professional development, employee discounts and more….

 

 

Interview Process

 

• Telephone Interview with Talent Acquisition Lead
• Take home assessment
• Virtual Interview with Staff Alignment Development Lead and Head of Strategy, Risk, Policy and Research  

 

*Please note that these duties and responsibilities are not exhaustive and may be changed from time to time in line with the reasonable requirements of the Police Federation and as directed by the line manager, on behalf of the Head of Department.

 

CV needed? Yes
Cover letter needed? Optional
Document: See job profile