Independent Person

Remuneration: Agreed on appointment subject to qualifications, experience and expertise  
Appointment Duration: Fixed Term for 3 years  
Time Commitment:  The expected commitment is approximately 15 days per year      
Location: Civic Centre and other locations from time to time     

The Brent Pension Fund is part of the LGPS and is administered by Brent Council, providing pension benefits to eligible employees and participating employers.

The Pension Fund Sub-Committee oversees investment, funding and administration, supported by the Pension Board, which provides independent scrutiny and oversight. The Fund manages significant long-term assets and works with external advisers, investment managers and the wider LGPS pooling arrangements.

Brent Council is appointing an Independent Person to provide independent expertise and challenge across investment, funding, governance and administration, complementing existing professional advice. This is a new role introduced as part of the government Fit for the Future reforms.  

The Role 

The Independent Person will provide independent professional expertise, scrutiny and constructive challenge across investment, governance, funding and administration. Working closely with the Pension Fund Sub-Committee, Pension Board, Senior LGPS Officer and advisers, the role will support effective governance, regulatory compliance and the Fund’s response to ongoing LGPS reforms.

The role is advisory and non-voting, with no delegated decision-making authority. It will provide independent challenge on strategies, advice, performance, risk management and governance arrangements, complementing rather than replacing the responsibilities of the Fund’s existing governance structures and professional advisers.  

About You

We are looking for an individual with significant pensions experience or relevant professional qualifications or accreditation, such as PMI qualifications or APPT accreditation. Experience gained outside the LGPS will be considered where it provides relevant and transferable expertise.

You will be able to:

• Analyse complex investment, funding, governance and administration matters.
• Understand current issues and developments affecting the LGPS.
• Provide objective, evidence-based challenge and demonstrate independent judgement.
• Communicate complex information clearly to members and stakeholders.
• Build effective relationships while maintaining professional independence.
• Contribute constructively to discussions and decision-making processes.
• Demonstrate high standards of integrity, confidentiality and professionalism.

For more information about the opportunity, the role and criteria to be evidenced in your application, please read our candidate pack: candidate-pack--independent-pension-board.pdf

To apply, please submit your CV as well as a supporting statement which should demonstrate how you meet the criteria set out in the Person Specification. Please ensure that supporting statement is no more than 3 sides in length.

For an informal conversation about this role, or require reasonable adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process please contact Sawan Shah by emailing Sawan.Shah@brent.gov.uk  

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications. If you are interested, we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

Closing date:     Thursday 29 October 2026 (midnight)   
Interview date:   Scheduled for w/c 16 November 2026 (In person)

Brent Council values the diversity of its community and aims to have a workforce that reflects the people we serve. We welcome applications from all sections of the community and encourage applicants to complete the diversity survey section of the application.      
  We are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace where everyone is treated with dignity, respect and fairness. We expect all employees to demonstrate a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and to promote inclusive, non-discriminatory practices in their work. This commitment forms part of our recruitment process, and candidates may be assessed on their understanding of and ability to contribute to an inclusive working environment.   The information we collect from you will be shared with Cifas, who will use it to help prevent fraud and other unlawful or dishonest conduct, malpractice, and other seriously improper conduct. Further details on how your information will be used by Brent and Cifas, and your data protection rights can be found here.   As a Disability Confident employer, we guarantee an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role. This includes people with hidden disabilities, long-term health conditions, diagnoses and mental health conditions. We also guarantee an interview to care-experienced applicants who meet the essential criteria. Information shared for this purpose will be treated fairly and used only to confirm eligibility under these schemes.   If you need reasonable adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process, please contact recruitment@brent.gov.uk.