Director, Pension Policy

ABOUT UPP
UPP is the first pension plan of its kind in Ontario’s university sector, proudly serving over 40,000 members across four universities and fourteen sector organizations. Our purpose is to bring greater retirement peace of mind to the university sector by investing with integrity and serving members with care. As a sector-wide plan designed for growth, our doors are open to all Ontario universities.
Together, we’re a team of progressive thinkers and agile doers operating within a fast-paced culture of collaboration and respect. We believe in bringing smart and capable people together to create, solve and grow with a clear shared vision and values of integrity, inclusivity, ingenuity, and impact.
Our culture is intentionally welcoming and purposefully rooted in equity, diversity, inclusion, and reconciliation (EDIR). We believe diverse teams, perspectives, and lived experiences contribute to better decisions and a better workplace.
As a long-term investor, we recognize that environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) factors support risk management and value creation. As stated in our Responsible Investing Policy, we are committed to incorporating ESG considerations into our investment management activities and we collaborate with other industry participants in the promotion of a sustainable economy and society.
Join us in building a bright future for our members, our organization, and each other.
THE ROLE
Reporting to the Managing Director, Pension Services, the Director, Pension Policy will create the strategic direction for and lead the delivery of pension policies, administrative procedures and regulatory services. The role is responsible for overseeing the research, development and implementation of a comprehensive pension plan policy, regulatory, knowledge management and education program for UPP.
This role will also liaise with federal and provincial regulators and will lead the drafting of plan amendments.
This role is based in downtown Toronto under a hybrid work policy, allowing employees the flexibility to work remotely and in-office (approximately two days per week in-office).
SPECIFIC ACCOUNTABILITIES
Policy Development
- Accountable for building out and maintaining pension policies, plan interpretations and administrative procedures, ensuring alignment with legislative requirements, industry best practices and business processes that translate complex technical information into clear, concise and user-friendly operational directions.
- Lead the development of an accessible, centralized and web-based knowledge management repository of pension rules, procedures and related information.
- Accountable for UPP plan amendments for new participating employers, compliance and policy updates, and improving administrative efficiency.
- Maintain and continuously improve Pension Services Policies and Frameworks with accompanying oversight and monitoring processes that reflect best practices and meet the needs of internal business partners.
- Perform due diligence and research on ad hoc topics arising in the pension services portfolio and provide recommendations to the Managing Director, Pension Services.
- Interface with internal and external partners to stay informed of regulatory developments.

Knowledge Management and Education
- Establish and operationalize a knowledge management repository to document Plan interpretations, administrative decisions and administrative rules for all UPP schedules of benefits.
- In collaboration with Data and Technology, ensure the knowledge management repository is built to leverage artificial intelligence capabilities following UPP’s enterprise AI framework.
- Translate organizational strategies into effective and efficient business operations.
- Lead the Training and Education team accountable for the training roadmap for internal team members, members and employers. Maintain accurate, up-to-date training and education materials to ensure effective operational performance across the division.

Strategic Planning
- Design and implement a Pension Policy model that delivers innovative, cost-effective and exceptional services to multiple lines of business at UPP.
- Design a service delivery model that is flexible and scalable to UPP’s current and future plan design and business needs.
- Support the development of UPP’s sector growth objectives.
- Accountable for delivering divisional results and meeting or exceeding our scorecard metrics by managing divisional resources and work inventory.

Team Leadership
- Manage and mentor a team, fostering a collaborative and high-performing work environment.
- Lead a team to conduct comprehensive research and analysis on pension trends, regulatory changes, university sector trends and economic factors impacting the pension plan.
- Coach, educate and manage pension policy within the organization to promote the adoption of compliance and best practices.
- Embrace ongoing change management with each new participat