Job Summary: SIPP/SSAS Specialist Technician

JohnstonGreer is recruiting a Specialist Technician for a well-established pensions firm in Glasgow. This is a high-level technical role designed to serve as the “regulatory engine” for the SIPP (Self-Invested Personal Pension) and SSAS (Small Self-Administered Scheme) departments.

Unlike a client-facing account manager, your focus will be on the integrity of the schemes, ensuring every investment and enquiry aligns with complex HMRC regulations and pension legislation.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Advisory: Resolve the most complex SIPP and SSAS enquiries escalated by advisors, clients, and internal account managers.
Investment Compliance: Rigorously vet proposed investments (including commercial property and unlisted shares) to ensure they fall within strict regulatory boundaries.
Legislative Watch: Maintain “subject matter expert” status on all current and historic pension legislation, providing guidance on how changes impact existing portfolios.
Process Governance: Audit and refine internal systems and workflows to ensure 100% adherence to evolving regulatory requirements.
Rectification Planning: Design and execute action plans to bring non-compliant scenarios back into line, minimizing risk for the firm and the client.
Knowledge Transfer: Develop and deliver technical training to internal teams to raise the standard of product and regulation knowledge across the department.

Role Details

Salary: £40,000 – £48,000 (plus a comprehensive benefits package).
Location: Glasgow (City Centre / Specialist Provider).
Basis: Permanent, Full-time.
Sector: Financial Services / Specialist Pensions.

Candidate Requirements

Essential:

Daily Technical Exposure: You must currently be working in a technical capacity with SIPP and/or SSAS arrangements.
Deep Sector Knowledge: Strong understanding of the full lifecycle of self-invested products, including HMRC contribution limits, benefits, and investment rules.
Experience Environment: Background working within a Pensions Consultancy or a dedicated Provider environment.
Legislative Fluency: Comfortable navigating both current and historic legislation to solve complex client issues.

The Technical Filter: SIPP vs. SSAS

In this role, you act as the final checkpoint for scheme compliance. While both products allow for investment flexibility, the regulatory nuances differ significantly, particularly regarding scheme members and borrowing rules.

Why this is a “Career Grade” Role

Pure Technical Focus: This is an ideal move for a Senior Administrator or Consultant who loves the “black and white” of legislation and wants to move away from direct client portfolio management into a specialist support role.
Growth Environment: The department is expanding due to consistent growth, suggesting a stable environment with potential for future leadership or consultancy paths.
High Level of Autonomy: As the “Technician,” your expertise will be the final word on many complex investment and compliance matters.

Application Tip: Focus on “Non-Standard” Assets

Since SIPP and SSAS technical roles often hinge on complex investments, highlight your experience with non-standard assets:

Commercial Property: Mention your experience with property acquisition, borrowing, and environmental/valuation vetting.
HMRC Interaction: If you have experience dealing directly with HMRC reporting or resolving “Scheme Sanction Charges,” make sure this is prominent in your CV.

Training Experience: Since the role involves internal training, provide an example of how you simplified a complex legislative change (e.g., the abolition of the LTA) for your colleagues.

JohnstonGreer is a highly specialized recruitment consultancy that has been a fixture in the UK financial services landscape since 2006. With directors who have operated in the niche markets of Pensions, Actuarial, and Wealth Management since 1994, the firm is known for its deep technical understanding and an “insider” approach to recruitment. Based in Scotland with a strong operational hub in Glasgow, JohnstonGreer distinguishes itself by hiring consultants who have often worked directly within the industries they now recruit for, ensuring a peer-to-peer level of expertise that high-net-worth and technical firms prioritize.

Culture and Methodology

The firm’s culture is defined by professionalism, discretion, and longevity. Unlike high-volume “CV-mill” agencies, JohnstonGreer operates a consultative model where transparency is paramount; they only submit tailored candidate profiles after extensive technical discussions and explicit permission. This relationship-driven approach has earned them exclusive recruitment rights with many of the UK’s leading financial brands, often granting their candidates access to “hidden” vacancies that are never publicly advertised.

Key Company Highlights

Feature	Details
Specialization	Pensions (SIPP/SSAS), Actuarial, Wealth Management, and Mortgages
Glasgow Presence	Key hub for Scottish Financial Services & Insurance mandates
Core Heritage	Established 2006; Directors active in niche markets since 1994
Market Edge	Consultants are industry veterans with first-hand technical experience
Service Model	Permanent placements only, focused on high-quality technical matching

Specialist Recruitment Verticals

JohnstonGreer is particularly dominant in several highly technical sub-sectors within the Glasgow and wider Scottish markets:

Pensions & Employee Benefits: One of the UK’s leading recruiters for SIPP/SSAS Technicians, Scheme Administrators (DB/DC), and Employee Benefit Consultants.
Wealth Management & IFA: Sourcing Chartered Financial Planners, Paraplanners, and technical support staff for national wealth managers and boutique IFAs.
Actuarial & Investment: Managing roles from Part-Qualified Analysts to Chief Actuaries and Fund Management Assistants.
Mortgage & Protection: Connecting experienced Mortgage Administrators and Brokers with established Glasgow-based brokerages.

To apply for this job please visit johnstongreer.co.uk.