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Director of Governance, Risk & Legal (Monitoring Officer)

Location: London (hybrid)
Salary: £130,000 - £150,000pa (depending on experience)

The London Pensions Fund Authority (LPFA) is seeking an exceptional legal and governance leader to join its Senior Leadership Team as Director of Governance, Risk & Legal and statutory Monitoring Officer. This is a pivotal role at the heart of the organisation, providing strategic leadership, assurance and expert advice to enable the LPFA to deliver its purpose and long-term objectives.

About the role

Reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer, you will lead the Governance, Risk and Legal Directorate and hold individual and collective accountability for the delivery of the LPFA’s priorities. As a trusted adviser to the Board, committees and senior leadership, you will ensure the organisation operates within a robust legal, governance and risk framework, fully compliant with legislation, regulatory requirements and best practice.

You will oversee all legal services, providing pragmatic, high-quality advice on complex public sector and pensions-related matters, while managing organisational risk frameworks and ensuring effective board and committee governance. Acting as the LPFA’s Monitoring Officer under Section 5 of the Local Government Housing Act 1989, you will play a critical role in upholding ethical standards, transparency and sound decision-making across the organisation.

This role also has a strong forward-looking focus, supporting organisational change and transformation, modernising governance practices and helping prepare the LPFA to meet future challenges in an evolving pensions and regulatory landscape.

Key responsibilities

• Provide strategic legal and governance advice to the Board, committees and senior leadership.
• Lead and oversee organisational risk management frameworks and assurance arrangements.
• Ensure effective operation and support of the Board, Local Pension Board and committees.
• Maintain compliance with pensions, governance, data protection and regulatory requirements.
• Act as Monitoring Officer and oversee the Data Protection Officer function.
• Lead, develop and inspire a high-performing, multidisciplinary team.
• Contribute fully to the collective leadership and strategic direction of the LPFA.

About you

You will be a qualified solicitor or barrister with significant post-qualification experience, bringing deep expertise in public sector law, governance and pensions. Ideally, you will have experience gained within a Local Authority and/or a pension fund environment, giving you a strong understanding of public sector decision-making, democratic governance and the regulatory framework surrounding public service pensions.

You will have a strong understanding of the Monitoring Officer role, excellent judgement, and the credibility to influence at Board and executive level. An inclusive and collaborative leader, you will be comfortable working at pace, managing complexity and providing clear, pragmatic advice on sensitive and high-impact issues.

Why join the LPFA?

The LPFA is a unique and purpose-driven organisation, responsible for managing and safeguarding pension benefits for tens of thousands of members. We combine a strong public service ethos with a modern, professional and ambitious approach to pensions administration and investment governance.

Joining the LPFA means working at the forefront of public sector pensions, in an organisation that values integrity, expertise and innovation. You will have genuine influence at the highest level, shaping governance, risk and legal strategy in a complex and evolving environment. This is a rare opportunity to make a lasting impact, contribute to meaningful outcomes for members and stakeholders, and play a key role in the future direction of a respected and forward-thinking organisation.

If you are looking for a senior leadership role where your expertise will truly matter, and where you can help set the standard for good governance in the public sector, we would welcome your application. Please apply directly, or if you would like to discuss the opportunity in more detail, then reach out to thomas@mlcpartners.co.uk.

For more information on how we collect and use candidate data, please read this document.

The deadline for applications is midnight on Sunday 8 February 2026.

We are committed to being an employer of choice. We aim to provide a stimulating and rewarding work environment that encourages our employees to work together, provides opportunities for them to reach their full potential and achieve a healthy work/life balance. We offer all our employees a range of great benefits which we constantly refresh as we grow. Some benefits are subject to a successful probationary period, and some are available from the day you join the LPFA. Our key benefits are listed below: 

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YOUR WORK LIFE BALANCE  

In recognition of the importance of a positive work/life balance, we aim to provide a flexible and agile working environment and a range of other benefits. These include: 

Hybrid working  

• We are committed to hybrid working and believe that flexible working can increase employee motivation, promote work/life balance, enrich employee wellbeing, and improve performance and productivity. We ask that our employees are in the office for a minimum of two to three days a week, however some colleagues work more flexibly with the agreement of their line manager. 

Annual leave 

• As well as UK bank holidays, employees receive a minimum of 25 days’ holiday each year. There is also an opportunity to buy or sell up to five days’ leave per year (pro-rata if part-time) and up to a further two discretionary concessionary days may be awarded against specific dates. 

Family leave (subject to qualifying conditions) 

• We are committed to supporting our staff during and after pregnancy, adoption or shared parental leave, so we offer a flexible approach for expecting, fostering and adopting parents. This includes enhanced discretionary maternity and statutory parental pay, as well as certain provisions for those adopting, fostering or undergoing IVF treatment. 

CSSC sports and leisure membership (only available to civil service and public sector workers) 

• Save with a CSSC membership on hundreds of partners or access exclusive discounts on thousands of your favourite retailers, gyms, attractions and venues.   

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YOUR FINANCES 

We want to help employees save for the future and manage the costs of the present. 

Pension 

• If you work for us, you will be enrolled in the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS). This is one of the largest public sector pension schemes in the UK with over six million members. 

• It is a defined benefit pension scheme (also known as DB pension scheme) which means your pension is based on your salary and how long you pay into the scheme. In contrast to a defined contribution pension scheme, your DB pension is not affected by how well investments perform.  

• The LGPS provides you with a secure and guaranteed income every year when you stop working.  

• Employee contributions vary depending on salary and you can find more details about benefits and contribution rates at the official LGPS website. 

Additional Voluntary Contributions 

• You can pay Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVCs), where a separate fund is created to enhance your LGPS benefits.   

Cycle to Work scheme with Cycle Solutions  

• You can hire or buy a bike or bike accessories through Cycle Solutions and make the repayments through salary sacrifice.  

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YOUR CAREER 

We value continuous improvement. As well as mandatory training, we offer other benefits to support employees in their professional and personal development. 

Professional development (upon completion of probationary period) 

• Subject to your performance appraisal and personal development plan, we will support your professional development and vocational training. We’ll also cover the cost of one professional subscription and provide a personal learning budget of £100 per year. This covers books that are outside of business needs but help your own personal and professional development. 

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YOUR WELLBEING  

In our commitment to support our employees’ health and wellbeing, we offer a range of benefits to support mental and physical health. 

Employee Assistance Programme 

• We offer free and confidential 24-hour access to an Employee Assistance Programme, Health Assured, to support employees. 

Private health insurance 

• Covers health and dental costs. 

Personal accident cover 

• We offer personal accident cover with 24-hour coverage. 

Gym 

• As a tenant of the London Fire Brigade’s Union Street office, all our employees can make use of the free onsite gym. 

 

Our offices are at 169 Union Street in Southwark, London. 

We share the building with several other organisations and our office has recently been refurbished.

Did you know that we have a living wall in the office? It reminds us of the importance of being a responsible investor. 

The Equality Act 2010 replaced existing anti-discrimination laws with a single act which was designed to simplify the law, remove inconsistencies and facilitate compliance. Under the Equality Act 2010, LPFA is obliged to publish information that demonstrates our compliance with the general duty across our functions. This includes our duties to members of the Fund, as well as to our employees (and prospective employees).

Visit policies and procedures to find our Equal Opportunities, Diversity and Dignity at Work Policy.

As part of our recruitment process, we collect and process the personal data of job applicants. We are committed to being transparent about how we collect and use that data and in meeting our data protection obligations. You can read full details in our Privacy Notice.