Head of Member Experience and Communications

Location: Darlington

Darlington (hybrid working) 2 days per week in the Darlington office, with flexibility depending on business needs and stakeholder engagement.

About the role

At Railpen, we're committed to helping our members make informed decisions about their financial future. The way we communicate, engage and support members plays a vital role in building confidence, encouraging participation and delivering a great experience throughout their journey with us.

As Head of Member Experience and Communications, you'll lead the team responsible for helping our members have a positive, meaningful and engaging experience of Railpen at every stage of their journey. From communications and campaigns to digital journeys, insight and continuous improvement, you'll ensure our members receive clear, engaging and meaningful experiences that help them get the most from their pension.

This is a highly influential leadership role that brings together communications, engagement and member experience to create a more joined-up, member-focused approach. You'll use insight, feedback and data to understand what matters most to our members, helping to shape experiences that build confidence, encourage participation and improve outcomes.

As a member of the Member Services Senior Leadership Team, you'll help shape the future direction of the function, championing the member perspective and ensuring it remains at the heart of strategic decision-making across Railpen.

To learn more about Railpen including our values, culture and purpose, visit our careers page here.

What you’ll be doing

You’ll

• Lead the Member Experience and Communications function, creating a clear strategy and priorities for communications, engagement and experience improvement.
• Own and deliver the Member Communications and Engagement Strategy.
• Lead member communications, campaigns and behavioural interventions that improve understanding, confidence and participation.
• Own the Member Experience framework and improvement roadmap, ensuring insight is translated into meaningful action.
• Shape the content, experience and user journeys within the member portal, working closely with Technology Services Group, who own its technical architecture, development, security, releases and operation.
• Improve priority member journeys and encourage greater adoption of digital and self-service options.
• Bring together Voice of Member insight, behavioural analytics, complaints, feedback and operational data to inform priorities and decisions.
• Set clear standards for communications governance, accessibility, quality and compliance.
• Provide strategic communications leadership for significant change and transformation activity.
• Represent the member perspective across Railpen programmes and governance forums.
• Lead and develop a multidisciplinary team, building capability across communications, engagement, insight, behavioural change and experience design.
• Manage resources, budgets, suppliers and delivery capacity effectively.
• Build trusted relationships with Trustees, Committees, senior stakeholders, suppliers and partners.

What we’re looking for

Essential

• Significant leadership experience within member experience, customer experience, communications or engagement.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams and delivering strategy through others.
• A strong understanding of customer or member behaviour, communications, engagement and experience improvement.
• Experience using insight, data and feedback to shape decisions and improve outcomes.
• Experience improving digital journeys, self-service experiences and digital adoption.
• Strong stakeholder leadership and influencing skills, with the confidence to provide constructive challenge at a senior level.
• Experience establishing effective governance, quality standards and clear accountability.
• Experience operating at a senior level within a complex, regulated organisation.
• The ability to balance strategic leadership with a strong focus on delivery and measurable improvement.

Desirable

Experience within pensions, financial services or another regulated sector.

Experience developing Voice of Customer or Voice of Member approaches, customer insight or experience measurement.

Knowledge of behavioural change and engagement techniques.

Experience working alongside digital and technology teams to improve customer or member journeys.

Why is this role exciting now?

Member expectations are continuing to evolve, particularly around how people access information, interact digitally and make important decisions about their future.

This role brings communications and member experience together under one strategic direction, giving you the opportunity to influence the full member journey rather than focusing on a single channel or area. You’ll be able to shape how insight is used, improve the journeys that matter most and ensure the member voice is represented in strategic decisions and change across Railpen.

You’ll join the Member Services Senior Leadership Team and lead a team that includes two Communications Managers and a Senior Member Experience Partner, giving you the capability to turn strategy into meaningful improvements for members

What you’ll get in return

A competitive salary (depending on experience) plus generous annual bonus plan

28 days annual leave plus bank holidays

We provide membership of the Railways Pension Scheme, a Defined Benefit arrangement under which you get a pension for life and a lump sum when you retire, based on your length of service and pay

4x Life Assurance cover

We support hybrid and flexible working along with very generous family leave including 12 months full pay maternity leave and 6 months full pay paternity leave

Take a look at the full range of benefits available to support you, click here

Next steps

If you’re excited by the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution and grow your career with us, we encourage you to apply by 29th October 2026.

Inclusion at Railpen

At Railpen, diversity, equity and inclusion are core to who we are. We’re committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels respected, supported and able to thrive. Our mission to secure a better future for our members is strengthened by the different perspectives and experiences our people bring.

We are transparent about our gender pay gap and are actively committed to addressing it through fair and inclusive recruitment, progression and reward practices.

We respect and support individuals’ pronouns and encourage colleagues to share them if they feel comfortable to do so.

We’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and do not discriminate on the basis of age, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, neurodiversity, or any other protected characteristic. If you need adjustments during the recruitment process, just let us know.