Addressing delegates in the HR stream of the pensions conference, Geoff McKenzie head of global pensions and risk benefits at Vodafone, said: "Pensions are part of the group reward function so it sits within HR at Vodafone. But some pensions managers sit within finance or the secretariat departments. It depends on what your company does."
Clifford Sims, partner at law firm Squire Sanders Hammonds, added: "Pension managers need to be able to communicate effectively with staff but they will also be responsible for budgetary plans, financial conversations and management."
Moving onto the topic of how, after auto-enrolment comes into effect in less than a year, the pensions manager's role would change, McKenzie said: "Vodafone has been auto-enroling staff into its trust based defined contribution scheme already, and only 10% of our staff are not in the scheme.
"We are deciding whether or not to keep the same structures and if we should change the benefits that come with the pension, such as life insurance or income protection.
"I don't think I will have a new job spec - because there is a new project to manage every year. On top of auto-enrolment are the austerity measures in European countries, which which are taking pension commitments from the state to the employer.
"These challenges are no different from the tax and pensions 'simplification' challenges we have handled in the past five years."
But responding to a question on how far the auto-enrolment changes are comparable in complexity to the pensions A-Day 'simplification' measures the Government introduced in 2006, removing eight tax allowance on occupational pensions, Sims added: "I wouldn't say this will be any worse... but there will be an unavoidable business cost."
