Senior Specialist, Pension Education

OUR COMPANY BACKGROUND & CULTURE

UPP is the first pension plan of its kind in Ontario’s university sector, proudly serving over 41,000 members across five 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 (EDI&R). We believe diverse teams, perspectives, and lived experiences contribute to better decisions and a better workplace.

As a pension plan, UPP approaches investing through a long-term lens to generate and safeguard value. Our commitment to investing responsibly accounts for material risks that impact our investment portfolio to generate sufficient risk-adjusted returns to meet the pension needs of our members.

Join us in building a bright future for our members, our organization, and each other.

THE ROLE

The Senior Specialist, Pension Education plays a critical role in shaping and delivering impactful educational experiences for plan members, participating employers, and internal staff. This role bridges deep pension knowledge with clear, engaging instructional design — helping audiences understand their plan and confidently navigate pension processes. 
 
With strong communication, excellent judgment, and a natural ability to listen and translate needs into learning solutions, you will help make pensions accessible, relatable, and actionable for everyone we serve.

This role is based in downtown Toronto in a hybrid work environment, allowing employees the flexibility to work remotely and in-office (minimum two days per week in-office).

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

The Senior Specialist, Pension Education will have responsibility for but not limited to the following: 

Educational Design & Delivery 

• Design and deliver clear, creative, and engaging pension education content tailored to members, employers, and internal stakeholders.
• Leverage modern e-learning tools (e.g., Articulate, Scribe, Confluence) to create interactive digital and print materials, including step-by-step guides and e-learning modules.
• Apply instructional design principles and adult learning best practices to all materials.
• Travel occasionally to conduct in-person training sessions for employers and members.
• Regularly update and refine content to reflect plan changes, feedback, and evolving best practices.
• Designing, developing and implementing member and employer training programs that satisfy the needs of UPP and its internal and external stakeholders
• Developing an understanding of e-learning techniques and, where relevant, participating in the creation and delivery of e-learning programs

Communication & Engagement 

• Translate complex pension and process information into clear, digestible content.
• Use excellent written and verbal communication to ensure consistent, high-quality messaging across all channels.
• Actively listen to stakeholders (members, employers, internal teams) to understand their needs and incorporate their feedback.
• Represent the voice of the learner in cross-functional project discussions.

Project & Knowledge Management

• Lead and manage multiple education initiatives simultaneously, ensuring timely delivery and quality execution.
• Collaborate cross-functionally to identify knowledge gaps and build solutions.
• Maintain and evolve an internal knowledge platform for centralized, consistent training content.
• Monitor and evaluate the impact of training programs using feedback and performance data.
• Collaborate with knowledge management and work with various segments of pension services to develop and deploy material  

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

• Experience in instructional design, education, training, or communications is a highly valued asset.
• Strong working knowledge of defined benefit pension plans or financial services.
• Diploma, certificate, or formal training in adult education or instructional design; CTDP or CSTD designation is an asset.
• Post Secondary diploma or degree is required  
• PPAC or CEBBS is an asset
• Proficiency with instructional design tools (Articulate, Adobe Captivate, Scribe, Confluence) is valued.
• Strong Microsoft Office skills (PowerPoint, Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams).
• Experience with learning management systems and knowledge-sharing platforms.
• Excellent presentation and facilitation skills.
• Exceptional judgment and decision-making capabilities.
• Clear, precise communication – both written and verbal.
• Strong listening skills and a user-centered mindset.
• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines without sacrificing quality.
• High attention to detail and content consistency.
• Ability to work collaboratively across teams and independently.
• Strong organization skills, demonstrated through the ability to establish priorities and multi-task 

ATTRIBUTES

• Self-motivated and curious – a lifelong learner.
• Adaptable to change and committed to continuous improvement.
• Accountable, collaborative, professional, and service-oriented.
• A creative thinker who can simplify complexity and inspire understanding.