These roles, once a vital part of the industry landscape, quietly faded into the background. The skills didn’t disappear, but they were absorbed – folded into wider multi-disciplinary teams, bundled into actuarial roles, or brushed over in the name of streamlined consultancy models. In some organisations, they were rebranded entirely or re-scoped into project support roles. But the dedicated, scheme-facing, administration expert? That became a rare thing.

For a while, it didn’t seem to matter. Trustees were content to monitor service levels, SLAs were being met, and administration ticked along quietly in the background.

But now? It matters more than ever.

Today’s pensions environment is more complex, interconnected and increasingly scrutinised and test than ever before. Trustees are being asked to engage far more deeply with scheme operations – and the operational landscape itself has changed dramatically.

You’ve got GMP equalisation projects demanding forensic attention to decades of data. You’ve got the pensions dashboard requiring schemes to be digitally discoverable, data-ready and API-connected. You’ve got schemes preparing for endgame and buy-in, where the quality, completeness and structure of admin data can make or break the transaction. Add to that cyber risks, digital transformation programmes, and a general rise in member expectations, and it’s clear: this is not a world where “everything looks green on the SLA report” is good enough.

SLAs tell you if a task was completed on time. But they don’t tell you how it was done, whether it was done well, or if the process behind it is sustainable, compliant or robust enough for the future. They don’t tell you if your data is insurer-grade. Or whether your dashboard staging plan will actually work.

What trustees need now is practical, experienced support from someone who understands how admin actually works – someone who can give insight, not just metrics. That’s where administration consultants come in.

Administration consultancy isn’t about policing service teams or scrutinising MI for fun. It’s about giving trustees confidence - confidence that operational risk is being managed, that processes are up to standard, that scheme members are being served properly, and that regulatory change is being delivered in a way that doesn’t break everything else in the process.

This is a role that lives in the detail – not to micromanage, but to make sense of it.

It’s about knowing how to approach a GMPe project when your data is only 80% reconciled. How to structure a member communications journey that ties into multiple options and advice routes. How to ask the right questions of your administrator when you're preparing for buy-in. How to embed automation or bulk processing without compromising on quality or auditability.

These aren’t abstract issues. These are the decisions that determine how efficiently, accurately and safely a pension scheme operates. And yet trustees are often expected to make them with little to no technical guidance.

The real challenge isn’t a lack of demand – trustees want this support. The problem is supply. Administration consultancy was gradually deprioritised over the years, and now we’re feeling the effect: there are too few people in the market with the right combination of admin expertise, trustee advisory experience, and the confidence to take the lead on strategic delivery issues.

That needs to change.

We need to build a new generation of admin consultants – people who understand data, platforms, processes and member communications, and who can translate that knowledge into structured, scheme-wide planning and delivery. People who can contribute to project steering groups, represent admin in endgame discussions, and support trustees through complexity without simply defaulting to "I’ll get back to you".

And here’s the good news: we don’t have to look far to find them.

There is a wealth of untapped potential within the administration profession – individuals working in technical roles, projects positions, transitions teams and member support functions, who already have deep operational knowledge. We need to invest in them – reskill them, upskill them, mentor them and give them the opportunities to engage with clients directly.

That means building confidence as much as capability. Creating space for people to step into advisory roles. Giving them the language, the context and the support to move from delivery into strategy.

Trustees are asking for this support. We need to make sure the industry is ready to deliver it.

Pensions administration can no longer be seen as the quiet, back-office function. The complexity of today’s landscape demands something different – leadership, ownership and confidence from within the administration profession itself.

And that’s exactly what’s happening. Admin professionals are stepping forward – CRMs, technical leads, consultants and project managers – and reclaiming their space in the strategic conversation. They’re leading data planning, shaping transition strategies, designing GMPe implementation models and advising trustees on service transformation. In short: they’re helping schemes deliver.

If the industry is going to meet rising expectations, we need to back this shift. That means recognising pensions administration consultancy as the strategic discipline it is – one that directly shapes scheme outcomes, reduces risk, and keeps projects grounded in operational reality.

We don’t just need to bring the role back.

We need to elevate it and invest in the people who will lead it.

Katie Stone, Senior Client Relationship Manager - Trafalgar House