About us - USS Careers

The Universities Superannuation Scheme has circa 450,000 members and over £67 billion in assets, making it one of the largest private pension schemes in the UK – and in the top 50 worldwide. The scheme is managed and administered by our corporate trustee, the Universities Superannuation Scheme Limited which provides the highest quality pension service to our members and employers. In addition, the wholly owned subsidiary USS Investment Management Limited oversees the investment of around 75% of the scheme's assets. Everything the USS Group does is aimed at ensuring USS is the pension scheme of choice for the higher education sector in the long-term.

What we do

It's our aim to provide both the highest quality pension service and the best returns on investment from our assets, whilst always acting with the long-term view in mind. We're run entirely for the benefit of our employers and members, and the next generation they inspire.

A close-knit team of experts, we manage and administer both the pension scheme and manage the majority of our investments in house. Set up under trust with offices in London and Liverpool, our size and scale mean we can oversee our members' whole pension journey, from arranging the first contribution from their payslip, to providing them with a retirement income.

Circa 450,000 retired, deferred and active members (as of Mar 2020)

One of the 50 largest private pension schemes in the world

Over 350 Higher Education sector employers

£138 million paid out a month in pensions

One purpose, two locations

We're all working towards a common purpose, but we work across two companies and two main sites. From our Head Office in the Royal Liver Building in Liverpool, our teams provide a high-quality pension service to our members and their employers. Meanwhile, from our offices in London, we manage around 75% of the assets of our scheme through USS Investment Management Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary. Our Group functions work across Liverpool and London, enabling our pensions and investment teams.

Our Purpose Statement Infographic showing our purpose

Universities Superannuation Scheme Limited

Universities Superannuation Scheme Limited is the corporate trustee responsible for managing and administering the USS pension scheme to the very highest standards. Our Head Office is in Liverpool.

We make sure our members receive a service that makes their pension easy to understand and simple to manage. Equally important is the engagement with our sponsoring employers in universities and higher education bodies across the country. We work closely with colleagues at participating employers to ensure the efficient day-to-day running of the scheme.

The scale is impressive. Every month, 205,000 active members working for more than 350 employers across the UK pay into our pension scheme, and we pay out over £136 million in pensions to over 74,000 retired members. From the moment our members join our scheme, to the very last payment they or their family receive, we want to make sure they get an outstanding service.

What makes us different?

Member focus, innovation and a collaborative approach which sees teams of experts working closely together set us apart. We're always looking for ways to enhance our service to our members, whether that be advancing our channels of communication or making market-leading moves like introducing private markets to our default DC fund at no extra cost to our members or their employers.

It's this pursuit of innovation that makes this the perfect place for those with adaptable outlooks who thrive on developing new systems and processes and delivering the very best service.

USS Investment Management Limited

At USS Investment Management Limited, we manage around 75% of the Universities Superannuation Scheme's £67.6 billion assets. Over the past five years, as we've increased capability in our Threadneedle Street offices, we've evolved into a sophisticated asset manager with a very diverse range of investments.

We have some £14 billion in public equities, and a rapidly growing private markets group that's seen us develop assets ranging from a stake in Heathrow, to a forest in Queensland. Over the five years to 31 March 2020, we achieved returns averaging 6.19% pa and outperformed our strategic benchmark by 0.91%.

What makes us different?

We're working to secure the financial future of our members and we only manage pension assets for people who are in the university and higher education sector. This means we can make long-term decisions, rather than focusing on short-term objectives.

As one of the largest pension schemes in the UK, the size, scale and diversity of the investments you'll be working with is impressive. Yet we are a relatively small company in terms of numbers. Which means no silos, lots of variety, and, the chance to regularly share your ideas with the executive.

Who we are

What we do