UK – The Pension Protection Fund, the government pensions lifeboat, is looking to appoint a chief operating officer and financial risk director.

The positions – both commanding “attractive” six figure salaries around the £120,000 mark – arose following the promotion of PPF investment and finance chief Partha Dasgupta to the position of chief executive officer last month.

According to a spokesperson from the PPF, these two positions are part of a small restructuring at the organisation following 15 months in operation.

“This restructure and these roles will take us forward into the next period of our evolution,” he told IPE.

The COO position will take on IT, human resources and financial management – previously jointly handled by the CEO and finance director.

Meanwhile, the financial risk director will be responsible for directing and overseeing the management of the PPF and Fraud Fund. They will have specific responsibility for the strategic and macro level management of the investment portfolio, and the development and implementation of levy policy.

The positions include “excellent” benefits packages such as membership of the Civil Service final salary pension scheme and 30 days holiday.

According to the spokesperson, these roles will be filled as soon as possible. However, he added: “Obviously these are going to be senior posts, so it’s going to be a period of months rather than weeks because whoever takes them on will probably have reasonably lengthy notice periods.”

The closing date for applications for both positions is July 20. The PPF is also working with recruitment firm Whitehead Mann to fill these posts.

Dasgupta, 37, was named CEO in the middle of June. He succeeded former CEO Myra Kinghorn, who left in May.