Pete is currently the Director for Private Pensions & Arm’s Length Bodies and has been in post since October 2019.
Between September 2012 to September 2019, Pete Searle was Working Age Benefits Policy Director at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). He led the Department’s strategy and policy development on Universal Credit, Housing Benefit, and a number of other benefits for working age claimants. Prior to that, Pete was DWP’s Director of Planning and Performance Management.
He has worked for DWP and its predecessor Departments since joining as an economist in 1987. He has held a broad range of roles, generally focused on policy and strategy. For a large part of his earlier career, up until 2004, Pete held leading policy development roles on state and private pensions. From 2004 – 2006 Pete spent two years on secondment to the Australian Government where he was responsible for policy on working age benefits and the associated fraud and error strategy. From 2006-2009 he worked in Jobcentre Plus, latterly on the Board as Acting Director of Business Strategy and Planning.