The Vacancy

As an actuarial consultant you will provide an efficient, high quality service to clients in the field of actuarial and wider benefit consulting in relation to clients’ employee benefits schemes.  The primary focus is on UK defined benefit pension schemes working with both Trustee Boards and Sponsoring Employers.

Your role will include taking responsibility for your client accounts, focussing on the preparation and delivery of advice to clients; coaching and managing less experienced members of the team; and building relationships with key decision makers to develop the client account.

Key responsibilities will include:

Client Delivery:

• Ensure that work prepared by the team meets a high quality standard of service for clients.  Work collaboratively as part of the team in the preparation of advice including reviewing/checking calculations undertaken by more junior team members, and peer review of client work for other colleagues.
• Signing out work in your own name where applicable, or ensuring that statutory actuarial calculations are prepared in readiness for sign off by the Scheme Actuary.
• Build strong relationships with your client at all levels as appropriate, ensuring that we have sufficient breadth and depth of relationships with the client in order to deliver our core services to the levels expected.
• Consult with client contacts to agree budgets and deadlines for work, ensuring necessary service agreements are in place.
• Encourage effective communication within client teams to support the delivery of work and understanding of client commercials.
• Prepare client invoices within the internal deadlines and subject to internal procedures.

Practice Development:

Proactively contribute to the development of the firm through a combination of:

• delivering high quality advice working within a client team;
• understanding client needs to provide solutions and develop client accounts;
• undertaking project work or acting as champion for new service initiatives;
• pitching for new business;
• participating in the management, mentoring and training of more junior staff;
• active participation in internal forums to provide input to the strategic direction of the firm; and
• contributing to the technical knowledge of the practice via continuing professional development and peer review of colleagues’ work.

Working Practices:

• Develop internal and external networks.
• Provide leadership, role modelling and mentoring to all members of the client team, including helping to proactively identify and uncover client development opportunities and/or potential threats and weaknesses.
• Managing the delivery of our core services efficiently and in line with agreed utilisation and recovery objectives
• Prepare work that meets professional and internal requirements, seeking advice from colleagues whenever any doubt arises on technical or client matters.  Present work in a clear and understandable manner to clients and colleagues as required.
• Contribute as required and adhere to the development of internal quality procedures in order to continually raise quality standards. Ensure that all work is undertaken in a rigorous and methodical manner consistent with professional requirements and that comprehensive audit trails are maintained.
• Adhere to the firm’s Information Security standards, policies and procedures.
• Manage all work on nominated clients to ensure that work is done in a timely, efficient way and within budget.  Where necessary, this may include liaising with other client managers and team leaders if there are conflicting demands on team member’s time.
• Responsible for careful and timely time recording against appropriate client and job codes.
• Keep up-to-date with developments in pensions law and practice.
• Participate as requested in preparing technical papers for internal and external publications.

Skills and Qualifications Required:

Qualifications:

• Fellow of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (or equivalent recognised actuarial qualification) with relevant pensions experience. Scheme Actuary certificate not required.

Technical skills:

• Have a good understanding of the legislative framework for UK pension schemes, including all aspects of the Pensions Act 1995, disclosure requirements and statutory reporting requirements.
• Be able to undertake the statutory actuarial calculations required in readiness for sign off by a Scheme Actuary.
• Have some broader experience in areas such as corporate transactions, risk transfer, liability management exercises, pensions aspects of sale agreements, or dealing with the practical aspects of bulk transfers.
• Have an understanding of related employee benefits issues in order to advise clients on strategy and liaise effectively with other disciplines within the Firm.

About Us

Together, we’ve been building better futures for over 100 years. For our people, our clients and their people, our communities and the environment.

We thrive on tackling complex problems. And we believe those problems are best solved by diverse teams – diverse in skills, approaches and backgrounds. Our independence lets our people be themselves and think freely, while working in a collaborative, supportive environment.  We love innovative, independent thinking and want everyone to share their ideas.

Working alongside employers, trustees and financial services institutions, we offer pensions, investments, benefits and risk consulting services, as well as data and technology solutions. With over 1000 employees and counting, we’re one of the leading consultancies in our field and are proud to be recognised by numerous industry awards.

We’re committed to developing our people and encourage everyone to carve out their own career path. We’ve many colleagues who started out in one team in the business and have ended up somewhere completely different, having had the chance to develop new skills and explore new passions.

Our hybrid working model offers the best of both worlds – home working as well as a fun, collaborative office environment – meaning flexible working patterns to accommodate individual needs. For more information about our benefits you can visit our iDeal.

If you need any assistance in relation to a personal requirement, medical condition or neurological difference during our selection process then please let us know.Together, we can make this the best job you’ll ever have.

We Offer

Our culture – We live and breathe our four values – friendly, confident, partnering and straightforward – and genuinely care about out people, clients, community and the environment.

Job satisfaction – Every employee can genuinely make a difference and contribute towards achieving our purpose – together, building better futures. Whether that’s helping our clients build more secure financial futures, using your 3 days volunteering or helping us reduce our carbon footprint.

Reward and wellbeing – We offer competitive salaries, a share of company profits and an award-winning benefits package. We also take your mental, physical, social and financial wellbeing seriously, both in and outside of work.

Flexible working – We trust our people to work in a pattern that suits their circumstances with a healthy balance of home and office working.

Latest technology – We use the most up-to-date technology and software to match our ground-breaking business solutions that make life easier for us and our clients.

Career development – There is no linear path – learning opportunities are plentiful and empower you to carve out your own career.