Pensions Advisory Assistant Manager

KPMG’s Pensions is an exciting initiative to re-establish the pensions team, and specifically to focus on public service pensions advisory and grow revenue at pace.

We are now looking for talented and experienced Assistant Manager to join our pensions actuarial team. You will be responsible for delivering high quality actuarial pensions advice in relation to defined benefit pension schemes with a focus on the public sector but also schemes in the private sector.

You will be responsible for will work closely with the senior members of the team in this service line, which will involve providing:

• Strategic journey planning, risk management aiming for self-sufficiency or buy out and endgame options including use of surplus
• Strategic funding advice to sponsors and advice on compliance with DB funding code
• Pension due diligence on mergers and acquisitions
• Provision of member education and communication
• Advice on benefit change, benefit design and implementation
• Advice on good governance and compliance
• Pensions accounting advice

You will have responsibility for maintaining the day-to-day relationships with clients and ensuring delivery to agreed timescales.

You will have responsibility for supervising junior team members, providing coaching and developmental support to assist them in the delivery of engagements.

Description of the Role

• Acting as key contact with clients and delivering engagements within agreed timelines
• Collating relevant pensions data and information from clients and raising queries and reviewing responses.
• Running checks to assess reasonableness of actuarial assumptions and accounting results, using KPMG developed tools.
• Drafting and initial reviewing of reporting, with sign-off at senior level..
• Maintaining regular, open and honest communication whilst working in the team  
• Directing and overseeing the work of junior team members, including reviewing their work, and providing coaching and mentoring support.
• Helping to develop the junior actuarial colleagues, including delivering technical training, improving technical knowledge, and developing consulting skills.
• Strong financial management, timely billing and debt collection
• Ability to identify out of scope work and bill, accordingly
• Checking technical actuarial work in line with the actuarial standards and, in line with KPMG quality procedures. 

Technical core competencies required for the role

The relevant competencies for this role are:

• Technical knowledge: Understands relevant technical actuarial, accounting and financial reporting standards, pension regulations, and literature. Exhibits and stays current on appropriate industry and specialised knowledge, and leverages KPMG methodologies.
• Technology skills: Uses firm-approved tools and innovative technology solutions to increase quality, productivity and data insights.
• Professional scepticism: Applies professional scepticism, objectivity and independence to pensions actuarial and accounting work
• Documentation: Completes documentation and audit trails demonstrating an unwavering focus on quality and in line with the actuarial standards.

People & Culture

• Embrace and embed our culture ambition of high challenge, high support which is grounded in Our Values.
• Operate with a curious and sceptical mindset ensuring that this is embedded in your everyday work.
• Actively lead and embed a coaching culture to get the best out of others in an environment where everyone in the team feels empowered to speak up or challenge where appropriate.
• Be accountable, professional and act in the public interest, working for the benefit of shareholders of audited entities and wider society.
• Be inclusive and embrace the opportunity to work with other teams within Audit and across the firm in an integrated way. Have a sense of community, purpose and fun.

Experience and Knowledge Requirements  

• Experience of working in pensions actuarial at either an employee benefit consultancy or other Big 4 firm. (E)
• Basic knowledge of defined benefit pension scheme valuations, roll forward methodologies and actuarial techniques. (E)
• Good technical understanding of pensions liability calculations. (E)
• Understanding of the wider UK pensions landscape (E)
• Knowledge of pensions funding and accounting regime (E)
• Experience of leading and performance managing teams, coaching and mentoring junior staff. (E)
• Experience of working on high quality, complex projects, including team oversight and stakeholder management. (E)
• Experience of delivering benefit change, member options and end game journey planning. (E)
• Experience of advising Trustees/corporates on scheme funding and knowledge of the regime governed by the Pensions Regulator, including the DB scheme funding code and Single code of Practice. (E)
• Experience of coaching and mentoring junior staff. (D)
• IT literate with sound knowledge and experience of MS Office tools (Excel, PowerPoint and Word). (E)

Behavioural Attributes and Skills

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; able to communicate complex matters in a clear and compelling manner.
• Highly effective stakeholder management and relationship building skills; credible and confident with stakeholders at all levels. 
• Strong organisational and time management skills; able to work effectively in a fast-paced environment with conflicting priorities and deadlines.
• Self-driven and resilient; able to thrive in a high-pressure environment.
• Effective problem solver; makes pragmatic and logical decisions, drawing on own and others’ technical expertise to provide high quality solutions.
• Strong analytical and numerical skills; able to analyse and interpret complex technical statistical information, with a focus on quality, attention to details and accuracy in calculations.
• Effective team working skills; works collaboratively with others towards shared goals.
• IT literate with sound knowledge and experience of MS Office tools (Excel, PowerPoint and Word).

Qualifications

• Part qualified actuary having passed at least 5 of the FIA exams (or equivalent). (D)

E – Essential, D – Desirable