Senior Manager - Pensions Investment Specialist

KPMG’s Pensions Advisory business continues to build out its new pensions team, and requires individuals that can bring different skill-sets to the team.

We are looking for a talented and experienced Senior Manager to join our team, who will be responsible for working closely with colleagues in the area of pensions investments across both private and public sectors covering both defined benefit and defined contribution. Specific areas of focus, but not exhaustive, will include

• Strategic asset allocation, dynamic asset allocation, hedging of investment risks and cashflow matching
• Manager portfolio construction and reporting
• Interaction of investment strategy with funding policy and covenant quality
• Investment strategies that would be suitable for different journey plans including pension risk transfer, superfunds, capital-backed journey plans, etc
• Asset liability modelling
• Designing default lifestyling and provider selection in DC
• Selection and monitoring of fiduciary managers and OCIO

You will be a key contact with client teams, with responsibility for managing the day-to-day relationships. You will also work closely with our tax, legal and advisory specialists across all of KPMG's UK offices to consider areas of adjacencies and growth.

As a Senior Manager, you will be responsible for managing teams and supervising the work of junior staff, providing coaching and development to assist them in the effective delivery of engagements. You will also have performance management responsibilities for a small number of employees.

The individual will need to be authorised to provide FCA regulated investment advice.

• Market facing with a strong external profile
• Innovative in helping spot market opportunities, build propositions, develop collateral and take propositions out to market
• Supporting the team in achieving revenue growth targets
• Helping to develop junior colleagues, including delivering technical training, improving technical knowledge, and developing consulting skills.
• Lead contact with clients on key pensions investment engagements, with overall responsibility for key stakeholder relationships
• Contributing to developing streamlined and efficient procedures, whilst maintaining an absolute focus on quality.
• Strong financial management, setting and agreeing budgets for work, delivering to budgets and timely billing and debt collection
• Ability to identify out of scope work and bill, accordingly
• Signing off technical investment work in line with professional and regulatory standards, and in compliance with KPMG quality procedures 
• Directing and overseeing the work of engagement teams and team members, including reviewing their work (e.g., checking calculations and reviewing conclusions), and providing coaching and mentoring support.
• Performance managing team members, ensuring rich development conversations that support their growth and career progression.

Technical core competencies required for the role

The relevant competencies for this role are:

• Technical knowledge:  Understands the technical aspects of UK pensions, and associated pensions regulations and legislation, with a particular focus on defined benefit investment. 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. Directs and oversees KPMG’s asset-liability modelling capability, liaising with the software provider as appropriate.
• FCA authorisation: exercises care and judgment in supporting KPMG’s compliance with FCA requirements.
• Professional scepticism: Applies professional scepticism, objectivity and independence to pensions investment 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, and wider society.
• Be inclusive and embrace the opportunity to work with other teams in advisory, tax and legal, and across the firm in an integrated way. Have a sense of community, purpose and fun.

Experience and Knowledge Requirements  

• Relevant experience working in pensions investments at Senior Manager level, at either an employee benefit consultancy or other Big 4 firm. (E)
• Deep technical knowledge of defined benefit pension scheme investments and actuarial techniques. (E)
• Proven track record of using and interpreting asset liability models (E)
• Understanding of the wider UK pensions landscape, across private and public sectors, and the issues facing our stakeholders. (E)
• Knowledge of integrated risk management, pension risk transfer, run-on solutions and asset-backed funding vehicles (E)
• Knowledge of fiduciary management and OCIO (E)
• Understanding of FCA permissions and the Senior Manager Regime (D)
• Experience of leading and performance-managing teams, coaching and mentoring junior staff. (E)
• Proven track-record of managing and delivering high quality, complex pensions investment projects, including team oversight and stakeholder management for both corporates and trustees. (E)
• 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.

Qualifications

• A qualified senior actuary (FIA or equivalent) or CFA qualified. (E)

E – Essential, D – Desirable