Nancy is contracting with us as a Director having worked for around 30 years in banking. She began contracting in 2015 to experience more variety and flexibility. Initially, her focus was on running a standalone contracting project. Since joining KPMG, she’s been working in more of a hybrid role that spans both consulting and delivery.
“I didn’t want to spend another 10 to 15 years just working for one company, and felt I had enough experience to look into contracting and consultancy. At KPMG, I work in banking and financial services rather than the audit side of the business, which makes this a good fit for me.
When I was making the decision about whether to contract at KPMG, it was important to me to know that I connected with the firm’s values. Ever since joining, I’ve not only had ongoing work, but I’ve also developed my skills and brought income into the business working alongside senior level colleagues.
“You wouldn’t see the difference between the role I would do, as a Contractor at Director level, versus my colleague who is a KPMG Director. It’s just that I don’t get involved in line management for colleagues, in performance or development, or pay reviews.”
The piece of work that I’m doing right now is as an operational lead for a major bank. I’m running a team of c.150 people on a mortgage remediation project. It’s down to me to make sure we deliver the work in line with the FDA framework, with the bank’s own framework, and with exceptional levels of quality. It’s important work with impact.
For this sort of specialist work, I think the Contractor market is probably well-suited to those who have more senior experience within the industry. I often help and support Partners and Directors to pitch for new pieces of work, for example. Many clients do need more specialist skills, for example in IT or auto intelligence, and contracting expertise plays a part in that. It all depends on the industry you work in and the specialisms you have.”