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The KPMG Restructuring practice advises a wide range of businesses that find it increasingly difficult to manage their cost base and meet their financial obligations, including in respect of their pension schemes. Following a number of high profile failures, the management of pension scheme obligations has become a primary concern for all stakeholders (government, corporates and trustees) and, as a result, we have seen a material increase in demand for our advice in this area. Our team is targeting further significant growth over the next few years, leveraging our market leading credentials in this area.


During 2019, our Restructuring team advised on several high profile insolvencies, including a number of retail CVAs, where addressing the business’s pension obligations was a key concern. Over the course of 2019 we provided pensions specific Restructuring advice on corporate transactions with a total value in excess of £5 billion, across a wide range of sectors (Oil & Gas, Defence, Retail, Manufacturing), with clients ranging from Financials Investors and Global Listed Groups through to family owned businesses.


Due to the volatility in pension asset values and the UK population living for longer, pension funding requirements have grown materially in recent years. Further, following several high profile corporate failures, the regulations regarding the funding of pension schemes has become increasingly stringent. As a result, dealing with pensions stakeholders is now seen as a key boardroom issue, and our Restructuring pensions expertise means we liaise with our clients at a boardroom level – often directly with the CEO and / or CFO.


Due to the rapid growth in demand for these services, we are looking for a Manager to join our expanding National team, with this role based in London. Further, it is our expectation that there will be the opportunity for the right candidate to progress over time to an Associate Director grade.


The London Restructuring team comprises over 250 people, led by 24 partners and four associate partners. This specific role would see the successful candidate joining the National Markets London team (approx. 60 people, four partners and one associate partner), with a particular focus on assessing the financial strength of the companies that are responsible for funding defined benefit pension schemes and assessing how much these companies can afford to pay to their schemes to meet their funding requirements.


Our work is hands on – as well as producing concise reports, we are in the boardroom providing direct strategic and negotiation support, and then implementing our recommendations. Applicants should be ready to work in a dynamic, flexible and fast paced environment. The role requires strong accounting analysis, report writing skills and a commercial mind-set.


We work with a wide variety of clients, from small privately owned enterprises through to FTSE 100 and high profile businesses. Applicants should expect to work across all sectors.


Further, this role would also be ideal for candidates looking to work flexibly – we would be more than happy to accommodate a 4 day working week, or working reduced hours across a 5 day working week.


Roles and Responsibilities


To be an effective Manager within the Employer Covenant team, and in this role specifically, you will undertake the following:
• Build strong, trusted adviser relationships with senior management and other key stakeholders during engagements (including trustees, solicitors and actuaries);
• Manage teams of colleagues working on engagements, ensuring effective delegation and also multiple work stream delivery;
• Manage engagements and projects to scope, time, quality and budget complying with KPMG engagement management practices;
• Appraise situations (which can be challenging & fast developing) and look to develop innovative solutions, assessing options for businesses and/or stakeholders;
• Communicate views and insights (both in writing and verbally) in an effective and compelling manner to clients and KPMG colleagues, able to adjust style to circumstances;
• Lead the design and development of client ready deliverables with minimal Director and Partner input;
• Coach and develop team members providing high quality developmental feedback;
• Identify opportunities for the wider firm; and
• Involvement in business development activities, including developing pitches and proposals to win new work.


Qualifications and Skills


Key skills and competencies required:


• Strong commercial and business acumen, with evidence of experience;
• Demonstrable experience in leading work streams, advising and working alongside a range of stakeholders;
• Ability to work innovatively and ‘self-start’;
• Desire to build wide advisory expertise and develop knowledge of the team’s offerings;
• Ability to communicate well with operational and financial staff at all levels;
• Good time management and organisational skills, together with the ability to prioritise tasks;
• An ability to produce high quality, detailed and accurate work, and produce concise and creative reports and presentations;
• Enjoy working in a dynamic, flexible and fast paced project environment;
• Willingness to embrace work across all sectors;
• Willingness to undertake some travel, albeit this is typically limited to day trips; and
• Strong financial and analytical skills, with relevant accountancy qualification.


Experience and Background


Prior experience of undertaking pensions related work is not essential. Up front training and continuous coaching will be provided.

KPMG’s Restructuring team are looking for a specialist experienced Employee Claims Senior Administrator to join their team. The team of trusted advisors offer a full range of services to stressed and distressed businesses, ranging from formal insolvency through to advising profitable businesses on enhancing value and solving issues. This role will be focusing purely on employee related matters arising on our distressed advisory and insolvency engagements.

The successful will join our national Employee Claims team, the work services a full spectrum of businesses from small owner managed concerns through to large multinationals, right across the UK. Whilst this role would primarily be office based, periodic travel (often at short notice) to deal with employee matters on live engagements will be required. This will on occasion require travel across the UK.

Key Responsibilities:

- Support engagement manager on insolvency assignments in dealing with all employee aspects of the case.
- Oversee completion process for employees of relevant forms to seek to ensure submission on a timely basis.
- Prepare employee related correspondence for manager approval, including letters, emails and file notes of key employee related decisions.
- Attend employee meetings to assist in answering employees’ queries, including potentially leading challenging meetings alongside more senior staff.
- Ensure minutes of any employee meetings are taken and maintained on file.
- Liaise with company HR staff to ensure all employee records are retained.
- Liaise with the engagement manager, company payroll staff (or a payroll bureau) and our cashiers to ensure that wages are paid where required.
- Ensure tax and RTI payments and filings are completed on an accurate and timely basis.
- Work closely with our Pensions team on any pension and auto-enrolment matters.
- Update and maintain IPS for employee information.
- Agree employees’ preferential and unsecured claims for manager approval.
- Field any ongoing employee queries throughout the life of an insolvency case.
- Provide specialist advice to our team on advisory engagements where insolvency may be a possible outcome.
Key skills and competencies required:

- Experience in a similar role in an insolvency practice, preferably using IPS.
- Previous payroll/HR experience in wider industry preferable, although not essential.
- Highly organised and have an ability to prioritise effectively.
- Have flexibility to be able to respond to sudden and sharp changes in workload.
- Common sense and an eye for detail/accuracy.
- Excellent communication skills and the ability to remain calm and professional in times of stress.
- The confidence and ability to challenge more senior staff on matters such as employee consultation.

KPMG is part of a global network of firms that offers Audit, Tax & Pensions, Consulting, Deal Advisory and Technology services. Through the talent of over 16,000 colleagues, we bring our creativity and insight to our clients’ most critical challenges


With offices across the UK, we work with everyone from small start-ups and individuals to major multinationals, in virtually every industry imaginable. Our work is often complex, yet our vision is simple: to be the clear choice for our clients, for our people and for the communities we work in.
Purpose of Role


To act as the primary point of contact for assigned internal client group(s), managing and delivering an outstanding HR business service to clients supporting the annual calendar or events and the relevant business strategy. Also acts as a key facilitator and enabler of the matrixed organisation and a driver of change.



Major Functions / Accountabilities


Account Management:

- Build and maintain strong working relationships with internal clients, specifically with the Performance Group Leader (PGL), People Partner, Service Line Partners, Head of Performance & Operations (HoPO) and, via the HoPO, the Performance Leaders.
- Develop a deep understanding of the client group, e.g., what they do, the commercial levers, their strategic priorities, pipelines of potential work etc.) to deliver the best service possible.
- Provide support, trusted advice and challenge to clients.
- Partner with colleagues from the wider Performance Group Operations teams (Finance, Resourcing etc.) to drive activities for the business.

Delivery of people strategy / performance group people plan and annual People Calendar:

- Working with the relevant PGL/Leader, People Partner and HoPO, provide input to form or inform the strategic people plan based on knowledge, needs and analysis of the client group.
- Work with leaders within your performance group to roll out that plan and monitor its progress.
- Operate autonomously within the parameters of the agreed people plan to deliver the requirements of the function, with oversight from HR Lead.
- Analyse management information to identify themes and trends, suggest HR interventions to address accordingly.
- Be a champion of KPMG’s culture, values, behaviours and IDSE (Inclusion, Diversity and Social Equality) agenda in all activities building understanding and confidence within the client group.
- Act as a role model and influencer for change initiatives, proactively driving the internal client forward using a range of change management techniques to achieve their desired initiatives.
- Manage the consistent delivery of the people calendar (includes GPS, performance management, salary and bonus, promotions and talent review cycles) in accordance with the KPMG guidelines and the client group’s people plan.
- Work with People Function CoEs and People Operations colleagues to ensure HR policy is implemented consistently and effectively.

Recruitment:

- Work closely with People Partner, HoPO and the Recruitment and Resourcing teams to ensure that they understand the future requirements of the client group at all levels, including Graduate/Student recruitment.
- Advise on the structure of packages to be offered to new hires.
- Challenge around IDSE in hiring of external talent.

HR advice:

- Provide trusted strategic and operational advice to Leadership and HoPOs on HR matters.
- Working with the HR Advisory Team, support their resolution of highly complex and/or high risk people issues and flag high risk issues to HR Lead as appropriate.
- Provide coaching support to others (e.g. Performance Leaders and other business leaders) in effective people management.
- Provide HR support in firm-wide restructuring / acquisitions / ER initiatives (where applicable).
- Proactive collaboration with other HRBPs to facilitate and enable the matrixed organisation:
- Liaise with other HRBPs within your specific client HRBP team to ensure a shared understanding of the strategic priorities and to enable synergies across the relevant client group.
- Liaise with the other HRBPs in the People function to drive consistency across the business and to share best practice.
- Liaise with other People Function teams, e.g., Recruitment and Learning, to provide a seamless service to the client group on strategic projects and calendar processes.

Team Management:

- Manage, mentor, co-ordinate and motivate the HRBP team, ensuring delivery of first class support (through annual objective setting, regular performance reviews, work allocation, coaching, etc.).
- Foster Project Management skills in HRBPs.
- Lead the delivery of HR projects / change initiatives to support KPMG’s people strategy and the function people plan.

Key Metrics & Measures

- MI, e.g., Attrition.
- Client feedback (Whilst the line report is into the people function, the key source of feedback is the client group).
- Delivery of projects / change initiatives (effectiveness, timeliness and quality).
- Successful completion of HR Calendar activities.
- Employee engagement, GPS/Pulse score for client group.
- Inclusion and diversity target zones for client group.
- Quality and timeliness of advice.
- Satisfactory resolution of complex ER cases.
- Feedback from colleagues in the People Function.

Key Behaviours & Skills

- Deep and broad HR knowledge (CIPD qualification or equivalent).
- Demonstrable commercial acumen and understanding of the business.
- Strategic thinker and ability to translate business needs into people plans.
- Ability to work autonomously to deliver agreed people plans.
- Ability to inspire and lead other HRBPs to deliver people plans.
- Strong client relationships and influencing skills to establish credibility.
- Honed collaboration skills, understanding how to operate in a complex, matrixed organisation.
- Project management experience of large scale / cross-functional activities.
- Confidence in presenting to Partners and Performance Group leadership.
- Demonstrated ability to evaluate and manage conflicting priorities in a fast paced environment with senior level leaders.
- Data orientated with proven experience of using data to influence client initiatives and actions.
- Resilience.
- Knowledge, and use, of a range of change management techniques.
- Analytical and problem-solving skills and strong delivery focus.
- Developed mind-set for continuous improvement and meeting or exceeding client expectations.
- Management, coaching and mentoring skills.
- Excellent IT skills (advanced Excel and PowerPoint).

Internal clients

- Performance Group Leader.
- Partners in Performance Group.
- Head of Performance and Operations (HoPO).
- People Partner.
- Performance Leaders (PL).

Reports to

This role reports to the HR Lead.

12 month Fixed Term Contract role.


KPMG is part of a global network of firms that offers Audit, Tax & Pensions, Consulting, Deal Advisory and Technology services. Through the talent of over 16,000 colleagues, we bring our creativity and insight to our clients’ most critical challenges


With offices across the UK, we work with everyone from small start-ups and individuals to major multinationals, in virtually every industry imaginable. Our work is often complex, yet our vision is simple: to be the clear choice for our clients, for our people and for the communities we work in.
Purpose of Role


To act as the primary point of contact for assigned internal client group(s), managing and delivering an outstanding HR business service to clients supporting the annual calendar or events and the relevant business strategy. Also acts as a key facilitator and enabler of the matrixed organisation and a driver of change.



Major Functions / Accountabilities


Account Management:

•Build and maintain strong working relationships with internal clients, specifically with the Performance Group Leader (PGL), People Partner, Service Line Partners, Head of Performance & Operations (HoPO) and, via the HoPO, the Performance Leaders.
•Develop a deep understanding of the client group, e.g., what they do, the commercial levers, their strategic priorities, pipelines of potential work etc.) to deliver the best service possible.
•Provide support, trusted advice and challenge to clients.
•Partner with colleagues from the wider Performance Group Operations teams (Finance, Resourcing etc.) to drive activities for the business.


Delivery of people strategy / performance group people plan and annual People Calendar:

•Working with the relevant PGL/Leader, People Partner and HoPO, provide input to form or inform the strategic people plan based on knowledge, needs and analysis of the client group.
•Work with leaders within your performance group to roll out that plan and monitor its progress.
•Operate autonomously within the parameters of the agreed people plan to deliver the requirements of the function, with oversight from HR Lead.
•Analyse management information to identify themes and trends, suggest HR interventions to address accordingly.
•Be a champion of KPMG’s culture, values, behaviours and IDSE (Inclusion, Diversity and Social Equality) agenda in all activities building understanding and confidence within the client group.
•Act as a role model and influencer for change initiatives, proactively driving the internal client forward using a range of change management techniques to achieve their desired initiatives.
•Manage the consistent delivery of the people calendar (includes GPS, performance management, salary and bonus, promotions and talent review cycles) in accordance with the KPMG guidelines and the client group’s people plan.
•Work with People Function CoEs and People Operations colleagues to ensure HR policy is implemented consistently and effectively.


Recruitment:

•Work closely with People Partner, HoPO and the Recruitment and Resourcing teams to ensure that they understand the future requirements of the client group at all levels, including Graduate/Student recruitment.
•Advise on the structure of packages to be offered to new hires.
•Challenge around IDSE in hiring of external talent.


HR advice:

•Provide trusted strategic and operational advice to Leadership and HoPOs on HR matters.
•Working with the HR Advisory Team, support their resolution of highly complex and/or high risk people issues and flag high risk issues to HR Lead as appropriate.
•Provide coaching support to others (e.g. Performance Leaders and other business leaders) in effective people management.
•Provide HR support in firm-wide restructuring / acquisitions / ER initiatives (where applicable).
Proactive collaboration with other HRBPs to facilitate and enable the matrixed organisation:
•Liaise with other HRBPs within your specific client HRBP team to ensure a shared understanding of the strategic priorities and to enable synergies across the relevant client group.
•Liaise with the other HRBPs in the People function to drive consistency across the business and to share best practice.
•Liaise with other People Function teams, e.g., Recruitment and Learning, to provide a seamless service to the client group on strategic projects and calendar processes.


Team Management:

•Manage, mentor, co-ordinate and motivate the HRBP team, ensuring delivery of first class support (through annual objective setting, regular performance reviews, work allocation, coaching, etc.).
•Foster Project Management skills in HRBPs.
•Lead the delivery of HR projects / change initiatives to support KPMG’s people strategy and the function people plan.

Key Metrics & Measures

•MI, e.g., Attrition.
•Client feedback (Whilst the line report is into the people function, the key source of feedback is the client group).
•Delivery of projects / change initiatives (effectiveness, timeliness and quality).
•Successful completion of HR Calendar activities.
•Employee engagement, GPS/Pulse score for client group.
•Inclusion and diversity target zones for client group.
•Quality and timeliness of advice.
•Satisfactory resolution of complex ER cases.
•Feedback from colleagues in the People Function.


Key Behaviours & Skills

•Deep and broad HR knowledge (CIPD qualification or equivalent).
•Demonstrable commercial acumen and understanding of the business.
•Strategic thinker and ability to translate business needs into people plans.
•Ability to work autonomously to deliver agreed people plans.
•Ability to inspire and lead other HRBPs to deliver people plans.
•Strong client relationships and influencing skills to establish credibility.
•Honed collaboration skills, understanding how to operate in a complex, matrixed organisation.
•Project management experience of large scale / cross-functional activities.
•Confidence in presenting to Partners and Performance Group leadership.
•Demonstrated ability to evaluate and manage conflicting priorities in a fast paced environment with senior level leaders.
•Data orientated with proven experience of using data to influence client initiatives and actions.
•Resilience.
•Knowledge, and use, of a range of change management techniques.
•Analytical and problem-solving skills and strong delivery focus.
•Developed mind-set for continuous improvement and meeting or exceeding client expectations.
•Management, coaching and mentoring skills.
•Excellent IT skills (advanced Excel and PowerPoint).


Internal clients

•Performance Group Leader.
•Partners in Performance Group.
•Head of Performance and Operations (HoPO).
•People Partner.
•Performance Leaders (PL).


Reports to

•This role reports to the HR Lead.