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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.

The Department

As one of the UK firm's largest regional teams, KPMG's Reading office employs more than 400 professionals who work with companies across the Thames Valley. Our office is located conveniently just off junction 12 of the M4 and offers parking for staff. It is also a short walk from Theale train station.

KPMG Reading has a strong reputation for supporting Thames Valley’s thriving information technology and communications businesses. We also have a large pensions’ advisory capability and one of the largest expatriate advisory practices outside London.

By combining deep sector knowledge with innovative technology, we bring fresh thinking and practical approaches. Our specialist teams in audit, tax and advisory work together to help our clients achieve their goals, including growth strategy, people strategy, cyber security, digital transformation and technology solutions.

The Role

We are currently looking to recruit an Audit Manager who will be based in the Reading office.

This will include:

- To manage engagements, overseeing in-charge and audit assistants work ensuring compliance with client, statutory and KPMG requirements, appreciating relevant internal and external market factors, ensuring the effective and timely delivery of engagements
- Oversee and direct the budgeting, planning, co-ordination and control of engagements in accordance with client, statutory, KPMG and business requirements to ensure effective service delivery and maximised recoverability
- Direct, coach and mentor between 4 and 8 audit staff in a performance manager role taking responsibility for overseeing their portfolio, business and personal issues and delivering feedback throughout the year
- Nurture and seek worthwhile relationships with clients, business departments and staff, for the sharing of information and to identify and progress current and future Audit requirements
- Contributes towards the creation, implementation and delivery of the Audit Business Plan and offer support in relation to issues identified as a result of organisational or client focus change
- Assist the Director and Senior Manager (where applicable) in monitoring the effectiveness of Audit services delivered, providing feedback and reflection on the quality of service accordingly
- Preparation of reports to senior management and Audit Committees

There will be opportunity and encouragement for additional responsibilities outside this day to day role, such as working on tenders for potential new clients and assisting with training courses for in-charges and audit assistants.

Skills, Qualifications and Experience

- Leadership skills and ability to act as a role model
- Drive and resilience and ability to thrive in a pressured environment whilst working as a team with support from Directors, Senior Managers (where applicable) and in-charges
- Knowledge and experience of auditing and experience of systems/controls testing as well as substantive auditing - you will be able to deepen your understanding of consolidations, group audit and review of statutory accounts and disclosures
- Well-developed supervisory skills e.g. coaching and motivation
- Project management techniques; this role will test and develop your expertise in decision-making, analytical skills, time management, organisation and evaluative skills
- Strong communication and inter-personal skills, both verbal and written
- Proven research skills e.g. information seeking and knowledge sharing, understanding and interpreting information/applying knowledge
- IT literacy with sound knowledge and experience of Excel/Word.
- Time and exam Qualified Accountant - ACA, ACCA or country equivalent
- Recent experience as Manager in an external audit capacity, working with large, mixed sector corporate clients.
- Current experience of accounting and financial reporting standards including IFRS and UK standards
- Well-developed understanding of the wider commercial background KPMG operates in demonstrating awareness of the issues facing our clients on a day to day basis

Opening date: 24th July 2020
Closing date: 22nd August 2020

Salary: Competitive salary plus negotiable benefits

KPMG is part of a global network of firms that offers Audit, Tax, Pensions & Legal, 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.


As a firm we help our clients navigate their biggest issues and opportunities. We aim to be universally recognised as a great place for great people to do their best work – a firm known for our collaborative and inclusive culture. And we will take pride in driving lasting, positive change in society.


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.


KPMG’s Infrastructure Advisory Group (IAG) is widely recognised as one of the world’s leading independent strategic advisors in the infrastructure sector. The group has won many awards, including financial advisor of the year (Infrastructure Journal). In the UK, the group consists of over 150 professionals, with locations in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds and Edinburgh and is organised as a single national team.


We provide in-depth advice on the strategic, economic, financial and commercial issues driving infrastructure projects spanning the transport, power and utilities and social infrastructure sectors in the UK and internationally.


IAG’s Transport business provides market-leading advice to public and private sector clients including Department for Transport, Network Rail, Transport for London, Owning Groups, Train Operating Companies, Major Airports, High Speed 2, Highways England, Rail Delivery Group, as well as major city region authorities and local authorities.


Over the last decade we have undertaken key roles on high profile multi-billion pound projects and programmes across the UK, these include Crossrail 2, High Speed 2, Mersey Gateway, Northern Line extension and East West Rail. KPMG has long been a pre-eminent adviser in the rail franchising sector. Most recently, we have advised successful bidders on the East Midlands, West Midlands, South Western, East Anglia and TransPennine franchises. Our role in these competitions spans finance, strategy, commercial and delivery plans. We are currently supporting Network Rail design and implement its Putting Passengers First transformation programme.


IAG’s Transport Economics and Regulation team
Within IAG, the Transport Economics and Regulation team works with transport sector clients to develop commercial strategies, produce business plans, value economic impacts, and achieve better outcomes from regulatory policy and regulatory strategy.


Key service lines include:
― Pricing for transport services.
― Efficiency of capital investment.
― Efficiency of transport operations (benchmarking performance and operating costs).
― Economic regulation of transport infrastructure and services.

The Role

In response to the increasing demand for advice to support policy, regulation and investment decisions across the transport sector, we are looking for a high calibre, ambitious economist to join the team and play an integral role in the continued development of our business.

Key activities include:
― Undertaking a broad range of economic analysis including:
– Economic analysis
– Cost and performance benchmarking
– Pricing and incentives
– Economic and regulatory impact assessments.
― Writing technical and non-technical reports.
― Business development activities including writing proposals, and seeking out opportunities for new business.
― Developing and maintaining client relationships.
― Working with and managing colleagues.
― General project management and administrative activities.

Responsibility for delivering engagements in collaboration with senior colleagues. This will involve being able to scope work, develop project plans, deliver outputs and present to internal and external stakeholders

We encourage and expect all of our team to play an active role in engaging with clients and internal stakeholders. This includes building relationships, working closely on projects and presenting our findings.

The Person

― Experience working for or with an economic regulator, regulated company, economic/financial consultancy or as a government economist.
― Excellent understanding of transport policy, economic regulation and commercial performance.
― Knowledge of airports, railways and local public transport operations.

Essential:
― Strong technical skills in economic analysis
― Strong report writing skills
― Flexibility and the ability to adapt to changing requirements.
― The ability to identify problems and contribute to the development of solutions, helping us to remain at the cutting-edge of thinking in the sector.
― The ability to develop work which anticipates and can withstand third party scrutiny and challenge.

Desirable:
― Financial modelling
― Econometric analysis

Cloud Capability Lead

Location
We have learnt during the recent global situation that remote working can, and has, worked for our large Engineering team. Whilst we have three core offices (London, Manchester and Leeds) we are open to remote workers across the UK within a sensible vicinity of our offices with a view to being onsite at least one day per week.

The Team
Within KPMG's Technology service line, the Infrastructure Engineering team’s mission is to be the best Infrastructure team ever, by using the right tools for the right job, failing fast and automating like our lives depend on it. Right from the leadership level, our team are fully committed to the DevOps culture and are consistently trying to change to ensure that culture is nurtured and grows.

We operate at genuine scale taking advantage of our alliance partnerships with the industry leading public cloud providers to deliver cutting edge solutions to clients on a global stage. If the public cloud is your future and you’re amazing at solving difficult, interesting and complex challenges and actually writing code, roll up your sleeves then drop us a line and remember to bring cake.

You will be working to continuously advance and standardise our client’s infrastructure and pipelined deployments, whilst collaborating with colleagues to write infrastructure as code that scales and takes advantage of the technologies available in the market.

The Role
• Oversee the Building and Running of multiple cloud service teams who help business sectors design, build and maintain infrastructure and software services primarily in the three public cloud environments (AWS, Azure and GCP)
• Contribute towards the overall strategic direction for the wider Cloud and Engineering communities as well as your direct cloud service teams
• Lead, sponsor and mentor your various teams of engineers. Provide both technical and managerial support, guidance and advice where needed at any level
• Leverage extensive experience to assist your teams, and the wider cloud community at any grade level
• Responsible for ensuring all your service teams are financially buoyant and resourced correctly
• Build strong relationships with the coverage CTO for your area ensure you feed into their Technology strategy and be the trusted advisor from a Cloud and DevOps perspective
• Build on existing and forge new relationships with the wider firm at Director, Partner and Senior Partner level to put the T in GTD
• Ensure all teams are approaching and meeting both client and firm regulatory and security controls and are able to feed these ways of working back to the community
• Support your wider Infrastructure community by assisting other teams, sharing knowledge, debugging problems, contributing code to central projects, and any other things you can think of
• Enjoy yourself. Lead and nurture the culture of your teams and spread the word and capabilities the wider Technology team has across the UK and Global member firms

The Person
• Extensive experience managing a large or multiple teams of engineers and being responsible for delivering large and complex projects
• Ability to have deep technical level discussions with engineers, to explaining the business benefits of a range of technologies to non-technical partners and clients who have business issues to overcome
• Have a keen eye for opportunity. Put the T in GTD and grow, extensively, the brand footprint of Engineering not only internally at KPMG but externally to the market
• Excellent stakeholder management and relationship skills at C suite level both internally and client facing
• Ability to operate in a highly context switching environment for not only different clients but different business sectors and different technologies
• Proven extensive experience with Linux/Unix/Microsoft configuration
• Extensive hands on experience with public cloud providers such as AWS, Azure and/or GCP
• Able to identify and nurture existing and new talent
• Proven experience in software development or scripting languages such as Python/Go/PowerShell/Nodejs/C# or equivalent
• Solid CI/CD pipelining skills using Octopus/TeamCity/Jenkins/Azure DevOps or equivalent
• Product focussed, build once and reuse
• Take responsibility for your code
• Automates everything
• Proven experience working in an agile environment
• Ability to empower your teams to continuously learn, work independently, and make decisions with minimal input
• You like nothing more than to watch colleagues flourish under your guidance
• Be a technological cloud advocate to a wider audience inside and outside of the business
• Curiosity - Bring fresh ideas to the team and wider firm be it new software or containerisation of existing infrastructure and projects

What we can offer
• Scale, some of our clients are well known global brands, their infrastructure isn't small
• A great team environment, inside and outside of the work place
• Alliance relationships with AWS/Azure/GCP - Work with the product owners directly and help build their roadmap
• Love of technology and learning about even newer technology to help our clients be successful
• Paid certifications
• Flexible and considerate working hours and locations
• Access to regular training opportunities, attending conferences and certification support is encouraged
• Market equal pay and benefits such as a subsidised lunch, health care, pension, cycle to work, free day off to celebrate your birthday

Service Line Information
The Technology team services the broader Firm through delivery of core technology and managed services capabilities, collaboration and innovation development services and building our Alliances network.

KPMG Overview
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.

KPMG is part of a global network of firms that offers Audit, Tax, Pensions & Legal, 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.

As a firm we help our clients navigate their biggest issues and opportunities. We aim to be universally recognised as a great place for great people to do their best work – a firm known for our collaborative and inclusive culture. And we will take pride in driving lasting, positive change in society.

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.

The Role

Infrastructure is evolving: assets are becoming smarter and better connected. The opportunities for exploiting technologies to drive value from infrastructure and assets has never been greater.

Our Infrastructure Advisory Group (IAG) advises major public and private sector infrastructure and asset-intensive organisations across all sectors, including Natural Resources, Energy, Power, Utilities, Transport, Oil and Gas, Defence, Health and Education. We are strengthening our Infratech capability to meet increasing demand from these organisations in support for how to use data, analytics and technology to unlock value from their assets and infrastructure.

This is a fast growing area offering exciting opportunities building upon a global capabilities in Infrastructure, Asset Management and Data Analytics.

We are seeking an ambitious and innovative professional who is passionate about infrastructure and technology, with the skills and desire to combine the two to drive improvements for our clients.

You will be responsible for helping grow and deliver our Infratech business, working with client organisations and other KPMG teams to develop our offerings and value propositions.

- Support the IAG Infratech Lead in developing our Infratech value propositions
- Manage teams to deliver Infratech engagements
- Develop technology solutions for client challenges
- Work with KPMG’s global Infratech network to identify, develop and deploy appropriate tools and methodologies
- Work with KPMG’s technology and data analytics team to develop and deploy proof of concepts and solutions
- Develop partnerships with third party providers to develop an ecosystem of solutions for client issues

Leadership & Management:
- Engagement Management of project teams (typically 2-3 people) to deliver small-medium client engagements.
- Management of quality and risk on engagements to meet KPMG standards.
- Financial management of engagements including budgeting, reporting and invoicing processes.
- Performance Management and mentoring of IAG junior employees (typically 1-2 reports).

Stakeholder Interaction & challenges:
- Client facing role for both business development and delivery, including stakeholder management and workshop facilitation.
- Liaise with technical teams on the client side to support productionising of proof of concepts.
- Change management of client teams to embed solutions and supporting processes.
- Develop internal networks with other data, analytics and technology teams in KPMG

Impact, Risk, Accountability & Governance:
- The role can potentially have a material impact on the success of the Infratech offering and its growth within IAG.
- The role will be client facing and have direct impact on the reputation and perception of KPMG
- The role has financial responsibilities through Engagement Management.

Experience, Skills and Qualifications

Essential
- Experience working with data, analytics and technology in an infrastructure or asset-intensive organisation
- Broad understanding and interest in multiple infrastructure industry sectors
- Deep knowledge of at least one industry within construction, transport, power, utilities and defence.
- Demonstrable experience of innovative thinking

Desirable
- Experience of delivering projects within a disruptive sector, such as a technology startup
- Experience in managing consultancy or client facing assignments
- Experience working on complex change programmes
- Experience building business cases for funding

Expertise / Technical role requirements
- Knowledge of asset management
- Understanding of broader Asset Management good practice (ISO 55001 and IAM/GFMAM 39 subjects)
- Understanding of cloud technologies and their use in scaling solutions

Skills:
- Excellent facilitation and communication (written and verbal) skills
- Ability to bring complex data, analytics and technology concepts to life for non-specialist audiences
- Ability to manage multiple projects for multiple stakeholders and balance time across these appropriately