Pensions Actuary/Manager

Summary of Role Purpose

KPMG's Pensions Centre of Excellence (PCoE) is an exciting initiative which was established to standardise the audits of defined benefit pension plan balances, driving consistency and ensuring delivery of high-quality audits. We are now looking for talented and experienced Managers to join our team.

You will be responsible for delivering high quality specialist actuarial pensions support to KPMG Audit in relation to defined benefit pension schemes sponsored by KPMG audited entities. This covers the full process, from planning through execution, review and to conclusion, across a broad portfolio of entities. You will manage engagements on our small to medium entities, with a supporting role on our largest FTSE accounts. You will be a key contact with the audit assist team within the PCoE as well as the central KPMG audit team, with responsibility for maintaining the day-to-day relationship with them and ensuring delivery to agreed timescales.

You will also work closely with our audit teams and actuarial specialists across all of KPMG's UK offices, our offshore team who assist with delivery of work, external experts, and audit entity pension teams. As a Manager, you will be responsible for 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.

Description of the Role

• Acting as a key contact with audited entities on all pensions audit engagements, with overall responsibility for stakeholder relationships on small to medium engagements. Managing stakeholder expectations and having challenging conversations will be a key element of this.
• Running audited entity pensions actuarial engagement teams to deliver audit cases (from initial scoping with central audit team to final delivery of audit report) and contributing to the overall success of the team.
• Understanding and challenging the pensions actuarial risks and one-off pensions events for each audited entity, ensuring the extent of work is appropriately scoped, accurately assessed and appropriately reported.
• Maintaining regular, open and honest communication whilst working together with the PCoE audit assist team, lead audit team and the audit entity.
• Developing specialist technical knowledge and contributing to research and knowledge sharing (e.g., technical accounting support, audit tools and procedures, yield curves, longevity, valuation of longevity swaps, valuation of annuity policies, public sector, US GAAP, valuation of asset backed funding interests).
• Providing technical support on non-standard procedures (e.g., special event accounting, areas of difference).
• Signing off reporting in respect of a selection of our small to medium audit entities, in line with KPMG audit quality procedures.
• Contributing to developing streamlined and efficient procedures, whilst maintaining an absolute focus on quality.
• Directing and overseeing the work of junior team members, including reviewing their audit work (e.g., checking calculations and reviewing conclusions), and providing coaching and mentoring support.
• Performance managing junior team members, ensuring that you are having rich development conversations that supports their growth and career progression.

Role Dimensions

Technical core competencies required for the role

• Technical knowledge: Understands relevant technical accounting and financial reporting standards, regulations and accounting literature. Exhibits and stays current on appropriate industry and specialised knowledge, and leverages KPMG methodologies.
• Technology skills: Uses firm-approved audit tools and innovative technology solutions to increase audit quality, productivity and data insights.
• Professional scepticism and issue identification: Applies professional scepticism, objectivity and independence to identify and support resolution of potential audit issues.
• Documentation: Completes audit documentation demonstrating an unwavering focus on audit quality.

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.

The Person

Experience and Knowledge Requirements

• Relevant experience working in pensions accounting and / or audit at Manager level, at either an employee benefit consultancy or other Big 4 firm. (E)
• Deep technical knowledge of defined benefit pension scheme valuations, roll forward methodologies and actuarial techniques. (E)
• Understanding of the wider UK pensions landscape, the FRC audit environment and the issues facing our stakeholders. (E)

• Experience of one or more of the following specialist knowledge areas (and will be expected to develop further specialist technical knowledge and contribute to research and knowledge sharing): (E)
• technical accounting support
• audit tools and procedures
• yield curves
• longevity
• valuation of longevity swaps and annuity policies
• public sector pension schemes
• US GAAP
• valuation of asset backed funding interests
• Experience of performance managing teams, coaching and mentoring junior staff. (E)
• Proven track record of managing and delivering high quality projects, including team oversight and stakeholder management. (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 actuary, AIA, FIA or equivalent.