Graduate Actuarial Assistant

Graduate Actuarial Assistant

Guildford

Full time/Permanent

Hybrid

XPS Pensions Group is experiencing high growth and our Actuarial business is now ready to grow our graduate intake for 2023 with opportunities to join our vibrant office in Guildford with hybrid working.

We are keen to hear from graduates who are looking to excel in an advisory role and are unafraid to express their views through excellent communication. You must have a passion to learn about actuarial concepts together with drive and enthusiasm and in return, we will help you reach your potential and be the best you can be.

By joining XPS you will be involved in a wide variety of work. You’ll be supported by on-the-job training, resulting in you developing your knowledge and abilities quickly. In addition, we will support you through an apprenticeship scheme to complete the actuarial (IFoA) exams with our support along the way - we’ll equip you with study materials, time to study and an attractive salary and benefits package.

This is a great opportunity to grow and develop as you work to build a successful career in Financial Services.

XPS is an award-winning Pensions Consultancy, and the largest pure pensions consultancy in the UK with around 1600 employees in 16 locations across the country. As the only UK pensions specialist listed on the London Stock Exchange Main Market, we have the flexibility to think and act differently as we advise more than 1500 pension schemes and administer pensions for over 1,000,000 members.

The Team:

Our mission is to help our clients manage the complex issues which impact their pension scheme in a pragmatic and understandable way. Communication is a key part of the work we do and amongst other things, we advise Trustees and Corporate clients on a wide range of actuarial-related areas and help them to understand the risks within their pension schemes and how they can manage this.

The role:

As a Graduate Actuarial Assistant with XPS you will…

• Promote and adhere to the XPS values
• Work as part of a team to assist clients solve their challenges and best meet their objectives through:
• The production of complex actuarial models and calculations
• Drafting written advice to clients on a wide range of topics including Defined Benefit & Defined Contribution Schemes
• Effectively delivering that advice to clients in meetings
• Regular liaison and communication with the client team, other departments in XPS, investment managers and clients
• Working with clients on complex bespoke projects, such as benefit design, member option exercises, scheme mergers, buying out benefits with insurance companies and wind-up projects
• Initially your role would be to assist client team leaders, but progressing to reviewing the work of others and communicating directly with clients at the appropriate time for you
• Have opportunity to get involved in specialist research and development teams in an area that interests you
• Study for IFoA exams

Your profile:

To thrive in this role, we would expect the most suitable candidate to have:

• Recent degree with ideally a mathematical focus
• A level Maths
• Analytical mind-set, with a high level of numeracy
• Ability to problem solve and come up with solutions
• Outstanding accuracy and attention to detail
• Outstanding communication skills, written, oral and in presentation form
• Desire and ability to build great relationships with colleagues and clients
• Adaptable and a team-player
• Highly organised with the ability to prioritise effectively
• Strong computer skills, particularly Microsoft Office
• Contribute to our ongoing debates and thereby help influence our future direction

What do we offer?

We believe in our people, and we will work with you to unlock your potential and support your career whilst giving you the opportunity to work with some of the most dynamic and collaborative people in our industry.

We embrace differences and we will respect your ideas, perspective and style. Our business thrives on our diversity and mix of experience that leads to innovation. When you take a role with XPS you will be joining a community of professionals driven by integrity and delivery and you can be sure that your wellbeing is taken seriously.

We are happy to talk about flexible working and hybrid working and we understand everyone has different needs.

We offer an attractive reward package, including:

• Competitive salary

• Participation in a Discretionary Bonus Scheme

• 25 days holiday

• A set of core benefits including pension plan, life assurance, employee assistance programme, access to a qualified, practicing GP 24 hours a day, 365 days a year

• A comprehensive range of voluntary and flexible benefits to suit you and your lifestyle including holiday trading, tech scheme, cycle to work scheme, dental cover, healthcare cash plan, critical illness cover, private medical cover for self and family, travel insurance and a broad range of discounts at hundreds of retailers.

What happens next?

If you feel XPS could be the next step on your career ladder, please apply directly via the links provided and we look forward to learning more about you. We will consider all applicants and respond swiftly.

If you do not feel ready to apply but wish to know more, please contact Paul Gilliver on the recruitment team at XPS

The successful candidate will need to demonstrate the following requirements:

• Right to Work confirmation

• DBS Disclosure check

• Employment or educational references covering five years

• Satisfactory credit check

XPS Pensions Group is an equal opportunities employer and positively encourages application from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, sexual orientation, religion or belief.

Please note we reserve the right to close our vacancies early and we only accept cvs direct from candidates or our preferred supplier list.