About First Actuarial

First Actuarial has been around since 2004, when a small group of like-minded actuaries came together to bring fresh thinking to pensions consultancy. More than two decades later, our strong growth path has continued year on year, and we now employ over 500 people across seven locations.

First Actuarial is owned by Gallagher, one of the world’s leading insurance brokers, risk management and consulting firms. First Actuarial forms part of Gallagher’s UK Benefits & HR Consulting division (GBS UK).

GBS UK is a leading provider in the pensions consultancy market, offering a full end-to-end retirement proposition, including actuarial and investment consulting, risk transfer, pensions administration and retirement communications. With experts positioned across all regions, we support pension schemes of all sizes across the full range of solutions.

First Actuarial operates nationally with more than 550 colleagues across seven UK offices. Our focus is on delivering high-quality advice and service at a fair and transparent level of fees.

As we develop our business, opportunities for our people grow. Our Basingstoke, Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, Peterborough, Tonbridge, and London offices provide supportive work environments where everyone can make a difference. We enjoy work and celebrate our successes. And we provide support and helpful feedback, so we all learn and improve.

We love numbers, but we love people more. Staff wellbeing and work-life balance have always been core values. Beyond the firm, we’re known for our integrity. We’re happy to challenge conventional thinking and speak up. Our pioneering work is set to transform the lives of millions of younger people with a new type of pension.

The Role

We are looking to recruit a Senior Pension Administrator for our Manchester Office.

You’ll be dealing with pension scheme members, explaining how their pension works, handling complex calculations and keeping up to date with changes in the world of pensions. Your work will make a real difference, helping us meet our client expectations and communicate effectively with a variety of third parties.

Who are we looking for?

·        At least 4 years in a range of Pensions Administration roles.

·        Progression in a PMI qualification or equivalent, or willing to study for one.

·        Excellent communication skills, with ability to express complicated ideas in a concise and clear way.

·        Ability to calculate pensions and interpret scheme rules.

·        Proven and significant experience dealing with DB schemes.

·        Good awareness of legislative issues.

·        Self-motivation and ability to work autonomously, in line with the responsibilities that the role requires.

·        Ability to meet client SLAs, contribute to good practice and foster the development of junior team members.

·        Good Microsoft Excel skills, with the ability to set up template calculation tools.

Responsibilities

You will make an active contribution to team goals, develop your skills and broaden your experience. You will be responsible for 

·        Delivering pragmatic solutions and applying a logical approach to problem solving.

·        Supporting and developing team members.

·        Preparing helpful and informative documentation.

·        Talking to pension scheme members, clients and third parties.

·        Guiding scheme members through their pension journey.

·        Providing support to the Team Leader.

·        Doing/checking of calculations and assisting team members with difficult cases and non-standard queries (subject to experience).

What we offer you

On top of a competitive salary, great teams and exciting career opportunities, we also offer a wide range of benefits.

Below are the minimum core benefits you’ll get, depending on your job level these benefits may improve:

• Minimum of 27 days holiday, plus bank holidays, and the option to ‘buy’ 10 more days
• Defined contribution pension scheme, which Gallagher will also contribute to
• Life insurance, which will pay 4x your basic annual salary, which you can top-up to 10x
• Income protection, we’ll cover up to 50% of your annual income, with options to top up
• Health cash plan or Private medical insurance
Other benefits include:
• Three fully paid volunteering days per year
• Employee Stock Purchase plan, offering company shares at a discount
• Share incentive plan, HMRC approved, tax effective, stock purchase plan
• Critical illness cover
• Discounted gym membership, with over 3,000 gyms nationally
• Season ticket loan
• Access to a discounted voucher portal to save money on your weekly shop or next big
purchase
• Emergency back-up family care

We have hybrid working in place for colleagues who prefer homeworking for part of the week. We’re also flexible on working day arrangements and will happily accommodate a range of personal commitments from day one.

Our straightforward, interview-based approach to recruitment ensures equal opportunities for all applicants.

Please note that we can only accept candidates who have a right to work in the UK.