Retirement Technical Specialist

Location: London, Watford or Bristol Office

Canada Life UK looks after the retirement, investment and protection needs of individuals, families and companies. We help to build better futures for our customers, our intermediaries and our employees by operating as a modern, agile and welcoming organisation. Part of our parent company Great-West Lifeco, Canada Life UK has operated in the United Kingdom since 1903. We have hundreds of respected and supported employees committed to doing the right thing for our customers and colleagues. Canada Life UK is transforming to create a more customer-focused business by providing our customers with expertise on financial and tax planning, offering home finance and annuities propositions, and providing collective fund solutions to third party customers.

Job Summary:

• Develop and deliver technical support: Responsibility for providing timely and accurate product/tax technical information and support to internal teams and change projects.
• Provide specialist training: Delivery of technical training to internal stakeholders including design and preparation of key materials, presentations, etc.
• Support management of technical documentation: Responsibility for maintaining key documents/forms including Policy Provisions, Scheme Rules, Application Forms, etc; and provide technical input to marketing collateral, campaign management, and online content.
• Represent Canada Life in Industry/Technical discussions and events: Represent Canada Life at industry technical forums (e.g. Origo, Criterion, Equity Release Council, etc) and supporting development and creation of internal responses to proposed changes to UK Government policy and FS regulation impacting Retirement product lines.

What will you be doing:

1. Technical support for internal teams: Act as product/tax technical lead for retirement queries to support decision-making on industry standards, product terms & conditions, product technical rules/guidelines, product technical documentation, product reviews, transaction guidelines, complex cases, GMP equalization queries, complaint handling, and tax treatment on the company, its customers, and other beneficiaries covering death claims, pensions in divorce, trusts, monies in, and monies out.
2. Lead review, interpretation, impact analysis, and delivery of guidance in respect of changes to technical standards and/or legislation impacting retirement product lines, including HMRC Pension Newsletters, HMRC Tax Manual, and Equity Release Council Product Standards.
3. Act as principal intermediary with HMRC to interpret requirements/ensure compliance with correct reporting and filing for retirement product lines (including Pensions Increase Orders/GMP Increase Orders, HMRC Event Reporting for accounting for tax, HMRC Band Reporting).
4. Act as key point of contact with relevant tax authorities for tax treatment/queries in respect of income/benefit payments made to non-UK tax jurisdictions including Isle of Man, Jersey, and Guernsey.

1. Technical support to change projects: Act as product/tax technical lead on change projects impacting retirement product lines, including product developments/changes, annual changes to escalation rates, annual changes to tax year-end processes and documentation.
2. Support creation/validation of technical product requirements to deliver successful change and UAT to ensure requirements translated correctly.
3. Proactively develop and maintain productive relationships with key stakeholders to support identification and implementation of changes required to ensure technical compliance.

1. Design and delivery of training to internal teams: Delivery of technical training to internal stakeholders including design and preparation of key materials, presentations, etc.
2. Training on impact of new legislation, new technical standards, and new products/product changes/process changes.

1. Technical documentation: Act as technical lead in management, review and approval in Aprimo of key documents/forms including Policy Provisions, Scheme Rules, Application Forms, etc.
2. Provide technical input/guidance to support creation and maintenance of marketing collateral, campaign management, and online content.

1. Support public policy team: Collaborate with Public Policy team to support development and creation of internal responses to proposed changes to UK Government policy and FS regulation impacting Retirement product lines.

What Experience do you require for the position:

• Excellent communication skills.
• Self-motivated, engaging, good with people, with a keen eye for detail.
• Demonstrate the ability to communicate complex technical information in a simple and understandable way.
• Ability to understand, highlight and clearly articulate the opportunities arising from complex technical and legislative changes.
• Ability to disseminate information from industry groups, UK Government, UK Regulators, UK and non-UK tax authorities, and to identify emerging opportunities.
• Act as a specialist to encourage open and constructive relationship and help others develop skills to be effective.
• Demonstrate the ability to coach.
• Ability to write clear technical accurate reports/articles.
• Able to demonstrate in-depth understanding of the Retirement product lines and provide training in support of these, and the surrounding legislative and tax framework.

Qualifications:

• Preferably suitable qualifications in pensions, tax or estate planning - such as PFS diploma, G60/AF3 pensions specialist qualification, or equivalent.

Benefits of working at Canada Life:

We believe in recognising and rewarding our people, so we offer a competitive salary and benefits package that’s regularly reviewed. As a Canada Life UK colleague, you’ll receive a competitive salary and comprehensive reward package including a generous pension and bonus scheme, along with income protection, private medical insurance and life assurance. We have a fantastic number of other benefits and support services as well as regular personal and professional development.

How we work at Canada Life:

Our culture is unique and incredibly important to us. We care about doing the right thing for our people, customers and community and helping others to build better futures. Our blueprint behaviours shape and influence how we work, and are central to the relationships we have with others. Every day we are encouraged to be more curious, own the outcome, face into things together and find a way forward. We want colleagues to have rewarding careers with us so we invest in the development of our people, technology and workplaces. That’s why we offer a range of training, flexible working and opportunities to grow and develop.

Diversity and inclusion:

Building an inclusive workplace with a diverse workforce where everyone can feel they belong and achieve their potential regardless of gender, ethnicity or any other characteristic is a key commitment for us. We are proud of the progress we’re making in DEI, and we continue for it to be a significant focus. At Canada Life we believe in the power of great people from different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives coming together to build better futures. Emerging talent is crucial to our growth and creating an environment that continues to inspire us all.

We appreciate that everyone has different work and life responsibilities. We’re happy to discuss flexible working arrangements, including part time, for any of our roles should this be a requirement for you.