Senior Manager, Employer Covenant Advisor

We’re growing and want you to be a part of our journey. Pensions employer covenant advisory is a challenging and fast-growing area. Isio’s Covenant Solutions team assess the financial strength and commercial outlook of sponsors of defined benefit pensions schemes, to understand the cash flows and assets available to support funding of pension liabilities. This includes advising on covenant mitigation solutions where there are corporate events such as M&A, refinancing or restructuring.

Isio is looking for qualified accountants with employer covenant advisory experience and/or a transaction/restructuring advisory background to join our team in advising clients and supporting our growth plans.

What’s the role? Isio is seeking a Senior Manager to help support the growth of its covenant advisory business. The candidate will build a portfolio of corporate and trustee advisory clients as well as advise in M&A/transaction, run-on and superfund transaction situations. The role will involve working on some of the most complex transactions and challenging pensions issues businesses and trustees face, and work alongside a range of Isio specialists in actuarial and investment services to provide integrated solutions to support pensions strategy.

The candidate will have employer covenant expertise and/or transactions/restructuring advisory experience, including preparing insolvency estimated outcome statements for assessing potential returns to creditors/pension schemes. This is a great opportunity for a high calibre candidate to fast track their career prospects, widen their skillset and be part of Isio’s ambitious growth plans.

Role and Responsibilities

• Building and managing a portfolio of pension trustee advisory clients, leading advice on employer covenant assessments and integrated risk management framework.
• Managing small teams for client projects and assisting in the delivery of larger complex projects.
• Assessing the impact of corporate activities such as a transaction, restructuring or refinancing on employer covenants.
• Advising on solutions to mitigate changes in employer covenant security.
• Advising corporate sponsors in negotiations with trustees over employer covenant and mitigation/financial support options.
• Leading external marketing initiatives and product development to support Isio’s growth ambitions.

Where is the role? Our ideal applicant would work alongside our existing team in Manchester, Edinburgh or London. We can offer suitable applicants the opportunity to work from other Isio offices. We work on a hybrid basis, offering the opportunity for colleagues to split their time between office and home. We build strong communities across locations and teams, hosting regular team building, charity and social events.

Key Skills & Experience

• Qualified ACA/CA/ACCA accountant with significant post-qualified experience.
• Extensive relevant employer covenant and/or transaction/restructuring advisory experience.
• Commercial awareness and interest in how businesses work.
• Enthusiasm for business development and supporting market initiatives.
• Track record of establishing trusted relationships with clients and intermediaries, and an existing network across the corporate/trustee/intermediary community.
• Experience of insolvency analysis/recoveries e.g. preparing Estimated Outcome Statements and/or Entity Priority Models and advising clients of the implications.
• Experience using AI and data analysis tools to improve efficiency in research and reporting.
• Excellent report writing, financial analysis, client and project management skills.

Demonstrated Commitment to our Core Purpose

• Power in Partnership: We work in partnership with our clients and each other – building open and trusted relationships. Working together allows us to deliver the best for our clients.
• Future Focus: We want to push our industry forward by solving problems in better ways that benefit both our clients and society.
• Strength in Difference: We work with diverse perspectives to find better solutions. Working with differences makes us stronger.
• People First: We recognise that pensions is a people business. People are the source of Isio’s expertise and it is people’s lives that we affect through our advice.

What we offer you

Isio is a people business, committed to helping our great colleagues gain a wide variety of experience, significant development opportunities and progression through the business. The variety of work available will enable personal growth.

More about Isio and the benefits we offer is available here: Isio – Careers & Benefits.

About Isio

Isio was born in 2020 from the sale of KPMG UK’s Pension Practice to a private equity firm. An industry-leading challenger, we provide diverse expertise spanning Pensions, Investment, Benefits and Wealth to give clients an integrated experience. We are built by challengers, innovators and forward-thinkers, grounded around a vision that strives to deliver greater financial confidence for everyone. We empower and develop those who join us – valuing curious minds and giving people the freedom to outperform. Known and respected for our agility, we harness specialist experience, bold thinking and a desire to push the boundaries of what we can achieve for our clients, from small to blue-chip, public to private.

We are committed to fostering an inclusive, equitable and diverse workplace, in which colleagues feel they belong, regardless of background or difference. We uphold the values of respect, fairness and inclusion in our actions and decisions. By adhering to these principles, we create a stronger, more innovative and supportive environment for all, and ensure that the advice and support we provide is creative, insightful and leaves a lasting impact.

We have offices across the UK and many of our roles offer a hybrid, flexible approach to work to help create a work-life balance that works for you. Isio Group is an equal opportunities employer and we welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates.

If you require a reasonable adjustment at any stage of your recruitment process, please email hrrecruitment@ISIO.com