Actuarial Analyst in Belfast

About Us

Spence & Partners (Spence) provides full pension actuarial, consulting, investment consulting and administration services that provide simply smarter solutions for trustees, employers, and members. We are excited about the future. The industry in which we operate offers a dynamic and challenging environment and our excellent reputation is contributing to the growth of our business from an expanding portfolio of clients. With our unique approach to the provision of services, we aspire to continue to extend our client base and deliver truly integrated solutions across our work through the use of our highly innovative software platform, Mantle.

We are defined by our ethos and by our goal: Our ethos is an individual and collective commitment achieved through carefully balancing responsibility with freedom and flexibility, all of which is underpinned by a willingness to work interdependently. Adopting this approach is how we do our best work. Our goal is to provide interesting, worthwhile, and healthy careers for our colleagues; we believe that this emphasis sets us apart from our competitors. We do not pigeonhole colleagues and aim to provide challenging and interesting work which will allow our staff to build rewarding careers. We will support you every step of the way.

Spence is part of the 3173 Group of companies, which also includes Dalriada Trustees Limited, one of the UK’s largest professional pension scheme trustee companies, and Mantle, which reimagines the traditional models of defined benefit pensions administration, actuarial valuation and investment consulting software. Joining us can open up opportunities for you to use your experience to add value across the group. We have clients throughout the UK, serviced from offices in London, Belfast, Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, and Leeds.

About You

As an Actuarial Analyst, you will be an integral part of our Actuarial and Investment Team, providing an important contribution to a wide range of work within the pensions sector. This role is an exciting opportunity to grow your ability to provide actuarial advice and technical support to a diverse range of clients, including the trustees and sponsoring employers of pension schemes, the Pension Protection Fund and also Charity/Not for Profit organisations. You will be working in a challenging and supportive environment as part of a growing, innovative pensions consulting firm. To support your development in our company and our industry, you will collaborate with our team to create a personal development plan. A structured training plan will help you grow your knowledge and drive your career. As part of your training, you will be given the opportunity to be exposed to all aspects of our Business acquiring a breadth of knowledge and experience that will enable you to become a credible and effective Actuarial professional. You will liaise with colleagues throughout our office locations and work on clients from a diverse range of industries and sectors. You will get direct exposure to working with the directors of our business and the opportunity to really make your mark in a growing organisation.

Responsibilities & Criteria

• For a portfolio of clients, help provide a service that is proactive, timely and fully focused on the needs of the client and maintains the excellent reputation that has been established by our impressive team.
• Be encouraged to use your creativity and critical thinking to come up with tailor‑made solutions to unique problems.
• Demonstrate excellent communication skills through regular interaction with clients, including attending and presenting at client meetings.
• Become proficient in the use of our bespoke in‑house software, Mantle, to assist you to consider the risks to our clients and develop appropriate solutions that meet our client’s needs.
• Prepare actuarial and member benefit calculations, creating actuarial models to address a diverse range of client requirements.
• Assess the impact of changing demographics or legislation on pension schemes and the effects that changes in financial markets have on different organisations.
• Draft reports and presentations to clients in support of their decision making in managing their pension scheme arrangements.
• Support our work with the Pension Protection Fund as a member of its Specialist Administration and Actuarial Services Panel.
• Support internal projects as we seek to continually improve our processes and develop our service proposition.
• Over time, develop specialisms in the areas that interest you to positively impact the way in which we work and deliver.

Essential Criteria

• Eligibility to work in the UK.
• An honours degree at 2:1 level or above.
• A Levels, or equivalent – Mathematics at Grade B or above.
• Excellent IT skills and competent in Microsoft packages, e.g. Word and Excel, with an aptitude for learning other systems.
• Experience of working proactively and using your own initiative to complete tasks.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Developed understanding of the industry, UK Defined Benefit Pension Schemes and the regulatory environment in which we operate.

Circumstances

Working hours: Monday to Friday, 37.5 hours per week with additional hours as and when required. Location: Opportunity is available in Belfast and Glasgow. The roleholder may be at times required to travel to other UK locations. All roles are subject to a six‑month probationary period and all prospective employees are required to complete background screening to cover all locations. As part of the pre‑hire process the successful candidate will be subject to reference checking security vetting. 3173 is an Equal Opportunity Employer.