Pensions Consultant

This inclusive employer is a member of myGwork – the largest global platform for the LGBTQ+ business community.

From day one, our mission has been to create an independent business with a unique culture - one that is controlled by the people who work for it. Finding the most talented and entrepreneurial people has always been key to our success.

People come to Howden Group Holdings for lots of different reasons, but they stay for the same one: our culture. That's what sets us apart, and why we nurture and retain the best talent in the market. Whatever your priorities - work/life balance, career progression, sustainability, volunteering - you'll find like-minded people driving change at Howden Group.

Howden Employee Benefits & Wellbeing

Senior Pension Consultant Role

From day one, our mission has been to create an independent business with a unique culture - one that is controlled by the people who work for it. Finding the most talented and entrepreneurial people has always been key to our success.

People come to Howden Group Holdings for lots of different reasons, but they stay for the same one: our culture. That's what sets us apart, and why we nurture and retain the best talent in the market. Whatever your priorities - work/life balance, career progression, sustainability, volunteering - you'll find like-minded people driving change at Howden Group.

Role Purpose

Acts as a key relationship and development contact between prospects, key clients and workplace savings providers to ensure compliant, efficiently run workplace pension schemes and well informed membership. Through a clearly communicated proposition, secure new fee income clients and provide appropriate solutions to existing clients. Client accounts assigned to the role holder are often higher value, important and complex, requiring advanced levels of expertise and efficient delivery of solutions.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES:

Planning

• Determines own (and others' if appropriate) work priorities and activities in line with agreed plans to ensure the achievement of personal and Team objectives
• Meets agreed ongoing and new business targets
• Builds agreed plans with clients and coordinates service delivery
• Participates in team meetings, reporting on business progress within their area of responsibility
• Manages assigned projects and contributes to other projects as required
• Provides relevant management information, as required
• Monitors and forecasts renewal and new business activity to aid effective planning and resourcing
• Conducts research and collects feedback from the market, to assist in the maintenance and development of the Workplace Savings & Education proposition
• Seeks opportunities internally and externally to grow the book of business by actively monitoring the market and seeking opportunities to meet/exceed business goals and targets
• Contributes to the Team's tactical plans
• Regularly reviews service quality with clients and takes actions as necessary
• Works to generate potential additional income streams by introducing other Howden service specialists

Technical

• Reviews client documentation to ensure that information presented is sufficiently comprehensive/ accurate and compliant to support the workplace pensions scheme governance and communication
• Collates and communicates clients' requirements to ensure appropriate solutions are delivered
• Delivers educational presentations to employees on various financial topics
• In conjunction with the Workplace Savings & Education Team prepares new client tenders, existing client governance and market review reports
• Liaises with and advises clients, investigating and resolving queries
• Is aware of, and satisfies tax and legislation requirements
• Responds to market and third party queries as appropriate
• Produces high quality and compliant market documentation ensuring appropriate solutions are secured
• Takes responsibility for data entry, credit control and chasing subjectivities where required
• Ensures up to data records are maintained at all times on the Company systems
• Be seen as a workplace pension expert internally and a go-to person for other team within the company

Policy, Process and Procedures

• Works within agreed parameters and uses relevant systems to ensure documentation/communications adhere to company procedure/compliance requirements and provide an adequate audit trail
• Co-ordinates prompt and accurate processing of data on relevant systems in order to support and improve high levels of client service/internal process execution, and to facilitate informed analysis
• Maintains appropriate client files, and oversee the prompt and accurate production of appropriate documentation to best meet client, company and regulatory requirements
• Ensures appropriate due diligence/sanctions checks are conducted in line with company procedures
• Adheres to company policies and procedures and obtains necessary authorisations during the process
• Maintain the required level of Continued Professional Development

Environment, Customer Focus and Relationships

• Builds and maintains strong relationships with internal stakeholders and external contacts to ensure service delivery meets expectations and is compliant
• Provides support and assistance to clients and to colleagues
• Behaves with all clients (both internal and external) fairly and ethically
• Shares information that could be beneficial to the Operating Entity/Group
• Develops and maintains awareness and understanding of market dynamics and related cycles, to ensure work activities are effective
• Works with workplace pension scheme providers in a collaborative manner to ensure positive results for the business and for clients
• Visits clients as appropriate
• Provides the highest service to clients and other third parties to promote a positive image of company

People Management/Personal Development

• Actively undertakes personal development to maintain knowledge and understanding of best practice
• Remains aware of external, industry, legal and regulatory developments etc. to ensure practice and outputs are of a sufficiently high standard
• Keeps informed of all legal and regulatory developments relevant to the Operating Entity/Group

Regulatory and Compliance

The Board requires the highest standards of corporate governance, operational excellence and financial reporting throughout the Group from all its employees. Specific responsibilities are listed below.

• Complies with all applicable, legal, fiscal and regulatory obligations in our policies and procedures
• Ensures correct authorisation is obtained and processes followed when required by the Group
• Ensures performance, HR and T&C records are up to date and meet the Group's requirements
• Maintains accurate records and deals with correspondence appropriately
• Operates in an honest, professional and ethical manner
• Strictly adheres to the Group Employee Code of Conduct
• Completes all relevant regulatory training

Knowledge/Skills/Qualifications

• Sound understanding of general and legal principles of workplace pension schemes
• Broad understanding of the employee benefit sector and its products
• Good understanding of the relevant regulatory environments and their requirements.
• Knowledge of the market including an awareness of competitors
• Has a number of years' experience within their area of workplace pensions and employee benefits
• Good understanding of Team objectives and how own role contributes to these
• Specific systems' knowledge relevant to the role
• Proven track record of supporting teams to deliver high levels of client service
• Customer focussed approach
• Highly numerate and literate
• Is confident and has good communication skills
• Able to work independently and use initiative
• Able to work flexibly to achieve tight deadlines/targets with good time management skills
• Computer literate
• Good decision making and analytical skills
• Has an excellent attention to detail and an ability to learn
• Calm and resilient under pressure
• Able to positively react to change
• Strong negotiation and influencing skills
• Is a team player, networks and is able to build sustainable working relationships
• Is positively regarded by their colleagues and clients
• Diploma in Financial Planning

What do we offer in return?

A career that you define.

Yes, we offer all the usual rewards and benefits - including great healthcare provision, a wide variety of wellbeing offers, competitive salary, generous pensions and more - but we know you expect all that.

What you might not expect is a job where everyone has a voice, where volunteering in the community is part of the day job, and where everyone is encouraged to play a part towards our sustainability goals. We want people who want to make a difference - not just in the workplace, but in the industry and in the wider community.

Our Culture: People First

We are proud to be at the global table, but we are most proud of our culture. It has been built on a single and constant set of principles over more than 25 years, and it has helped us become:

• An international group with independence and people at its heart

• A home for talent with a unique culture: the biggest small company in the world

The focus on being a People First business has always been at the very heart of the Group. David's vision was to create an independent business with a unique culture; one that would survive and thrive as a business controlled by the people working for it. Finding the most talented and entrepreneurial people to join the Group has been and will continue to be key.

Diversity & Inclusion

At Howden Group Holdings we consider our people our chief competitive advantage and as such we treat colleagues, candidates, clients, and business partners with equality, fairness and respect, regardless of their age, disability, race, religion or belief, gender, sexual orientation, marital status or family circumstances.

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