Pensions Project Support

The Willis Towers Watson Project & Data Solutions team works across multiple disciplines, various lines of business and with third parties to deliver a variety of projects, the majority being large and complex data and Guaranteed Minimum Pension (GMP) related projects as well as extensive de-risking exercises.
The highlights of the role include:

• working across a range of subjects/solutions across trust-based defined benefits schemes - such as data audit and cleanse, GMP equalization and rectification programmes, member options exercises (retirement transfer options, enhanced transfer values, pension increase exchanges), plan design change and plan closure, buy-ins, wind ups, mergers, systems implementations, longevity hedges, and asset transitions
• working with a range of different people across different lines of business and external organisations
• having a defined career path and wide opportunities at this large global employer.

The successful candidate will be pensions trained and have previous experience of a project support role. If you have any trustee secretarial or scheme management experience, you might also be interested in this role.
The role requires the following skills:

• strong planning and organising skills
• effective communication skills (both written and verbal), and
• ability to identify and efficiently resolve issues

It will be an advantage to have experience in co-ordinating and supporting data and GMP related pension projects and de-risking projects.
The Role

• Provide day-to-day project support to a Project Manager or Senior Project Manager, delivering pensions projects of various sizes and varying degrees of complexity - actions logs, decisions logs, production of agendas, risks and issues logs
• Assist with set-up/building and monitoring project plans, progress and highlight reports
• Draft and support the creation of project management materials as necessary
• Assisting with project tracking to ensure that delivery deadlines are achieved within scope, budget and Willis Towers Watson's internal protocols
• Setting up meetings, co-ordinating diaries, client billing and producing efficient, fast and accurate minutes of meetings.
• Support ideas for continuous improvement, improving operational efficiency and effectiveness
• Ensure standard templates and project materials, such as template client reports, project highlight reports, risk logs, action plans, project plans are used consistently to drive efficient and high-quality project delivery, help with saving good examples to our library of materials
• Assist with ensuring each deliverable is produced efficiently and adds value to the project
• Assist with scheduling project reviews and tranche reviews, to enable these to be carried out at appropriate project milestones

The Requirements
The essential skills/experience for this role are:

• Experience in project management delivery coupled with meaningful experience within the pensions industry and/or financial services
• Good organisational skills and experience of managing a number of projects simultaneously
• A clear, concise and confident communicator of project issues - covering both verbal and written communication skills
• Practical experience in managing and controlling project budgets, the billing process and pricing and scoping new work
• Experience in working with clients, third parties, or in supplier and customer relationships
• A firm commitment to delivering high quality service

Other highly desirable skills/experience are:

• Prince 2 qualified (or willing to work towards) ideally with Microsoft Project skills
• Pensions industry qualifications would be an advantage such as the Pensions Management Institute Diplomas or Associateship
• Experience in presenting at multi-discipline meetings
• Experience in preparing (or reviewing) project reports, reporting from third parties involved in your projects and other outputs for client delivery
• Experience of managing and/or mentoring individual team members

Equal Opportunity Employer