2026 Employee Benefit Graduate Analyst Programme - Manchester

Isio; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 25,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading consultancy firm in Manchester seeks a Graduate Analyst for employee benefits. This three-year program offers training towards professional qualifications. Applicants should have a degree by September 2026 with strong mathematical and communication skills. Responsibilities include designing benefit strategies, client interaction, and data analysis. The position provides competitive salary and flexible working options.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Defined contribution pension scheme

Healthcare benefits

25 days annual leave plus bank holidays

Qualifications

• Completed an undergraduate degree or higher by 1 September 2026 with a 2.1 or higher.
• Studying towards key qualifications with mathematical skills.
• Excited about developing client-facing and consulting skills.

Responsibilities

• Designing and implementing innovative benefit strategies.
• Attending client meetings to understand client needs.
• Analyzing employee data and making benefit change recommendations.
• Supporting governance for benefits including pensions.

Skills

Mathematical skills

Strong communication skills

Self-discipline

Time management

Education

Undergraduate degree or higher

Job description

2026 Employee Benefit Graduate Analyst - Manchester

Length of programme:Around 3 years to achieve your relevant professional qualification, however you are employed on a permanent basis from the start of your graduate role

Location: Manchester

Entry requirements:

• To apply for this role you need to have completed an undergraduate degree or higher level qualification by 1 September 2026 and have achieved a 2.1 or higher. If you are in your final year of university study, we are looking for those on track to achieve this.
• We are open to applications from those studying any subject. Studying towards some of the key qualifications will require mathematical skills and a keen interest in financial concepts.
• We are not able to provide visa sponsorship for this position and therefore you will need to be able to work in the UK without the need for visa sponsorship now or in the future.

Working as an Employee Benefits Graduate Analyst at Isio

Our Employee Benefits team plays a central role in Isio’s ambition to broaden our offering beyond pensions. Our team has already seen significant growth, and the recent acquisition of an established employee benefits consultancy business offering clients Risk and Healthcare and Benefits Technology support has accelerated our plans – we expect to achieve rapid growth as we take our expertise to market, and we are looking for new talent to join the team.

We provide a range of services to our clients which are all about supporting them with providing the best possible offering to their employees around Employee Benefits. This includes supporting with benefit design, benefits technology, risk and healthcare broking, pensions, workplace savings advice and governance, and employee support. Isio’s aim is to help our clients bring those offerings to their employees into an integrated proposition.

This role is an exciting opportunity to build your knowledge of this growing business and develop your client facing consulting skills as the foundation for an exciting career in this key growth area for Isio.

Working as a Graduate Analyst in our Employee Benefits Consultancy You will build your experience and knowledge in:

• Involvement in designing and implementing innovative benefit strategies for the modern world whilst understanding the design considerations employers have including cost, risk and best practice.
• Attending client meetings to understand client needs and help their organisation provide a benefit strategy that meets the needs of their employees.
• Analysing employee data and survey results to consider views and circumstances of employees which may result in benefit change recommendations.
• Supporting on projects to review, change or implement specific employee benefits or technology, or to support organisations in communicating with employees.
• Researching benefits and providers and supporting experienced consultants to prepare reports in relation to provider market reviews.
• Drafting employee communications and dealing with employee queries in relation to their benefits – resolving issues and communicating back to employees in a timely manner.
• Supporting the development and updates to our financial wellbeing tools.
• Helping clients with the governance of their benefits (e.g. pensions).
• Developing content for seminars and/or workshops to employees.
• Managing projects to deliver financial coaching sessions to employees.
• Working with experienced consultants in growing the revenue from our current clients through providing high-quality consultancy around their approach to Reward and Benefits.
• Contributing to new business activities including involvement with tender submissions and pitches.
• How to build effective client relationships and maintain high levels of customer satisfaction.
• Professional networking
• Working with regulated advisers on strategic pension scheme design covering trust based and contract based environments.
• Supporting pension trustees with ongoing regulatory requirements for defined contribution pension schemes and evolving requirements in the DC regulatory landscape.
• Supporting reviews of pension scheme investment strategy, including undertaking stochastic modelling, portfolio construction, and working with global fund managers to implement new investment mandate.

You’ll study for a professional qualification whilst being trained on the job. Your role will see you build up a wide range of knowledge Employee Benefits and effective consulting skills in this space.

Training and Development

As a Employee Benefits graduate analyst at Isio, you will be supported in achieving relevant professional qualifications given by external bodies. This could include the Pensions Management Institute (PMI) or another body.

Additional support will come from:

• Meeting your peers and senior leaders at a Graduate induction event.
• Support with developing key personal and professional behaviour.
• Regular technical training and opportunities to develop wider market knowledge throughout your career within Isio.
• A buddy from your first day to help you settle in.
• A Performance Manager to support you with your individual progress and performance.

What we are looking for in Graduates in Employee Benefits

Our success stems from the quality of our team. That’s why you’ll find we’ve an entrepreneurial atmosphere that offers the opportunity for every member to influence the shape and future development of the team. So, as well as commercial acumen, we look for graduates who are articulate with strong communication skills.

It is important to be able to maintain a good level of self-discipline and time management to balance your work while studying for professional exams.We are looking for individuals who are excited about developing strong client facing and consulting skills and are motivated about achieving commercial targets.

We will also be looking to see how applicants align to our core beliefs:

Power in Partnership: We work in partnership with our clients & 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 & 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

Isio is a people business, and we’re committed to helping our great colleagues gain a wide variety of experience, significant development opportunities and progression through the business. The variety of work that’ll be available to you will enable you to do this.

On top, we also offer:

• A competitive salary
• A defined contribution pension scheme
• Life insurance
• Healthcare benefits
• Income protection
• 25 days annual leave, plus bank holidays and two ‘Company’ days – a celebration day for you and an extra day over Christmas, and the option to purchase additional holidays
• Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) allowance
• Flexible working
• A flexible benefits package
• Comprehensive study support package

You can find out more about Isio and the benefits we offer 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.

Isio is built by challengers, innovators and forward-thinkers, grounded around a vision which 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 the desire to push the boundaries of what we can achieve for our clients, from small to blue chip, public to private.

At Isio, we are committed to fostering an inclusive, equitable and diverse workplace, in which our colleagues feel they belong, regardless of background or difference. We uphold the values of respect, fairness, and inclusion in our actions and decisions. We believe that by adhering to these principles, we will create a stronger, more innovative, and supportive environment for all, as well as ensuring that the advice and support we provide to our clients is more creative, more 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 think you may require a reasonable adjustment to be made for any reason at any stage of your recruitment process, please email [e-mail]

What’s next?

Click on ‘apply’ below and follow the simple application process online.