Operational Improvement Consultant

Equiniti; Thurso; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading financial services provider in Thurso is seeking an Operational Improvement Consultant for their Bulk Purchase Annuities team. The role involves developing training materials and conducting improvement sessions to enhance operations across UK and India teams. The ideal candidate should possess strong knowledge of the pension industry and excellent communication skills. This position offers the opportunity to work in a collaborative environment with a focus on continuous improvement.

Benefits

Pension plan with contributions matched up to 10%

Long Term Incentive Plan

Employee Assistance Programme

Employee discounts at various retailers

Flexible benefits plan

29 days holiday plus bank holidays

Investment in learning and development

Qualifications

• Good knowledge of the pension industry, ideally in bulk purchase annuities.
• Experience in financial services sector and business-to-business outsourcing.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills required.

Responsibilities

• Create and maintain key operational improvement materials.
• Facilitate training sessions for new joiners and existing staff.
• Liaise with senior leadership to ensure compliance with internal processes.

Skills

Pension industry knowledge

Financial services administration

Communication skills

Presentation skills

Stakeholder management

Governance understanding

Initiative and adaptability

Time management

Job description

Overview

Equiniti is a leading international provider of shareholder, pension, remediation, and credit technology. With over 6000 employees, it supports 37 million people in 120 countries. EQ’s vision is to be the leading global share registrar, offering complementary services to its client base and our values set the core foundations to our success. We are TRUSTED to deliver on our commitments, COMMERCIAL in building long term value, COLLABORATIVE in our approach and we IMPROVE by continually enhancing our skills and services. There has never been a better time to join EQ.

Role Summary

EQ Retirement Solutions are looking for an Operational Improvement Consultant to join their Bulk Purchase Annuities team, which supports a strategic relationship as part of a growth business line.

The role will be responsible for creating / developing and maintaining materials (new system features, standard operating procedures – SOPs, 70% of your time) and delivering improvement sessions across the BPA team including Administration, Onboarding & Transitions and Shared Services teams to new employees and upskilling existing colleagues (30% of your time). The role will also help in the support of transferring knowledge to colleagues in non-UK locations including India.

Core Duties / Responsibilities

The successful candidate will be responsible for the following:

• Creating and maintaining a number of key materials including:
  • Business user overviews of new system features and enhancements
  • Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for UK and India colleagues
  • Improvement materials and guides aimed at the end business user
• To facilitate improvement sessions for different business users and teams within the department, including new joiners and upskilling existing staff, across both UK and India locations. Typically, from UK and delivered though online webinars/screen share or face to face where appropriate
• This will include scheduling, logistics and tracking learning progress as well as the delivery of improvement
• To deliver improvement sessions to employees either face to face at UK workplaces or via screen share/webinars. Travel across the country and overnight stays may be required, with the potential of occasional travel to India offices where appropriate
• Review all operational improvement products & material in line with changing needs of the business line, system and process enhancements and the changing pension’s environment
• Liaise with the senior leadership and business line function heads to ensure all material is compliant with internal processes and current legislation
• Provide accessible and comprehensive improvement material for others to use in a range of formats and media
• Obtain operational improvement evaluations to measure and monitor the effectiveness of events and resource utilisation
• Manage the improvement support mailboxes responding to requests for improvements and organising improvement events
• Act as an ambassador of EQ
• Outlined above are to be regarded as broad areas of responsibility and do not necessarily detail all tasks which the post holder may be required to perform.

Skills, qualifications, knowledge and mobility

The successful candidate will demonstrate the following experience, skills and behaviours:

• Must have good knowledge and understanding of pension industry preferred, ideally bulk purchase annuity market, or demonstrable transferrable experience from an adjacent market
• Sound working knowledge of general administration processes within financial services sector, in a business-to-business outsourced model or life and pensions company
• Excellent written & verbal communication skills
• Proven presentation skills
• Ability to effectively communicate change to various stakeholders including colleagues, senior management, different business areas and host group Q&A sessions
• Able to identify implications of changes in processes or procedures including where relevant legislation/policy on operational improvement material
• Ability to work within and help to define governance, controls processes and procedures
• Ability to portray a professional image to colleagues, senior management and EQRS clients in any interactions
• Ability to work using own initiative, with a flexible and adaptable approach
• Proven time and self-management skills
• Positive, can-do attitude and self-motivated
• Commitment to end customer and internal client service excellence with the ability to handle sensitive or confidential information

What We Offer

• Save For Your Future - Equiniti Pension Plan; Equiniti matches your pension contributions up to 10%
• All Employee Long Term Incentive Plan (LTIP) – Gives all EQ Colleagues the opportunity to benefit if the current owners successfully sell the company for a profit.
• Health and Wellbeing – Employee Assistance Programme: counselling, legal & wellbeing support for colleagues and their households. Life assurance cover at 4x salary with the ability to purchase enhance cover.
• Employee discounts – Discounts and cashback at your favourite high street stores through our EQ Wins Platform.
• Flexible Benefits – The ability to purchase a wide variety of benefits through our flex plan; gadgets, travel insurance, will writing, holiday trading and more.
• Time Off – Typically 29 days holiday + bank holidays. 2 volunteer days to get involved with a charity of your choosing.
• Learning & Development– Investment in LinkedIn Learning for all colleagues.

We are committed to equality of opportunity for all staff and applications from individuals are encouraged regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnerships.

Please note any offer of employment is subject to satisfactory pre-employment screening checks. These consist of 5 year activity & GAP verification, DBS or Access NI, Credit, Sanctions & CIFAS checks.