Pensions Investment Officer

RELX Group; City of Westminster; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A financial services firm in Westminster is seeking a Pensions Investment Officer to manage investments and audit tasks. You will analyze data, prepare instructions, and liaise with stakeholders to enhance processes. Ideal candidates will have investment experience, a relevant degree, and strong analytical skills. Benefits include generous holidays, health benefits, and a competitive pension scheme.

Benefits

Generous holiday allowance

Private medical benefits

Pension scheme

Employee Assistance Programme

Qualifications

• Strong experience in investment and reporting requirements for audits.
• Excellent analytical skills for data management and summarization.
• Self-motivated with strong organizational skills.

Responsibilities

• Manage year-end audit work and produce Management Information.
• Analyse data and prepare investment instructions.
• Monitor third-party custody systems and service levels.

Skills

Investment analysis

Year-end audit work

Data analysis

Project management

Interpersonal skills

Microsoft Office proficiency

Education

Qualified IFA or Master’s degree in a relevant subject

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Third-party custody systems

Job description

About the Team: The in-house Relx Pensions Investment Office is a small team consisting of the Chief Investment Officer (who primarily oversees the external investment managers), the Trustee Secretary (who oversees the governance of the pension scheme) and the Senior Pension Fund Accountant. All three liaise with auditors on an ongoing basis.

About the role: The in-house Pensions Investment Officer role is vital in supplying authorised instructions and data to several stakeholders, both internal and external. The expectation is that the role will be split evenly between investment‑related work and audit work, but there will be scope to tailor the role to some extent depending on particular areas of interest. Indeed, bringing forward ideas as to how existing processes can be improved and streamlined will be encouraged. You will be expected to build credibility quickly and become the ‘go-to’ person for all investment and associated audit data pertaining to REPS including, inter alia, review and scrutiny of the SOC1 control reports.

Responsibilities

• Manage year‑end audit work reporting requirements for the corporate audit and the Pensions SORP in the production of Management Information and Annual Report of the Trustee and Financial Statements.
• Analyse data and prepare instructions to the managers for a range of investment classes; liaise with managers and raise investment‑related posting queries to the custodian.
• Manage third‑party custody systems and monitor their service levels in accordance with a service level agreement.
• Gather data, read through lengthy documents, summarise key points and analyse the results.
• Supply pertinent information to auditors regarding the efficacy of the control environment and understand user‑entity internal controls over financial reporting.
• Monitor, in conjunction with the investment consultants, the performance of the investment managers in relation to their service level agreements.

Experience

• Experience of investment and year‑end audit work is essential, especially in respect of the reporting requirements of Sarbanes‑Oxley (for the corporate audit) and the Pensions SORP in the production of Management Information and Annual Report of the Trustee and Financial Statements.
• Pensions investment experience is essential for analysing data and preparing instructions to managers for a range of investment classes.
• Excellent analytical and project‑management skills in data gathering, reading through lengthy documents, summarising the key points and analysing the results.
• Experience of supplying pertinent information to auditors regarding the efficacy of the control environment and an understanding of user‑entity internal controls over financial reporting (SOC1) reports.
• Experience of using third‑party custody systems would be beneficial, as would monitoring their service levels in accordance with a service level agreement.
• Experience of monitoring, in conjunction with the investment consultants, the performance of the investment managers in relation to their service level agreements.
• Competent user of Microsoft Office, especially Word and Excel, for analysing and presenting large and complicated data sets.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and written English with a keen eye for detail while proof‑reading documents.
• Self‑motivated with excellent organisational skills and the ability to prioritise tasks, accustomed to working in a small team.

Qualifications

• Qualified IFA or Master’s degree in a relevant subject.
• Background from pensions audit or consulting preferable.

Working for you

We know that your wellbeing and happiness are key to a long and successful career. These are some of the benefits we are delighted to offer:

• Generous holiday allowance with the option to buy additional days.
• Health screening, eye care vouchers and private medical benefits.
• Wellbeing programmes.
• Life Assurance.
• Access to a competitive contributory pension scheme.
• Save‑as‑you‑earn share‑option scheme.
• Travel season ticket loan.
• Electric Vehicle Scheme.
• Optional Dental Insurance.
• Maternity, paternity and shared parental leave.
• Employee Assistance Programme.
• Access to emergency care for both the elderly and children.
• RECARES days, giving you time to support the charities and causes that matter to you.
• Access to employee resource groups with dedicated time to volunteer.
• Access to extensive learning and development resources.
• Access to employee discount scheme via Perks at Work.