Retirement, risk & finance consulting (RRF)

The business

People are living longer, and often taking retirement earlier. That’s putting a big strain on pension funds everywhere. In fact, an additional life expectancy of just two years will currently add an estimated £45 billion onto the liabilities of existing UK pension plans.

Our consultants and actuaries work with companies to optimise their retirement plans – maximising employee satisfaction and security, controlling costs and meeting complex governance codes. Clients know that every factor that can influence retirement plans have been incorporated in to our thinking. We bring state-of-the-art tools to predicting and assessing the effects of increased longevity, lifestyle changes and future trends in workforce behaviour. We can help clients re-design their plans, and either advise them on how to manage them, or manage them ourselves. In this complex and dynamically changing arena, we’re widely regarded as the thought leaders.

The roles

As a actuarial trainee you will start your career by getting to grips with the complexities of calculating pensions liabilities. Soon you would be performing complex analysis on membership data and drafting communications to clients. As your all-round expertise grows you’ll become more client-facing, advising on the design, funding and management of all types of retirement plans. Further on in your career there is plenty of scope to experience other specialist areas such as scheme strategy & design or scheme wind-ups. And whether you want to become a technical specialist or head of a team, you’ll constantly develop, both professionally and personally.

 Learn about Catriona's role as an actuarial trainee 

RRF specialist teams

Within retirement, risk and finance consulting there are other specialist business areas where opportunities exist:

 Governance & operations

 International

 Retirement resource group (RRG)

Governance & Operations (G&O)

Governance is a growing area of specialist consulting  both within Mercer's retirement, risk and finance consulting division and the pension industry as a whole. It involves ensuring that pension schemes are run in the most efficient and effective way possible. 

We work with trustee boards and employers to review and establish effective governance frameworks, review and implement strategies that will support the ongoing effectiveness of pension plan management and consult on a wide range of pension operations projects. We also provide a pensions management service including trustee secretarial services to some large pension schemes.

For you, this will mean an opportunity to learn key consulting skills and develop a strong technical knowledge. Working as part of a team, you will experience work on a number of large clients as well as liaising with other business areas of Mercer.

When you join as a retirement consultant, you will study for the Advanced Diploma in Retirement provision.

 Learn about Nick's role as a trainee governance & operations consultant in G&O

International

Our international consulting staff, is the largest of its kind in the world. As an international retirement consultant, you’ll help large multinationals take control of their benefits, tapping into local knowledge through our global network of on-the-ground consultants, allied to specialist expertise of international consulting colleagues. You’ll build an understanding of key benefits issues around the globe, your technical grasp of the main accounting standards, and your project management skills.

Retirement resource group (RRG)

RRG provides the insights, information, analysis and expertise that support our consultants and optimise our clients’ processes. You could become the author of articles on new legislation or technical developments, or a production specialist developing standardised tools and documents, generating survey reports and analysing data. Alternatively, you might excel in public relations, acting as the main press contact on regulatory issues, representing us at conferences or delivering seminars on our behalf.

 Learn about Susan's role as an actuarial trainee in RRG