The Actuarial Senior Associate role within KPMG's Business Consulting Services Unit is essential for providing senior-level actuarial expertise and project management. This position ensures the timely, accurate, and strategic delivery of client engagements, maintains the firm's technical excellence, develops future talent, and supports the firm’s strategic objectives in the actuarial marketplace.
Key Roles and Responsibilities
Managing Engagements
- Assist in the development of a work plan, budget, and quality plan to ensure efficiency, high performance, and high-quality work on engagements.
- Maintain a progress tracker of engagement milestones, tasks, and deliverables.
- Schedule and conduct engagement internal and client kick-off, progress, and close-out meetings.
- Keep KPMG and client team members (engagement stakeholders) updated on progress.
- Develop strong business acumen and industry knowledge to demonstrate value-add client service.
- Maintain compliance with all firm policies and procedures.
- Build strong working relationships and interactions with clients to ensure continuous efficient information flow.
- Perform engagement recovery, quality risk management, and administrative analysis.
- Undertake tasks as directed by engagement Manager, Director, or Partner.
Business Development and Cash Profits
- Assist in preparation of technical and commercial value propositions.
- Support business development initiatives within the department.
- Build an understanding of client business and markets to assist in the development of client relationships and a commercial mindset on how work performed impacts profitability.
- Identify, escalate, and pursue opportunities for further work while on an engagement, demonstrating learning from previous engagements.
- Manage pipeline and revenue as required, maintain a cross-selling value, meet individual targets, and ensure proper billing and timely follow-up.
Team Development
- Supervise staff level engagement teams. Direct and review the work product of associates and provide direction and training as necessary.
- Conduct trainings and capacity development for junior team members and raise training needs to Managers/Directors where needed.
- Share knowledge and work across boundaries.
- Demonstrate cultural awareness, sensitivity, and serve as a role model for junior staff.
- Participate in reverse mentoring sessions in areas with specific skillsets or attributes.
Personal Development
- Participation in firm-wide activities (e.g., Graduate recruitment, Staff meetings).
- Build industry knowledge through involvement in internal and external events, documenting and circulating articles and thought leadership.
- Strengthen critical thinking and professional judgment skills, including improving technical research skills as well as oral and written communication skills.
- Maintain a relentless focus on quality and uphold the highest professional standards and levels of objectivity, independence, ethics, and integrity.
- Demonstrate capacity and capability for continuous learning, actively seeking specific feedback from peers and managers and providing constructive, honest, and timely feedback to team members.
Risk Management
- Ensure risk management documents are signed off and a task code obtained before starting any engagement.
- Complete all files as allocated and ensure they are reviewed by the Partner/Director/Manager for risk management compliance prior to sending out any draft or final reports, observing 100% compliance to Quality and Risk Management Policies, Standards, and Procedures.
- Coordinate and consult with the firm quality risk management team on appropriate guidance and controls.
Academic/Professional Qualifications and Experience
- Bachelor's degree in actuarial science, financial engineering, economics, statistics, or a related relevant degree course from an accredited college/university.
- Must have passed five (5) actuarial professional papers from IFOA or SOA.
- Must have a minimum of 4 to 6 years of working experience in a similar role.
- Professional qualifications e.g., FRM, ACCA, CPA, CFA are highly desirable.
- Demonstrated track record of quality work, project management, and productive team interactions.
- Strong understanding and experience with IFRS, International Standards on Auditing, and other assurance-based reporting standards.
Personal Attributes
- Excellent advisory and compliance skills.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to articulate complex information.
- Ability to build positive relationships with team members and clients.
- Ability to handle simultaneously multiple engagements and client service teams.
- Flexibility in prioritizing and completing tasks.
- Strong organizational skills.
- Willingness to work under supervision and learn new skills quickly.
- Good analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Comfort interacting with C-level professionals.
What KPMG Offers:
- An exciting opportunity to work with a Big 4 firm on cutting-edge clients across Africa.
- Continuous learning and development.
- Exposure to multi-disciplinary client service teams.
- Unrivalled space to grow and be innovative.
- Opportunity for international travel.
