Executive Director - Pensions Actuary

Role Overview

EY seeks an Executive Director to lead its pensions actuarial services within the UKI Assurance Business Unit, based in Dublin or Cork. This full-time, permanent position focuses on delivering expert actuarial and audit support for complex defined benefit pension schemes, combining actuarial insight with accounting and audit expertise.

Primary Responsibilities

• Lead actuarial audit support for defined benefit pension schemes, including reviewing valuations, models, key assumptions, and disclosures to ensure compliance with IFRS/IAS 19, preparing technical reports, and collaborating with audit teams, scheme actuaries, and finance departments.
• Provide technical leadership across actuarial processes, including oversight of modelling, experience analysis, scenario testing, and development of methodologies and tools, ensuring high quality and consistency in outputs related to IAS 19 and funding valuations.
• Advise corporate clients regarding pension risks, funding strategies, balance sheet impacts, asset-liability matching, and sustainability, supporting decisions around risk management and regulatory compliance.
• Lead actuarial involvement in mergers, acquisitions, and restructuring activities, evaluating pension liabilities, funding deficits, risk transfer strategies, and supporting valuation adjustments and negotiations.
• Manage multi-disciplinary client engagements, foster relationships at executive and board levels, drive business growth through service line collaboration and market positioning, and lead proposal efforts for pension advisory services.
• Build and mentor actuarial teams, promoting a culture of technical excellence, quality, and high performance, while supporting recruitment and retention initiatives.
• Ensure compliance with EY's quality, risk, and governance standards, manage regulatory risks, handle technical escalations and key judgments.

Qualifications and Experience

• Qualified actuary (IFoA or equivalent) with substantial post-qualification experience in pensions actuarial consulting, preferably within professional services or advisory firms.
• Strong expertise in defined benefit pension valuations and IAS 19 accounting standards, including thorough understanding of pension funding, risk, and financial reporting processes.
• Experience in reviewing actuarial models and challenging assumptions.
• Proven leadership in directing significant client engagements, managing senior stakeholders, and business development capacity.

Work Environment and Company Culture

EY offers a flexible and supportive environment with hybrid working options, personalized benefit packages including pension schemes, parental leave, health insurance, wellness programs, and career development opportunities such as paid TECH MBA programs. The company fosters an inclusive, diverse culture dedicated to equity and belonging. Employees are encouraged to balance client commitments with personal priorities.

Additional Information

• Location: Dublin or Cork, Ireland
• Visa sponsorship is not provided for this position.
• Competitive remuneration and comprehensive Total Rewards package available.
• Agency submissions are not accepted; candidates should apply directly.