Subject Matter Expert

Overview

The Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA) is seeking to appoint appropriately experienced individuals as Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to help keep IFoA exam topics up-to-date and relevant. This is a new role and will involve working alongside IFoA Executive and Module Leads to review and amend the IFoA's core reading.

In addition, the SMEs will support the development of the competency standards for the IFoA Associate Competency Framework.

We encourage applications from a diverse range of potential candidates, in terms of, but not exclusively gender, age, disability, and ethnicity, as well as reflecting the geographical spread and practice areas of our membership.

Current vacancies

None

Complete the application form

Background

The IFoA is the only Chartered professional body, based in the UK, dedicated to educating, developing, and regulating actuaries around the globe. The two IFoA qualifications are the Associate and the Fellow Qualifications. Each qualification comprises a number of assessable subjects. Each subject includes a syllabus and many subjects have accompanying core reading. The syllabus guides the students as to what they need to learn and what will be assessed in the subject examination. The core reading provides information and relevant application aligned to the syllabus to support student learning and development.

On appointment, the SME will be allocated a subject/s related to their knowledge and professional experience and they will be expected to:

  • Collaborate with the Module Lead, IFoA executive, and Education Actuaries to agree: 
    • Changes that need to be made to the core reading to support the changes made to the subject syllabus for 2024. 
    • Other changes to the core reading as needed, including correction of errors, improvement to the explanation of content, supporting the development of Objective Based Assessments (OBAs). 
    • Changes to structure or content to support learning.
  • Draft, review, and amend changes to the core reading as agreed.  
  • Support the development of the IFoA Associate Competency Framework through review and feedback on the draft documentation as and when required, with a focus on the development of the competency standards.

Reporting

The SME will report into the relevant Module Lead.

Tenure

The appointment will be for an immediate start and for an initial period through to the end of June 2023. Following this the position will be reviewed and potentially extended for a further agreed time period. The SME is invited to apply, and if successful accept, any other volunteer role with the IFoA during this appointment as long as they can deliver the services as agreed.

Time commitment

The syllabus and core reading are updated annually. The syllabi for 2024 are currently being reviewed and on track to be signed off in February and published on the IFoA website in March 2023. The update to the core reading should start from January 2023, ready for publication and for the commencement of exam setting in June 2023.

Should you be required to attend any meetings, they will be held virtually via Teams in London, UK time (GMT +0). We anticipate the time commitment for the Associate Subjects to be approximately 50 hours per subject and 30 hours per Fellow subject. There is a larger volume of core reading per Associate subject to update.

Remuneration

This is a remunerated role, and a fee will be paid

Mutually agreed services will be outlined in a ‘Schedule of services’ that will be discussed with you during your interview and will form part of your contract. On successful completion of the services, you will be required to submit an invoice to the IFoA. 

If you wish to view the Schedule of Services and the applicable terms and conditions, prior to expressing interest in this role, please contact the Quality team.  Please note that this role is classified as a ‘Self-Employed Contractor’.

Person specification

Essential:

  • Relevant in-depth subject knowledge
  • Understanding of the Associate and/or the Fellow curriculum and in-depth working/practical knowledge of subjects being applied for
  • Strong and effective written communication and interpersonal skills
  • Using plain English to convey technical content
  • Ability to meet deadlines
  • Attention to detail

Desirable:

  • Qualified as an Associate or Fellow in the last 4 years
  • Understand of the impact of cultural, language, and neurodiversity within written documentation
  • An appreciation of the challenges facing professional bodies
  • How to write content to support learning and development
  • Understanding of adult learning principles
  • Understanding of the IFoA strategy
  • Familiarity with a file-sharing application (eg Teams/Egress/Sharepoint)

Additional information

We encourage applications from a diverse range of potential candidates, in terms of, but not exclusively gender, age, disability, and ethnicity, as well as reflecting the geographical spread and practice areas of our membership.

This is a remunerated role and a fee will be paid

Mutually agreed services will be outlined in a ‘Schedule of services’ which will be provided to you on successful appointment. On successful completion of the services, you will be required to submit an invoice to the IFoA. The IFoA will provide you with a template invoice to use, and this invoice will be processed by a member of the IFoA’s Education Services team. If you wish to view the ‘Schedule of services’ and the applicable terms and conditions, prior to expressing interest in this role, please contact the Quality team. Please note that this role is classified as a ‘Self-Employed Contractor’.

Please also note that every individual who supports the IFoA, be that as a volunteer (member or non-member), or in any other role, including as a self-employed contractor, works in partnership with the IFoA Executive staff to deliver our strategy and Royal Charter, in line with our values. We are extremely grateful to all who form part of this delivery team, collectively known as our volunteers, and as such you will have access to volunteer resources, updates, and communications in general. We hope that you find this helpful and valuable to you when delivering your role.

Future roles: register your interest

Complete the expression of interest form