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Sustainability Board – education portfolio member

Application closing date: 30 March

The IFoA’s Sustainability Board is a member-led board of volunteer actuaries. It advises the IFoA on important sustainability issues and is a source of expertise within the profession on matters relating to the sustainability practice area. The board is seeking to appoint a qualified IFoA member to join as an education lead.

 

Context

The board is proud of substantial progress made over the last five years. We now have:

  • a vibrant board, with respected industry leaders, influencing global thinking, focusing on areas where actuarial skills have most value to add, and collaborating with thought leaders and other specialists  
  • a high quality weekly newsletter to over 1,000 actuaries, giving ongoing current perspectives
  • (closer to the ‘actuarial core skill set’) two risk notes issues issued in last two years to remind all actuaries that climate risk should be on their radar and to flag that some of the most respected sources may be underestimating their client’s risk

The Sustainability Board and IFoA have also worked together to increase opportunities for actuaries and students to learn for their own personal development planning. We are now at a tipping point, where the IFoA needs to make decisions on more formal education/testing/learning for all actuaries.

 

The role

The purpose of this role is to spearhead the engagement into the IFoA on education matters. The IFoA executive team are there to take the lead from an education perspective: your role is to help shape and steer that activity from a practice board perspective.

Other practice areas have built up their approach to education over decades. We are doing this in sustainability over a relatively compressed period of time.

Key points about the role:

  • You’ll be a member of the Sustainability Board: this is a key important role.
  • Your specific remit on the board will be to engage with the IFoA’s education leadership team and others within Council and other practice areas as needed in this domain and shape as needed. 
  • You are not expected to be an ‘education’ expert but you should have a sense of what employers may need from actuaries in this space to help shape the thinking. 
  • You are not on your own: As a board member you are supported by the IFoA executive and it is likely you will want to recruit a small team of volunteers to help you.

We strive for diversity within the board, both in terms of geographical representation and areas of expertise. Currently, we are actively seeking a new member to join the board and to specifically lead on education.

We welcome applications from qualified individuals who are passionate about contributing to the advancement of the sustainability practice area and supporting the profession’s strategic goals.

Benefits from being involved include:

  • the ability to influence and contribute to the sustainability practice area and strategy
  • professional support and assistance from within the board and IFoA staff
  • the opportunity to influence the IFoA’s approach to progressing its strategy
  • a chance to further develop your professional network of contacts within the sustainability industry

 

Time commitment

On average, members are expected to attend one online board meeting (about 2.5 hours) quarterly.

In addition, you would engage with IFoA and possibly build a ‘mini working group’ to help you. 

Much of that work is within your gift to schedule to suit your own diary.  Time commitment in total is around 2 to 4 hours a month, much is within your gift to do outside of the ‘9 to 5’.

 

Next steps

If you are interested in this role and would like an informal conversation before applying, please email us at engagement.team@actuaries.org.uk.

If you have read all the above and would like to apply, please send us:

  • brief details of your relevant experience
  • your reasons for wishing to get involved
  • your ARN (if you are a member)
  • a brief copy of your CV and full contact details (if you are a non-member)
  • confirmation that you have read, understood, and agree to the information and requirements laid out in our volunteer information pack (please be aware that until we have received this confirmation, we will not be able to appoint you as a volunteer)

Please email all the above to engagement.team@actuaries.org.uk. Please note, we are unable to accept late applications.

We are committed to promoting diversity, equality of opportunity, and inclusion, within all our vacancies and we actively encourage applications from a diverse range of potential candidates. Recognising and embracing the unique and diverse talents of our volunteers is fundamental to the success of our organisation.

 

What you need to know

Volunteering provides you with a wide range of opportunities. With all rights and opportunities come responsibilities and we ask all our volunteers to comply with the terms of the IFoA’s governance manual and volunteer information pack. Before offering to provide support, please read through: what you need to know.