Retirement Key Account Manager – Aviva | South West, England

About Aviva

Aviva is one of the UK's leading insurance, wealth, and retirement businesses, with a heritage stretching back over 325 years. Serving millions of customers worldwide, Aviva operates across life insurance, general insurance, health insurance, and asset management. The retirement division plays a critical role in helping individuals plan for and enjoy financial security in later life. As the UK population ages and the pension landscape continues to evolve following pension freedoms introduced in 2015, the demand for innovative retirement lending solutions and expert income planning has never been greater. Aviva is at the forefront of this market, developing products and services that support financial advisers and their clients through the complexities of retirement planning.

The Role

Aviva is seeking an experienced Retirement Key Account Manager to join our team covering the South West region of England. This is a field-based management role with responsibility for developing and maintaining strong relationships with financial adviser networks, adviser firms, and intermediary partners across the region. You will act as a key link between Aviva's retirement product suite and the advisers who recommend these solutions to end clients.

The successful candidate will be a subject matter expert in retirement lending and/or retirement income products, including drawdown plans, annuities, lifetime mortgages, and home reversion schemes. You will be responsible for driving growth in Aviva's retirement book by supporting advisers with technical expertise, product training, and strategic business development initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

Manage and develop a portfolio of key financial adviser accounts across the South West region, consistently meeting or exceeding quarterly and annual new business targets for retirement lending and income products.
Deliver specialist product training sessions and CPD-accredited presentations to financial adviser firms, ensuring advisers have a thorough understanding of Aviva's retirement product features, benefits, and suitability criteria.
Provide technical support on complex retirement planning cases, including advice on drawdown strategy, annuity rate comparison, tax-free cash planning, and interaction with means-tested benefits.
Conduct regular business review meetings with key accounts, analysing existing book performance, identifying growth opportunities, and presenting tailored recommendations for increasing retirement product adoption.
Collaborate closely with Aviva's product development, marketing, and underwriting teams to relay market feedback and influence future product enhancements and service improvements within the retirement space.
Represent Aviva at industry conferences, networking events, and regional adviser forums, raising the company's profile and positioning Aviva as a thought leader in the retirement income market.
Monitor competitor activity, regulatory developments, and changes to pension legislation (including updates from the FCA, The Pensions Regulator, and HMRC) to ensure Aviva's product positioning remains compliant and competitive.
Prepare and present accurate monthly management reports on sales performance, pipeline activity, and account development metrics to senior leadership within Aviva's Wealth & Retirement division.
Support the onboarding of new adviser firms by conducting induction sessions, providing access to Aviva's online portal tools, and ensuring all compliance and due diligence requirements are met.
Build effective internal relationships with customer service teams, claims handlers, and technical consultants to ensure a seamless end-to-end experience for advisers and their clients throughout the retirement product lifecycle.

Work Environment and Culture

Aviva operates a flexible hybrid working model. This role is predominantly field-based, meaning you will spend a significant portion of your week travelling across the South West region to visit adviser offices in cities and towns including Bristol, Exeter, Plymouth, Bath, Gloucester, Cheltenham, Bournemouth, Swindon, and surrounding areas. You will be provided with a company car or car allowance, mobile technology to support remote working, and access to Aviva's collaborative office spaces for team meetings and planning sessions when required.

Aviva is committed to creating an inclusive workplace where diversity is celebrated and every colleague feels empowered to bring their authentic self to work. The company actively supports mental health and wellbeing through its Employee Assistance Programme, offers volunteering days, and maintains a variety of employee resource groups. You will be joining a close-knit retirement team that values knowledge sharing, professional integrity, and a genuine commitment to helping customers achieve better retirement outcomes.

Candidate Requirements

Minimum of 3–5 years of experience working within the retirement planning, pension advisory, or financial services industry, with demonstrable expertise in retirement income products such as drawdown, annuities, or equity release.
DipPFS (Diploma in Financial Planning) or equivalent professional qualification is highly desirable. Candidates working towards advanced qualifications such as APFS, Chartered Financial Planner status, or CeMAP will be viewed favourably.
Proven track record of managing key accounts or adviser relationships within a business development or sales capacity, preferably within a life office, asset manager, or platform environment.
Strong understanding of the UK pension landscape, including pension freedoms legislation, tax treatment of retirement income, death benefit rules, and the regulatory framework governing financial advice.
Excellent presentation and communication skills with the ability to convey complex technical information in a clear, engaging, and accessible manner to audiences ranging from single-adviser firms to large national IFA networks.
Self-motivated and highly organised with the ability to manage a geographically dispersed territory, plan your own diary effectively, and prioritise competing demands without close supervision.
Willingness to travel extensively across the South West region on a daily basis, with occasional overnight stays for conferences, training events, or region-wide team meetings.
Full UK driving licence is essential.

Technical Skills and Tools

You will be expected to work confidently with a range of industry-standard tools and platforms. Familiarity with Aviva's adviser portal and illustration systems is advantageous, though full training will be provided. You should be proficient in Microsoft Office 365, particularly Excel for sales reporting and PowerPoint for client-facing presentations. Experience with CRM systems such as Salesforce or Microsoft Dynamics is highly valued. Knowledge of third-party quotation and research tools including SelectAPension, O&M Systems, or The Exchange would be beneficial. An understanding of equity release advisory processes and familiarity with the Equity Release Council standards is also desirable given the growing intersection between later-life lending and retirement income planning.

Benefits and Compensation

Aviva offers a competitive salary commensurate with experience, with a performance-related bonus scheme linked to regional and divisional targets. You will receive a company car or generous car allowance, private medical insurance, income protection, and life assurance. Aviva operates a contributory pension scheme with employer contributions above the statutory minimum. Additional benefits include 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays with the option to buy or sell additional leave days, share save schemes, cycle-to-work initiatives, and access to Aviva's comprehensive wellbeing programme including gym discounts, mental health support, and lifestyle coaching. Seasonal retail discounts through Aviva's benefits portal are also available.

Career Growth Opportunities

This role presents an excellent career progression pathway within Aviva's Wealth & Retirement division. High-performing Key Account Managers may advance to Senior Key Account Manager, Regional Sales Manager, or National Accounts Director positions. Aviva actively supports ongoing professional development through funded continuing professional development (CPD) activities, sponsorship for advanced qualifications, leadership development programmes, and internal secondment opportunities across the wider Aviva Group. Several members of the current senior leadership team in the retirement division began their careers in field-based account management roles, demonstrating Aviva's commitment to promoting talent from within.

How to Apply

If you are passionate about retirement planning and have the experience and drive to excel in this key account management role, we would love to hear from you. Applications are being reviewed on a rolling basis, and we encourage interested candidates to apply as soon as possible. The interview process will consist of an initial telephone screening with a member of Aviva's talent acquisition team, followed by a video interview with the hiring manager and a final-stage face-to-face assessment, which may include a presentation exercise. To submit your application, please visit the Aviva careers portal directly. Please ensure your CV is up to date and clearly outlines your relevant experience within the retirement and financial services sector.

Aviva is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.