Operations Manager, Retirement Solutions - Processing Money In (NIGO)

Nationwide•Columbus, OH

7h•Hybrid

About The Position

The Manager, Processing Money In (NIGO) plays a critical leadership role within Nationwide’s Retirement Solutions Operations organization. This team is responsible for resolving “Not In Good Order” (NIGO) retirement plan enrollment & beneficiary forms, rollovers, and contributions—funds that cannot be processed due to missing, inaccurate, or incomplete information—and ensuring they are researched, corrected, and applied accurately and timely. As a leader on this team, you will oversee daily operations that sit at the intersection of financial accuracy, regulatory compliance, customer experience, and operational efficiency. You will lead a tenured team of associates who partner closely with internal sales, client services and external plan contacts to resolve complex contribution issues, reduce suspense, and support payrolls, rollovers, enrollments, and high‑dollar transactions across Nationwide Financial. This role is well‑suited for a people leader who is energized by change, continuous improvement, and finding smarter, more automated ways to deliver excellent service in a highly regulated environment.

Requirements

Demonstrated leadership experience in financial services, operations, or retirement‑related environments, with the ability to guide teams through change and evolving priorities.
Strong working knowledge of operational controls, compliance expectations, and service delivery within a regulated financial services setting; retirement plan experience preferred.
Ability to analyze processes, identify improvement opportunities, and partner effectively with technical resources to enhance efficiency and customer outcomes.
Clear, confident communication and relationship‑building skills, with comfort engaging internal partners and leading teams through ambiguity.
Seven years of financial services experiences in a customer service, quality control or operations environment.
Supervisory experience preferred.
Extensive knowledge of insurance industry concepts including, but not limited to, financial services products, regulations and guidelines.
Effective team leadership skills and management skills.
Strong communication skills.
Ability to present to external individuals and organizations.
Relationship-building skills.
Other criteria, including leadership skills, competencies and experiences may take precedence.

Nice To Haves

Retirement plan experience preferred.
FINRA Series 6 and/or Series 26 licenses are not required for this role but may be supported if needed.
FINRA Series 6 and 26 licenses may be required.

Responsibilities

Lead and develop a team responsible for resolving NIGO retirement plan contributions, rollovers, and enrollments ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and adherence to regulatory and internal control requirements.
Drive operational excellence by partnering with technical and peer leaders to improve workflows, service‑level adherence, and end‑to‑end resolution of suspended items, including sensitive payroll and large‑dollar transactions.
Champion change management, continuous improvement, and automation efforts—helping the team adapt to evolving processes while maintaining a strong customer and associate experience.
Serve as an escalation point for complex issues, audits, and service concerns, collaborating with internal sales teams, client services, and other operational partners.
Foster a coaching‑focused team culture that prioritizes engagement, accountability, skill development, and readiness for future leadership opportunities.
Provides oversight to team roles and responsibilities.
Manages performance of customer's satisfaction, interaction quality and relationships.
Focuses on maintaining relationships, internally and externally.
Participates in, sponsors and/or owns major projects, leads the activities and provides guidance.
Assists in identifying and establishing operational improvements that improve delivery of services to customers aligned with industry and regulatory requirements.
Drives a culture of coaching and feedback for personal and professional guidance.
Develops talent in the organization for succession planning and handles all performance management tasks and related functions for team.
Ensures associates are current and knowledgeable about the industry, competition and regulatory environment.
Drives education about current processes and procedures with internal/external customers.
Leads the service relationships and helps build and strengthen relationships through presentations and direct contact.
Supervises workflow to ensure that all functions are completed and meet time and meet quality standards.
Responds to and resolves escalated service issues and calls from our sales partners, producers, firms and customers.
Monitors team/client relationships to ensure call teams and client service groups are achieving service expectations.
Coordinates the implementation of all enacted state and federal regulations for products and procedures, ensuring Operations is prepared and advised of audits/regulatory/legislative changes in a timely fashion.
Partners with appropriate teams or individuals for coordination of responses to audits, including system partners for data requests.
Leads associates that take audit recommendations and calibration sessions through the continuous improvement model.
Identifies key opportunities for improving procedures and processes, ensuring consistency and adherence to regulatory requirements.
Uses findings to identify process and/or technology needs within the Operation Center.
Handles expenses to the established budget and finds opportunities and implements solutions to streamline processes and reduce operating expenses.
Participates in annual budget process to ensure adequate staffing and funding to provide outstanding levels of service.
May perform other responsibilities as assigned.

Benefits

medical/dental/vision
life insurance
short and long term disability coverage
paid time off with newly hired associates receiving a minimum of 18 days paid time off each full calendar year pro-rated quarterly based on hire date
nine paid holidays
8 hours of Lifetime paid time off
8 hours of Unity Day paid time off
401(k) with company match
company-paid pension plan
business casual attire