Retirement Benefits Officer

State of Iowa•Des Moines - 50321 - Polk County, IA

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Iowa Public Employees’ Retirement System (IPERS) is seeking a detail-oriented and service-driven Retirement Benefits Officer. In this multi-faceted role, you will serve as a primary consultant for IPERS members, guiding them through complex pre-retirement planning interviews. You will perform benefit calculations, process critical workflows and applications, and manage front-line risk mitigation. By combining deep technical knowledge of pension policies with empathetic communication, you will directly help members optimize their benefits and navigate their retirement journeys securely. As part of the IPERS’ team, you will serve as a vital problem solver and knowledgeable resource for our members by blending top-tier customer service with analytical precision, mastering complex pension policies to guide members through critical life and retirement decisions. This is an exceptional opportunity for an ambitious professional looking to build a meaningful career in public service and financial administration.

Requirements

Exceptional ability to review forms, catch discrepancies, and audit financial applications or workflows prior to processing.
Ability to learn, interpret, and apply complex technical policies, state/federal regulations, and legal documents (POAs, QDROs).
Comfort performing manual hand calculations and navigating database administration systems.
Strong written and verbal skills, with the empathy required to guide members through sensitive financial planning scenarios.
High integrity regarding identity verification, fraud prevention, and strict records management protocols.
A proactive approach to troubleshooting technical portal issues and resolving member inquiries efficiently.
Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor's Degree; OR one year of full-time experience in job interviewing referral and/or placement, credit investigation, collection work or related public contact work obtaining, analyzing and/or evaluating data may be substituted for each 30 semester hours of the required education to a maximum substitution of four years; OR employees with current continuous experience in the state executive branch that includes the equivalent of two years of full-time work as a Retirement Benefits Technician.

Nice To Haves

The foundational structure of the IPERS retirement plan, including specialized coverage rules, benefit classes, and alternative calculation variables.
How to accurately read, analyze, and apply intricate federal and state regulations, tax structures, and legal documents such as Powers of Attorney (POA), QDROs, and USERRA guidelines.
Fluency in navigating specialized pension management software, processing digital workflows, and accurately troubleshooting user issues on the Member Self-Service digital portal.
Best practices for meticulous quality assurance, document verification, and cross-checking data to authorize complex financial disbursements safely.
Principles of secure information retention, organizing applicant files, and writing clear, professional narrative summaries within system records.
Advanced identity authentication processes and front-line security protocols designed to prevent fraudulent benefit distributions.
How to balance mathematical data analysis with high-empathy communication to guide members smoothly through sensitive, life-altering financial decisions.

Responsibilities

Consult with IPERS members via telephone, email, virtually, and in person to provide accurate, timely responses to retirement benefit program inquiries.
Process retirement benefit workflows, forms, and applications to initiate or terminate benefits. This includes reviewing submissions for accuracy, completeness, and approving, rejecting, or returning them to applicants.
Perform comprehensive peer reviews of completed member applications prior to the final payroll disbursement process to ensure absolute precision.
Conduct member interviews to gather information, assist with pre-retirement financial planning, and compare complex variables (age, termination date, taxes, life expectancy) to help members optimize their benefits.
Perform complex retirement benefit-related calculations both manually and using the IPERS pension administration system.
Provide front-line risk mitigation and fraud prevention through strict identity authentication and verification processes.
Apply an in-depth technical understanding of policies regarding taxes, estates, qualified domestic relations orders (QDRO), power of attorney (POA), and USERRA to quality assurance and appeals tasks.
Create formal correspondence, reports, and estimates for members, initiate records management processes for applications, and document engagement narratives in the pension system.
Troubleshoot and provide technical assistance to members navigating the online Member Self-Service digital portal.