Retirement Plan Manager

Guardian Life Insurance•New York, NY

2d•$103,450 - $169,960•Hybrid

About The Position

This role will support the governance, compliance oversight, and strategic management of the company’s qualified and non-qualified retirement programs, including defined contribution, defined benefit, and executive retirement plans. Additionally, supports the retirement plan operating model, governance framework, fiduciary oversight processes, vendor management strategy, and administration oversight. The Manager will partner with internal stakeholders and external service providers to help ensure operational excellence, regulatory compliance, effective risk management, and strong participant experience. The successful candidate will combine deep retirement plan expertise with strong business judgment, and continuous improvement capabilities to help evolve Guardian’s retirement programs and support long-term organizational objectives and design reviews and lead implementation of new programs.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
8+ years of experience in retirement plan administration, governance, fiduciary support, consulting, or retirement program management.
Deep expertise in qualified and non-qualified retirement plans, including defined benefit, defined contribution, and executive retirement programs.
Strong knowledge of ERISA fiduciary requirements, Internal Revenue Code retirement plan provisions, and retirement governance practices.
Proven ability to implement plan design changes and new programs while mitigating operational risks and managing participant communications.
Experience supporting retirement governance activities, committee support, and regulatory compliance efforts.
Experience reviewing and implementing operating model improvements within a highly regulated environment.
Experience supporting complex vendor relationships and influencing service provider performance.
Proven ability to identify, assess, and manage operational, compliance, and fiduciary risk.
Advanced analytical and Excel skills.

Nice To Haves

Experience in a large corporate or financial services environment.
Experience implementing fiduciary service arrangements or retirement operating model transformations.
Experience supporting pension risk management and retirement technology modernization initiatives.

Responsibilities

Support management in plan design reviews and evaluation of new programs by preparing materials, reports, analyses, and recommendations.
Evaluate retirement program effectiveness through benchmarking, market analysis, participant outcomes, and regulatory developments to identify enhancement opportunities.
Support participant engagement through strategic review and planning.
Lead implementation of new programs by developing end-to-end processes that are fit for purpose for Guardian’s plans.
Use technology, where applicable, to streamline operations, increase efficiency, and improve accuracy.
Support consistent operational controls, governance practices, and risk management standards across all retirement plans. Identify, assess, and mitigate operational, compliance, fiduciary, and participant risks.
Maintain robust operational documentation, controls, standard operating procedures, and evidence of oversight activities.
Lead remediation efforts related to operational issues, audit findings, compliance exceptions, escalations, and data integrity concerns across all plans.
Coordinate and oversee nondiscrimination testing, regulatory filings, audits, annual limits, and other compliance requirements in partnership with service providers and internal partners.
Support alignment among plan documents, Summary Plan Descriptions, administrative practices, and operational procedures across all retirement plans.
Serve as a key contact supporting vendor relationships for retirement plan service providers, including recordkeepers, administrators, consultants, auditors, custodians, and fiduciary service providers.
Support vendor governance reviews, performance evaluations, issue resolution, corrective action plans, and service delivery improvements.
Evaluate vendor capabilities, service models, fees, controls, and participant outcomes to support strategic decision-making.
Support vendor sourcing, transitions, implementations, and operating model changes, as needed.
Monitor vendor performance against agreed-upon service standards and identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
Support the development and execution of retirement communication strategies designed to improve participant engagement, financial wellness, and retirement readiness.
Partners with recordkeepers and service providers to evaluate participant behaviors, communication effectiveness, and service outcomes.
Identify opportunities to enhance participant education, digital capabilities, and overall retirement planning experience.
Serve as a retirement subject matter expert for internal stakeholders.
Support retirement-related operating model improvements, process transformations, and implementation of new services.
Support automation, analytics, AI-enabled solutions, and process simplification initiatives to improve efficiency and strengthen controls.
Support strategic retirement initiatives, vendor RFP and transitions, and long-term retirement program evolution aligned with organizational priorities.