Vice President of Operations for 529 College Savings

Union Bank & Trust Career • Lincoln, NE

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

The 529 CSG Operations Vice President is responsible for the strategic management and overall daily operational activities of the 529 College Savings Operational Group. This position oversees the participant, back office and financial advisor accounting aspects of the Illinois Bright Directions plan, the Alabama CollegeCounts Direct and Advisor plans, and the Nebraska NEST Direct, NEST Advisor, State Farm, and Bloomwell 529 plans (representing over $20 bil in plan assets and 635k investor accounts). This position is directly involved in the leadership of the 529 College Savings Operations area, has expertise with workflow and technology systems and processes, talent oversight and development, ongoing process review and enhancements, and 529 and systems technical expertise.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting or equivalent experience required.
• Fifteen plus years of 529 and/or recordkeeping experience required.
• Fifteen years of supervisory experience required.
• Expertise in utilizing and configuring industry related recordkeeping platforms such as PowerAgent, NSCC, DTCC.
• Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel and in working with other financial software.

Nice To Haves

• Self-directed and takes initiative
• Strong decision-making skills
• Accurate and detailed
• Effective communicator- both verbal and written
• Organized, deadline driven and time efficient
• Independent with good judgment
• Analytical and problem solver

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership and is responsible for the performance of the daily operations group, quality control, Broker/Dealer, and pricing teams.
• Lead, mentor and manage direct reports in College Savings 529 Operations.
• Lead teams that are responsible for the workflow, processes, and staffing for the 529 College Savings Group that handles annual volumes: $2.5+ billion in incoming contributions, 100,000 new accounts, and over $1.5 billion in outgoing payments.
• Design and implement policies, procedures, processes, controls that lead to the effective management and risk mitigation of a high dollar transaction team that processes multiple billions of financial transactions annually.
• Involvement with Broker Dealer back office coordination, reporting, commission payouts, and high-level servicing.
• Ability to nurture a work environment of ongoing process improvement to ensure the timely, effective, efficient, and risk mitigating structure.
• Develop and generate of data reports required for State weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual reporting and reports.
• Assist in preparing and monitoring the CSG Operations budget.
• Oversee performance, development, and strategic priorities for the College Savings Operations Officer team
• Ensure compliance with 529 Laws and contract/service level standards with the State of Alabama, Illinois, and Nebraska.
• Implement and enhance ongoing training for new employees and procedures.
• Identify efficiencies and maximize utilization of technology.
• Keep abreast of technical/legislative changes that impact 529 compliance and communicate those changes to the staff.
• Oversee and verify the organized, professional and timely processing of all operational items related to the 3 State Programs we manage (comprising 7 separate plans).
• Prepare and review departmental reconciliation’s (cash, unit, and market values).
• Implement, maintain, and test a disaster recovery plan.
• Represent CSG in interdepartmental bank committees to ensure alignment and collaboration
• Oversee maintenance and enhancements to the 529 Accounting System (PowerAgent) and related websites, driven by business requirements and efficiency findings
• Provide oversight and direction in resolving escalated or atypical customer and broker‑dealer home‑office issue
• Produce recurring and ad‑hoc reports using the 529 PowerAgent platform.
• Ensure direct reports are trained and comply with bank policy, laws and regulations applicable to their roles.
• Monitor direct and indirect reports’ adherence to internal controls and take action to address employee performance issues.
• Understand and adhere to all bank policies, laws and regulations applicable to their role.
• Complete compliance training.
• Follow internal processes and controls as required.
• Report all compliance issues, violations of law or regulations in accordance with the steps defined in bank policies.
• Regular and reliable attendance is an essential function of this position.
• Performs other job-related duties or special projects as assigned.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive