Human Resources - Manager, Retirement Plans

Description: Client is seeking a Manager, Retirement Programs to support the administration, governance, and oversight of the company s qualified and nonqualified retirement plans, including 401(k) and pension programs.

In this role, you will execute retirement plan governance processes, support compliance activities, and manage vendor relationships to ensure effective plan operations. You will partner closely with internal stakeholders and external service providers to deliver a strong participant experience while maintaining high standards of operational excellence and regulatory compliance.

This is an opportunity to work in a highly collaborative environment where you will apply your retirement plan expertise to support a complex and evolving benefits landscape.

Location: Stamford, CT or New York (Hudson Yard), NY. Hybrid role - 3 days a week onsite.

This is a part time role, requiring approximately 10-20 hours per week.

This is a potential contract-to-hire role. We will only consider candidates who are legally authorized to work in the United States now and in the future without the need for sponsorship.


Key Responsibilities

Retirement Plan Administration & Oversight
- Manage day-to-day administration of qualified and nonqualified retirement plans, including 401(k) and pension plans
- Oversee core plan activities such as eligibility, contributions, distributions, vesting, and benefit calculations
- Coordinate nondiscrimination testing, annual limits, audits, Form 5500 filings, and other regulatory requirements in partnership with internal teams and external vendors
- Support reconciliation, approval, and funding of defined benefit plan payments

Governance & Compliance
- Execute governance processes for retirement plans, including 401(k) and nonqualified plan administration
- Maintain alignment between plan documents, Summary Plan Descriptions, and plan operations
- Support retirement committees, trustees, and leadership by preparing materials, reporting, and insights
- Identify, assess, and escalate operational, compliance, and fiduciary risks, and support remediation efforts
- Maintain documentation, including SOPs and operational controls

Vendor Management
- Manage day-to-day relationships with retirement plan vendors, including recordkeepers, administrators, auditors, and consultants
- Monitor vendor performance against service expectations and support issue resolution and remediation activities
- Participate in vendor reviews and contribute to continuous improvement efforts

Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Serve as a subject matter resource on retirement plans for HR, Payroll, Finance, Legal, Tax, and IT partners
- Collaborate with internal stakeholders and vendors to support process improvements and operational enhancements
- Contribute to materials and analysis supporting plan reviews and decision-making


Qualifications

Required
- Bachelor s degree or equivalent experience
- 5 8 years of experience in retirement plan administration, operations, or governance
- Strong knowledge of qualified and/or nonqualified retirement plans, including defined benefit and defined contribution plans
- Working knowledge of ERISA requirements and retirement plan compliance practices
- Experience supporting audits, compliance testing, and regulatory filings
- High proficiency in Excel and ability to analyze plan data and reporting
- Experience working with external vendors and managing service delivery
- Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment

Preferred
- Experience in a large corporate or financial services organization
- Professional designation (e.g., CEBS, QPA, QKA) or advanced degree


Skills & Attributes
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with attention to detail
- Sound judgment and ability to assess and escalate risk appropriately
- Ability to translate complex retirement concepts into clear, actionable insights
- Collaborative, team-oriented approach with strong communication skills
- Proven ability to balance execution with process improvement