Retirement Specialist / Sr Retirement Specialist, Grade N23/Grade N26

Retirement Specialist / Sr Retirement Specialist, Grade N23/Grade N26

Salary

$89,721.00 - $144,272.00 Annually

Location

101 Monroe St Rockville MD 20850 USA

Job Type

Permanent

Job Number

2026-00584

Department

Department of Finance

Division

FIN 32 Retirement Member Svcs

Opening Date

10/01/2026

Closing Date

10/15/2026 11:59 PM Eastern

FLSA

Exempt

• Description
• Benefits
• Questions

About the Position

Please note: The salary range above represents this position's earning potential. The anticipated hiring range for this position will be based on the candidates qualifications and experience:

Retirement Specialist/Analyst, Grade N23 $78,929 - $109,912

Senior Retirement Specialist/Analyst, Grade N26 $89,721 - $116,996

WHO WE ARE

Montgomery County is one of Marylands outstanding places to live and work. With the largest population in Maryland at over one million residents and located near the Nation's capital, the County is one of the most affluent jurisdictions in Maryland and the nation. Montgomery County has a strong and diverse economy, with the 4th highest concentration of biotech in the U.S., corporate headquarters to industry leaders like Novavax, Marriott, Geico, and Lockheed Martin, and home to 32 federal facilities. Demographically, the County is approximately 42.9% white; 20.1% Hispanic or Latino; 20.1% Black or African American and 15.6% Asian. 91% of adult residents have at least a high school diploma while 57.8% hold a bachelors or higher degree.

Department of Finance programs include Controller operations (AP, AR, Timekeeping & Payroll, General & Grants Accounting); Fiscal Management (debt management, investing, cash management, economic development program administration, fiscal policy analysis and revenue and economic forecasting); Treasury (tax billing and collection, and cashiering); Retirement Administration (member services, compliance, financial services); and Risk Management (self- and commercial insurance, claims administration, and safety). These programs, including department-wide experts in information technology, human resources, contracting and budgeting, are managed by a team of professionals with a depth of government experience, and with industry expertise developed while working for Fortune 500 companies, bond rating agencies, investment banking, insurance, public accounting, academic institutions, governmental entities and financial and systems consulting.

The mission of the Retirement Administration Division (RAD) is to administer the Employee Retirement Plans and provide service to their beneficiaries. Our three sections -Financial, Compliance, and Member Services - work together and within a fast-paced and deadline driven environment to provide a wide variety of services and work products. Our teams perform advanced-level analytical and advisory functions for multiple defined contribution/benefit retirement plans totaling approximately $6B, and provide in-depth customer service and counsel to over 16,000 plan members consisting of current employees, retirees, and other beneficiaries

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

RAD is seeking an energetic and results-oriented Retirement Specialist with proven retirement and public pension administration experience, and exceptional communication and organizational skills, to join our collaborative and committed team. Candidates must be keenly interested in working in a high-volume and fast-paced work environment aimed at serving our local government and workforce. The ideal candidate will be able to work independently to successfully perform analytical and advisory functions concerning the Countys defined contribution and defined benefit retirement plans.

Highly successful employees within RAD:

• have strong time management, problem solving, and organizational skills.
• can work independently and reliably within a detail oriented and deadline driven environment.
• apply their considerable knowledge of and experience working with public pension and defined contribution retirement plans.
• communicate professionally and excel at explaining complex, technical, or financial information to various audiences and customers (via telephone, presentations, reports, email, etc.).
• effectively manage a wide portfolio of responsibilities, projects, and competing priorities.

What Youll Be Doing

This position is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the County's various retirement plans, as described below.

Employees' Retirement System (ERS) and Long-Term Disability (LTD)

• Read and interpret retirement plan documents with a basic understanding of related rules and regulations.
• Prepare pension calculations and review monthly pension and disability payments processing.
• Review Qualified Domestic Relation Orders (QDROs) according to County guidelines.
• Maintain and update member information in database. Work with the ERP Implementation Team to ensure payment data integrity and systems security of retiree pension payments in the PeopleSoft module.
• Develop business processes.

Retirement Savings Plan (RSP) and Guaranteed Retirement Income Plan (GRIP)

• Review participation by County employees in these plans to determine eligibility and processing of refunds.
• Read and interpret retirement plan documents with a basic understanding of related rules and regulations.
• Review of distribution forms.

All Retirement Plans

• Analyze and research complex financial issues and prepare written/oral reports addressing issues related to payments and benefits from the Countys retirement plans.
• Provide guidance and assistance to County retirees on matters pertaining to pension payment activities.
• Recommend new approaches and draft procedures to enhance the efficiency of the processing of retirement plan activities.

This position may be underfilled as a Retirement Specialist (Analyst), Grade N23. Once the employee is at full performance and meets the minimum requirements of the Proficiency Advancement process, they are eligible for a non-competitive promotion to the Senior Retirement Specialist (Analyst) level, Grade N26.

Minimum Qualifications

Experience: If filled at the Senior Retirement Specialist (Analyst), Grade N26 Level: Considerable (5 years) professional experience in the day-to-day administration of public pension plans, which included determination of eligibility, calculation of benefits, counsel of employees and retirees, coordination with service providers and application of a large number of eligibility and benefit variables across multiple plans, altogether vis-à-vis defined benefit plans and defined contribution plans.

Experience: If filled at the Retirement Specialist (Analyst), Grade N23 Level: Three (3) years of professional experience in the day-to-day administration of public pension plans, which included determination of eligibility, calculation of benefits, coordination with service providers and application of a large number of eligibility and benefit variables across multiple plans, altogether vis-à-vis defined benefit plans and defined contribution plans.

Education: Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in business administration, public administration, accounting, economics, finance or another field that provided strong foundation in the area(s) of assignment.

Equivalency: An equivalent combination of education and experience may be substituted.

Preferred Criteria, Interview Preferences

All applicants will be reviewed by OHR for minimum qualifications. Those applicants who meet minimum qualifications will be rated Qualified, placed on the Eligible List, and may be considered for an interview.

Preference for interviews will be given to applicants with experience in the following:

• Experience with managing programs and projects.
• Experience with researching and identifying relevant sources of information and synthesizing and analyzingdata of various complexity and importance.
• Experience with retirement benefits, including defined benefit and defined contribution retirement plans.
• Experience with computer applications/software such as Oracle, PeopleSoft, and the Microsoft Office Suite, including Excel, Word, and Access, to maintain databases and perform complex financial analysis.
• Experience with HRIS/pension systems & its functionalities in managing, reporting, improving retirement processes & services.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

The Office of Human Resources (OHR) reviews the minimum qualifications of all applicants, irrespective of whether the candidate has previously been found to have met the minimum requirements for the job or been temporarily promoted to the same position. This evaluation is based solely on the information contained in the application/resume submitted for this specific position.

Montgomery County Government(MCG) is an equal opportunity employer, committed to workforce diversity. Accordingly, as it relates to employment opportunities, the County will provide reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, in accordance with the law. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should email OHR at Hiring@montgomerycountymd.gov. Individual determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made in accordance with all applicable laws.

MCG also provides hiring preference to certain categories of veterans and veterans/persons with a disability. For more information and to claim employment preference, refer to the Careers webpage on Hiring Preference.

All applicants will respond to a series of questions related to their education, relevant experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities required to minimally perform the job. The applicants responses in conjunction with their resume and all other information provided in the employment application process will be evaluated to determine the minimum qualifications and preferred criteria or interview preference status. Based on the results, the highest qualified applicants will be placed on an Eligible List and may be considered for an interview. Employees meeting minimum qualifications who are the same grade will be placed on the Eligible List as a "Lateral Transfer" candidate and may be considered for an interview.

This will establish an Eligible List that may be used to fill both current and future vacancies.

If selected for consideration for this position, you may be required to provide evidence that you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities indicated on your resume.

Montgomery County Ethics Law: Except as provided by law or regulation, the Countys "Public Employees" (which does not include employees of the Sheriffs office) are subject to the Countys ethics law including the requirements to obtain advanced approval of any outside employment and the prohibitions on certain outside employment. The outside employment requirements of the ethics law can be found at 19A-12 of the County Code. Additional information about outside employment can be obtained from the Ethics Commission website.

Leave Benefits

Our generous leave package starts with non-MLS permanent and term employees earning 15 days of sick leave and 15 days of annual leave in their first year, as well as up to three additional personal days each calendar year. Positions in MLS earn 35 days of paid time off each year. In addition, we offer all employees 10 paid holidays. Our leave policies adhere to the Family Medical Leave Act of 1993, and we provide six weeks of paid parental leave for new parents.

Retirement Benefits

All permanent and term positions are eligible for robust retirement plans. Public safety positions are eligible for a defined benefit pension plan in which they are vested after only five years. Employees in non-public safety positions can participate in retirement plans that contribute up to 12 percent of their annual salary. All employees can also participate in a supplemental retirement plan, the 457 Deferred Compensation Plan, to contribute even more to their retirement goals.

Tuition Assistance & Student Loan Forgiveness

Montgomery County employees are eligible to participate in the Federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. Participants who meet all requirements may qualify for forgiveness on the remaining balance on their Direct Loans after making 120 qualifying monthly payments under a qualifying repayment plan while working full-time in a qualifying public service position. To learn more about PSLF, please visit the Student Loan Repayment Benefits page. Our tuition assistance program allows you to receive up to $2,130 annually in tuition assistance to help you achieve a degree that supports your career path.

Free Mass Transit Benefit

County employees are entitled to use the RideOn Bus service for free with a valid County-employee ID. This benefit can be used any time of the day or evening, including weekends. We also offer a pre-tax flexible spending account to reduce the cost of other mass-transit options such as MARC trains and Metro.

Reduced Child and Health Care Costs

Working for Montgomery County also entitles permanent and term employees to participate in healthcare and childcare Flexible Spending Accounts. These plans allow eligible employees to save on a pretax basis for healthcare and dependent care costs incurred during the plan year.

Employee Wellbeing

We deeply care about your holistic wellness. Our award-winning wellness program, LiveWell, will support you in improving and maintaining your physical, mental, financial, social, and intellectual well-being.

Learn more about our wonderful benefits available to you once you join our team. Montgomery County Benefits

01

What is your highest level of completed education?

• N/A
• High School/GED
• Associates Degree
• Bachelors Degree
• Masters Degree
• Juris Doctor
• Doctorate

02

If you do not possess a degree from an accredited college or university in business administration, public administration, accounting, economics, finance, how does your field of study provide a strong foundation in the area(s) of retirement planning? If you do not have experience in this area, indicate 'N/A.'

03

How many years of professional experience do you possess, in the day-to-day administration of public pension plans, which included determination of eligibility, calculation of benefits, coordination with service providers and application of a large number of eligibility and benefit variables across multiple plans, altogether vis-à-vis defined benefit plans and defined contribution plans?

• No Experience
• 1 Year Experience
• 2 Years Experience
• 3 Years Experience
• 4 Years Experience
• 5 Years Experience
• 6 Years Experience
• 7+ Years Experience

04

Summarize your experience with pension calculation, pension audits, including any specific challenges or complexities you have encountered in the calculation/audit process. If None, put "N/A"?

05

Describe a project or program you managed where you researched multiple sources, analyzed complex information, and used your findings to make a recommendation or decision. If None, put "N/A"?

06

Describe your experience and proficiency level using Oracle, PeopleSoft, and HRIS software, especially related to retirement plans. If None, put "N/A"

Required Question

Employer Montgomery County (MD)

Address 101 Monroe Street

7th Floor

Rockville, Maryland, 20850

Phone 240-777-5000

Website https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/ohr