Benefits Data Analyst

Project Management Institute Washington; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 85,000 - 105,000; Full time

Job summary

District of Columbia Retirement Board is seeking a Benefits Data Analyst to ensure data integrity for pension systems, support data migration, and deliver accurate reporting across benefits and payroll processes. The role requires strong data analytics, SQL proficiency, and experience with BI tools.

The position emphasizes data validation, reconciliation, and collaboration with Benefits leadership and actuarial partners to maintain clean, reliable participant data throughout transformation and

Qualifications

• Perform ongoing data quality assessments across all retirement plans, remediating data quality issues in the legacy system prior to conversion.
• Develop data validation scripts, automated checks, and reconciliation reports for high-risk data fields such as benefit amounts and dates.
• Support User Acceptance Testing (UAT) by developing participant data test scenarios reflecting plan-specific edge cases and complex benefit calculations.
• Identify systemic data integrity issues and recommend corrective actions to the Project Manager and Benefits leadership.

Responsibilities

• Produce monthly reconciliation of benefit payment disbursements and ensure accuracy of tax withholding and direct deposits.
• Prepare data extracts and reconciliation reports to support cost-of-living adjustments and year-end tax processing.
• Develop dashboards and recurring reports to support leadership insights and project status.
• Respond to ad hoc data requests with well-documented outputs delivered on schedule.

Skills

SQL

Data validation

Data reconciliation

Data migration

UAT testing

Education

Bachelor's degree in Data Science, Statistics, Information Systems, Business Analytics

Tools

Power BI

Tableau

Excel

Relational databases

Job description

ABOUT THE D.C. RETIREMENT BOARD

The District of Columbia Retirement Board is an independent agency of the District of Columbia Government.Our mission is to manage and control the assets of the D.C. Police Officers' and Firefighters' Retirement Plan and the D.C. Teachers' Retirement Plans as well as to administer benefits for the members of the plans.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Benefits Data Analyst is responsible for the integrity, accuracy, and completeness of participant data throughout the Benefits Administration and Pension System (BAPS) implementation and ongoing pension operations. This position serves as DCRB's primary technical resource for data conversion, data validation, legacy system reconciliation, and operational reporting — ensuring that participant records are accurately migrated to the new system and that ongoing benefit payment and reporting operations are supported by clean, reliable data.

This position also supports the Benefits Division's broader data needs, including monthly benefit payment reconciliation, actuarial data preparation, management reporting, and audit support for DCRB's active and retiredplan participants.

This is a term appointment, not to exceed (NTE) December 31, 2028.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

(Duties that occupy a major portion of time and importance of the job)

Data Quality & Validation

• Perform ongoing data quality assessments across all DCRB retirement plans, identifying and remediating data quality issues in the legacy system prior to conversion.
• Develop data validation scripts, automated checks, and reconciliation reports for high-risk data fields, including benefit amounts, effective dates, service credit, contribution records, and beneficiary designations.
• Support User Acceptance Testing (UAT) by developing participant data test scenarios that reflect planspecific edge cases and complex benefit calculation situations across DCRB's retirement programs.
• Identify systemic data integrity issues and recommend corrective actions to the Project Manager and Benefits leadership.

Payroll & Benefit Payment Reconciliation

• Perform monthly reconciliation of benefit payment disbursements, verifying that payment amounts, tax withholding, and direct deposit records in the new system are accurate and consistent with approved benefit entitlements.
• Support payroll parallel testing activities by comparing benefit payment outputs between the legacy system and the new system during implementation, documenting all discrepancies and resolution outcomes.
• Prepare data extracts and reconciliation reports to support cost-of-living adjustment processing, year-end 1099-R production, and other payroll-related operational events.

Operational Reporting & Analytics

• Produce and maintain recurring operational reports, including monthly disbursement reconciliation, participant census reports, and benefit payment accuracy metrics for Benefits and Finance leadership.
• Support the actuarial valuation process by preparing participant data extracts that meet actuarial firm specifications and submission deadlines.
• Respond to ad hoc data requests from Benefits leadership, Finance, Legal, and the Board of Trustees, delivering accurate, well-documented outputs on schedule.
• Develop dashboards and summary reports to support the Project Manager's monthly project status reporting and leadership briefings.

FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES

• Advanced proficiency in SQL and relational database querying, with demonstrated ability to write complex queries for data extraction, validation, and reconciliation.
• Strong knowledge of pension or benefits administration data structures, including defined-benefit plan recordkeeping, participant lifecycle data, and benefit calculation inputs.
• High proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including Power Query and pivot tables, and at least one data visualization orreporting tool (Power BI, Tableau, or equivalent).
• Demonstrated ability to produce clear, well-documented technical specifications and reconciliation reports accessible to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Meticulous attention to detail and commitment to data accuracy in a high-stakes operational environment.
• Knowledge of District government and federal government related to active employment and post-retirement benefits.
• Proven ability to independently perform work and organizational skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate technical and contractual information for non-technical stakeholders.
• Ability to work closely with others as part of a team while being able to take full responsibility for outcomes.
• Ability to thrive in a changing environment and deal constructively with ambiguity.
• Ability to independently make decisions and judgments on sensitive and confidential data issues.
• Ability to use rigorous logic and methods to solve difficult data problems with effective solutions.

WORKING CONDITIONS

• Normal office environment.

COMPENSATION LEVEL: DCRB Grade 07

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

DCRB is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the employer will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourage both prospective employees and incumbents to discuss potential accommodations with the employer.

All educational and experience requirements used to determine eligibility for this position must be officially verified at the time of appointment. No offer of employment will be deemed fulfilled without such verification(s).

REQUIRED EDUCATION & PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in Data Science, Statistics, Information Systems, Business Analytics, or a related field.
• Relevant certifications in data analysis, database management, or business intelligence are preferred.

JOB EXPERIENCE (Years & Type)

• A minimum of seven (7) years of data analysis experience, with at least three (3) years supporting pension, retirement, employee benefits, or payroll system operations.
• Demonstrated experience performing data conversion, migration, and reconciliation activities in an enterprise system implementation.
• Experience supporting payroll reconciliation or benefit payment validation activities is strongly preferred.
• Experience with processes and data migration activities in enterprise system implementations.
• Experience with public defined-benefit pension fund data is preferred.