Lead Business Analyst - Retirement Services

TechDigital Group; Cary (NC); On-site; USD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Lead Business Analyst with extensive experience in retirement services to drive platform transformation initiatives. This role emphasizes the importance of advanced testing methodologies and in-depth knowledge of both workplace and retail retirement products. The ideal candidate will be responsible for developing and executing comprehensive test plans, ensuring the accuracy of critical retirement calculations, and leading test execution for complex scenarios. If you possess a strong background in business analysis and a passion for enhancing retirement services, this opportunity is perfect for you to make a significant impact.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience in business analysis within retirement services.
• Expertise in test planning and execution for retirement administration systems.

Responsibilities

• Develop comprehensive test plans for retirement platform transformation.
• Lead test script development for complex scenarios and compliance testing.

Skills

Business Analysis

Test Planning

Test Case Development

Test Execution

Retirement Industry Expertise

SQL

API Testing

Education

Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP)

Retirement Industry Certifications (ASPPA, CEBS)

Tools

Test Automation Frameworks

Defect Tracking Tools

Test Management Tools

Job description

Lead Business Analyst - Retirement Services

seeking an experienced Lead Business Analyst to join our Retirement Services team to support our platform transformation initiatives for one of our key clients with significant focus on testing and test execution in retirement services area. The ideal candidate will bring deep retirement industry expertise across both workplace retirement products (401(k), 403(b), 457, defined benefit) and retail retirement offerings (Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, SEP IRA, SIMPLE IRA), combined with advanced testing methodologies to ensure flawless system transformation.

Key Responsibilities
• Develop and implement comprehensive test plans for all aspects of retirement platform transformation, including system integration testing, regression testing, UAT, and performance testing
• Create detailed test cases that validate critical retirement calculations including vesting, eligibility, contribution limits, loans, distributions, and tax withholding across all product types
• Lead test script development for complex scenarios such as plan conversions, mergers, participant transfers, and blackout periods
• Design and execute specialized test strategies for annual compliance testing functions (ADP/ACP, 410(b), 416) with multiple test scenarios and edge cases
• Create validation frameworks for annual tax reporting processes including 1099-R, Form 5500, and 5498 generation
• Develop and maintain comprehensive test data sets representing diverse participant populations and plan designs across workplace and retail products
• Establish reconciliation procedures to validate participant balances, transaction history, and tax basis information pre- and post-transformation
• Oversee test execution for complex IRA processes including contribution limit monitoring, excess contribution handling, recharacterizations, and conversion processing
• Create and validate test scenarios for hardship qualification, loan default processing, and QDRO administration
• Develop test strategies for participant and plan sponsor interfaces, ensuring accurate display of plan provisions, investment options, and fee structures



Required Qualifications
• 15+ years of business analysis experience in retirement services spanning both workplace and retail retirement products
• Demonstrated expertise in test planning, test case development, and test execution for retirement administration systems
• In-depth knowledge of IRA contribution rules, workplace plan limits (415(c), 402(g)), and qualification requirements
• Experience developing and executing test cases for nondiscrimination testing, including ADP/ACP, coverage testing, and top-heavy testing
• Strong understanding of retirement distribution rules with ability to create comprehensive test scenarios for each distribution type
• Expertise in creating test data sets that represent diverse participant scenarios, plan provisions, and edge cases
• Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP) or similar certification
• ASPPA, CEBS, or other retirement industry certifications
• Experience with test automation frameworks for financial systems
• Knowledge of test data management and synthetic data generation for retirement scenarios
• Expertise in reconciliation testing between legacy and transformed systems
• Background in performance testing retirement systems under peak loads (year-end processing, enrollment periods)
• Working knowledge of SQL for data validation and test result analysis
• Experience with defect tracking and test management tools
• Understanding of API testing for retirement system integrations