NQ Plan Analyst

Ascensus; Kentucky; On-site; USD 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Newport, an Ascensus company, provides retirement, insurance and consulting services to plan sponsors and advisors. The NQ Plan Analyst supports end-to-end administration of non-qualified plans, coordinating with sponsors, participants, and internal teams to ensure accuracy, compliance and optimal client outcomes.

Responsibilities include overseeing daily plan activities, resolving escalated issues, managing enrollment steps, and providing operational expertise across workflows and data

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a business-related field or equivalent industry experience.
• 3+ years’ experience in retirement services or related role.
• Strong MS Office skills (Excel, Word, PowerPoint) and Adobe.
• Ability to work in a deadline-driven environment with high accuracy.

Responsibilities

• Implement, track, monitor, and maintain client non-qualified benefit plan accounts and related activities.
• Interpret workflows and identify efficiency opportunities.
• Provide operational knowledge and technical support to clients and internal partners.
• Evaluate issues, determine root causes, and make independent or collaborative decisions.
• Drive resolution of escalated client issues, balancing risk and client impact.
• Own operational strategy for assigned plans and coordinate delivery outcomes.
• Act as first escalation point for participant inquiries via call center.
• Support RM/CSM in daily client service and communications.
• Coordinate with Trustee/trading desk and other teams for asset transactions and plan activity.
• Coordinate with Enrollment team for correct participant setup and elections pre-enrollment.
• Perform post-enrollment audits, reporting, and data provisioning to Production.
• Research data issues to ensure data completeness.

Skills

Deadline-driven

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business

Tools

Excel

Word

PowerPoint

Adobe

Job description

Newport, an Ascensus company, helps employers offer their associates a more secure financial future through retirement plans, insurance and consulting services. Newport offers comprehensive plan solutions and consulting expertise to plan sponsors and the advisors who serve them. As a provider and partner, Newport is independent, experienced, and responsive.

NQ Plan Analyst is an integral part of the client services team that leads end-to-end administration and oversight of assigned non-qualified plans, exercising judgment in managing plan provisions and client outcomes. The NQ Plan Analyst team (Direct and Private Label) oversees the day-to-day workflow for assigned clients, acting as the central coordination point between plan sponsors, participants, operational teams, and relationship management. The NQ Plan Analyst is accountable for plan integrity, risk mitigation, and operational decision-making, including evaluation of plan activity, data accuracy, and financial transactions. As well as serving as a key decision-maker for escalated issues, determining appropriate resolutions based on plan provisions, regulatory considerations, and operational impact. Decisions made in this role directly impact client outcomes, regulatory compliance, and financial transactions, requiring sound judgment and risk assessment.

Job Functions, Essential Duties And Responsibilities

• Implement, track, monitor, and maintain client non-qualified benefit plan accounts, fund investments and distributions.
• Interpret workflows; using best practices while identifying efficiency opportunities. Support key initiatives.
• Provide operational knowledge, including providing technical expertise and support to clients and internal business partners for issues.
• Evaluate and solve business and operational issues, determine root cause, and make independent and / or collaborative decisions on resolution approach and execution.
• Drive resolution of escalated client and participant issues, independently determining appropriate actions and balancing risk, compliance, and client impact. Determine resolution strategies, including deviation from standard procedures when necessary.
• Own operational strategy and execution for assigned plans, prioritizing work, resolving conflicts, and determining optimal approaches to deliver outcomes.
• Act as initial point of escalation for participant inquiries through the call center; respond in accordance with standard turnaround.
• Support Relationship Manager (RM) / Client Service Manager (CSM) team in the daily service of clients, including direct correspondence with client contacts. Make recommendations on the servicing of shared clients, exercising judgment to provide best in class service.
• Facilitate daily transactional activity with the Trustee and trading desk. Coordinate with Same Day Trading, Asset Liability Management, and Fund Operations teams to direct appropriate asset transactions, fund swaps, and trust activity on behalf of assigned client plans.
• Coordinate with the Enrollment team to ensure correct setup of participants and elections pre-enrollment. Manage and ensure accuracy of online enrollment windows.
• Handle post-enrollment steps including auditing elections, client reporting, and providing data to load to the Production environment.
• Research data issues, including information on Risk Mitigation reports, to ensure data completeness.
• Act as Product Owner for Payroll and Census tools, managing updates and troubleshooting as needed.
• Provide data and reporting outputs to internal teams (trading, enrollment, RM) at defined points in the workflow cycle.

Supervision: N/A

Experience, Skills, Knowledge Requirements Required Education, Experience & Certifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a business-related field or industry experience, or a combination of education and industry experience.
• 3+ years’ experience working in a related position in the retirement services sector.
• Strong MS Office skills including Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Adobe.
• Ability to work in a deadline-driven environment with a demonstrated track record of accuracy and consistency.

Preferred (but Not Required) Education & Skills

• Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations.
• Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals.
• Ability to apply advanced mathematical concepts utilizing current spreadsheet and accounting database software programs.
• Familiarity with McCamish recordkeeping system and the ability to research participant data via data extract files.
• Experience with non-qualified deferred compensation plan structures and 409A / 457(b) and 457(f) compliance requirements.

For all virtual remote positions, in order to ensure associates can effectively perform their job duties with no distractions, we require an uninterrupted virtual workspace and there is also an expectation of family care being in place during business hours. Additionally, there is an internet work speed requirement of 25 Mbps or better for individual use. If more than one person is utilizing the same internet connection in the same household or building, then a stronger connection is required. If you are unsure of your internet speed, please check with your service provider. Note: For call center roles specifically, it is a requirement to either hardwire your equipment directly to the internet router or ensure your workstation is in close proximity to the router. Please ensure that you are able to meet these expectations before applying.