Public Service Executive

State of Iowa; Des Moines (IA); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental package

9 paid holidays

Total Compensation Calculator

Job summary

The State of Iowa’s IPERS is seeking a Chief of Business Operations to lead the Pension Administration and Business Operations Division. You will guide executive decisions, oversee system improvements, and coordinate cross-agency projects to support a multibillion-dollar trust fund and 185,000+ members.

You will mentor staff, manage vendor relationships, and drive modernization initiatives while ensuring compliance with state policies and reporting standards.

Qualifications

• We are seeking leaders with strong commitment to public service goals and ability to navigate complex situations under deadlines.
• Experience overseeing pension administration, large-scale operations, and cross-functional teams is essential.
• Ability to drive system modernization, data automation, and self-service enhancements for members and employers.

Responsibilities

• Executive leadership over the Business Operations Division and pension administration systems.
• Drive enhancements to pension systems and self-service portals for members and employers.
• Direct technical, data, and system processes within the Retirement Automation Bureau.
• Optimize internal processes for high-volume operations including payments and processing.
• Oversee analysis, application support, QA, release management, and training.
• Champion agency-wide and inter-agency projects and manage vendor contracts.
• Collaborate with leaders to assess operational impacts of legislative and code changes.
• Mentor and evaluate managers and professional staff.

Skills

Executive Division Leadership

Pension System Innovation

Technical Operations Oversight

Core Business Management

Systems Enablement & QA

Project & Vendor Management

Strategic Collaboration & Policy

Workforce Mentorship

Strategic Retirement Operations

System Modernization

Data & Process Automation

Executive Vendor Stewardship

Collaborative Leadership

People-First Management

Job description

This is a non-merit position. Candidates must follow the instructions in the "To Apply" section.

Public Service Executive

The Iowa Public Employees’ Retirement System (IPERS) is the fiduciary responsible for administering the IPERS Trust Fund. IPERS members represent most of Iowa’s hard-working public sector employees, including educators, first responders, law enforcement and more. IPERS’ mission is to support its membership – Iowa’s public workforce – with the prudent management of the IPERS Trust Fund.

At the Iowa Public Employees' Retirement System (IPERS), we believe that every employee plays an integral role in our success. We take pride in maintaining our status as one of the nation’s most well-funded public retirement plans.

Who we’re looking for:

We want driven, forward-thinking leaders to make a lasting impact on the financial security of Iowa's public servants. Ideal candidates bring a strong commitment to public sector goals and the ability to navigate complex situations under strict deadlines. Strong organizational skills, independent time management, and excellent interpersonal abilities to resolve conflicts are essential for success.

What you’ll do:

As the Chief of Business Operations (Public Service Executive), you will serve as a key executive advisor to the CEO and provide strategic leadership over IPERS' Business Operations Division. In this role, you will have executive oversight of the agency's pension administration system, manage processes that support a $50B+ trust fund, serve over 185,000 active members, and successfully deliver more than $2.9B in annual member payroll and refunds.

• Executive Division Leadership: Provide strategic direction and oversight to the Business Operations Division, ensuring operational efficiency and high-level service delivery.
• Pension System Innovation: Drive enhancements to the core pension administration system, focusing on optimizing internal operations, increasing efficiency, and advancing external self-service portals for members and employers.
• Technical Operations Oversight: Direct technical, system-related, and data processes within the Retirement Automation Bureau, including data management, automation, system maintenance, and agency-wide reporting.
• Core Business Management: Optimize internal processes for large-scale operations, including benefit calculations, tax withholdings, financial contributions, service credit purchases, and application processing.
• Systems Enablement & QA: Oversee business analysis functions, application support, quality assurance testing, release management, and training programs across the agency.
• Project & Vendor Management: Champion agency-wide and inter-agency projects while stewarding critical relationships and contracts with vendors, service providers, and state partners.
• Strategic Collaboration & Policy Alignment:Partner with division leaders to evaluate the operational impact of complex legislative, administrative code, or retirement plan changes.
• Workforce Mentorship: Supervise, develop, and evaluate professional management and support staff to maintain exceptional service standards.

Why you’ll love this role:

• High-Impact Stewardship: You will directly shape the operational success of a $50B+ trust fund, positively impacting the financial security and retirement futures of over 185,000 active members and beneficiaries.

• Drive Large-Scale Innovation: You will serve as the executive sponsor for cutting-edge enhancements to IPERS' pension administration systems, spearheading modern self-service portals and technical automation that transform how members and employers interact with the agency.

• Executive-Level Influence: As a trusted advisor to the CEO, your strategic decisions, policy developments, and management controls will directly influence agency-wide service delivery and long-term modernization efforts.

• Collaborative Leadership Culture:You will lead and mentor a highly skilled team of managers and professional staff within a collaborative environment that values continuous professional growth, creative problem solving, and operational excellence.

• Top-Tier Retirement Stability:Secure your own future with enrollment in IPERS’ revered defined-benefit pension plan, recognized as one of the healthiest and most stable public funds in the nation.

• Excellent State Benefits:Enjoy a comprehensive, highly affordable state health insurance and dental package along with strong work-life balance policies.

A successful candidate will bring or have the ability and desire to learn:

• Strategic Retirement Operations: Master the intricate provisions of public pension administration and complex plan structures to effectively manage a division responsible for delivering $2.9B+ in annual payments.

• System Innovation & Deployment: Drive large-scale modernizations of core pension administration systems, including managing application support, release cycles, and quality assurance testing.

• Data & Process Automation: Champion data management, system reporting, workflows, and technical automation strategies.

• Executive Vendor Stewardship: Oversee high-value agency contracts and build strategic, lasting business relationships with key service providers and state partners.

• Collaborative Enterprise Leadership: Partner effectively with the CEO and cross-functional division leaders to assess the impacts of administrative code, law changes, and legislative updates.

• People-First Management: Cultivate, mentor, and evaluate a high-performing team of managers and professional staff.

Skills that will set you apart:

• Strategic Business Analysis:Mastery of optimizing internal workflows, establishing operational controls, mapping complex business rules, and managing resource allocations for high-volume transactions.
• Modernization Champion:Ability to translate vision into action by serving as an executive sponsor for digital transformation projects and customer-facing self-service portals.
• Diplomatic Stakeholder Communication:High-level capability to establish recurring communication strategies, build consensus across agencies, and advise executive leadership on trust-fund impacts.

Bonus skills we love:

• Public Pension Expertise:Deep familiarity with public retirement plan structures, complex benefit calculations, or government financial systems.
• Agile Framework Familiarity:Understanding of modern agile project management, business continuity planning, and disaster recovery processes.
• Regulatory Navigation:Talent for interpreting highly complex administrative codes, state statutes, or federal regulations and implementing them into system processes.

Great-to-Have Experience:

• Automation Exposure:Prior experience collaborating with or managing data automation, data management, and data-reporting teams.
• Cross-Functional Team Mentorship:A background in directly managing other supervisors and professional managers.
• System Integration Lifecycle:Experience acting as the bridge between business operations units and infrastructure IT support during massive system migrations.

To ensure full consideration for this position, all requested materials must be completed and uploaded through the NEOGov online application process.

Hours:8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Monday – Friday; some nights and weekends, occasional in-state and out-of-state travel. Hybrid schedule may be considered after 6 months.

Beyond the Paycheck

Your wage is just one part of your total compensation. The State of Iowa’s commitment to its employees is demonstrated by the compensation and benefits package provided to you. In addition to your direct compensation as a State of Iowa employee, we provide a variety of benefit plans and programs for you and your family, including discounts from a variety of vendors.

Reclaim your personal time with massive paid time off packages, including generous vacation accrual, separate sick leave, and 9 paid statutory holidays every year.

Unlock the complete value of the State of Iowa benefits with our Total Compensation Calculator. It offers a comprehensive view of what your annual compensation could look like, encompassing salary, State-provided benefits and more. This tool empowers you to make more informed decisions and discover the potential earnings associated with the position you are considering.

Final candidates will be subject to a background check.

E-Verify and Right to Work

The State of Iowa participates in E-Verify, a federal program that helps employers confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. Within the required timeframe, new hires will be verified through the E-Verify system to ensure authorization to work in the United States. The State of Iowa also complies with the federal Right to Work laws, which protect employees’ rights to work without being required to join a labor organization. For more information, please visit www.e-verify.gov.

Applicants must meet at least one of the following minimum requirements to qualify for positions in this job classification:

• 1) Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university and experience equal to seven years of full-time management-level work in finance, human resources, engineering, law, social work, regulation, data processing, or program research or evaluation.
• 2) Eleven years of full-time management-level work experience in finance, human resources, engineering, law, social work, regulation, data processing, or program research or evaluation.
• 3) All of the following (a and b): a. Seven years of full-time management-level work experience in finance, human resources, engineering, law, social work, regulation, data processing, or program research or evaluation; and b. A combination of a total of four years of education and full-time experience (as described in part a), where thirty semester hours of accredited college or university course work in any field equals one year of full-time experience. Graduation from the Iowa Certified Public Manager Program is also equivalent to one year of full-time experience or education.
• 4) All of the following (a, b, and c): a. Five years of full-time management-level work experience in finance, human resources, engineering, law, social work, regulation, data processing, or program research or evaluation; and b. A combination of a total of four years of education and full-time experience (as described in part a), where thirty semester hours of accredited college or university course work in any field equals one year of full-time experience; and c. A combination of a total of two years of graduate-level education and full-time experience (as described in part a), where twenty-four semester hours of accredited graduate college or university course work in a public-service-related area (e.g., public or business administration, social work, law, education, engineering) equals one year of full-time experience. Graduation from the Iowa Certified Public Manager Program is also equivalent to one year of full-time experience or education.
• 5) Current, continuous experience in the state executive branch that includes one year of full-time work as a Public Service Manager 1, Public Service Manager 2, or comparable specific management-level position.

For additional information, please click on this link to view the job description.