Retirement Plan Manager

guardianlife; New York (NY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Guardian Life is seeking a Retirement Plan Manager to oversee the governance, compliance, and strategic management of our qualified and non-qualified retirement programs. You will partner with internal stakeholders and external service providers to ensure operational excellence and strong participant experience.

The role covers plan design reviews, program implementation, risk management, vendor oversight, and communications to participants, with a focus on continuous improvement and regulatory

Qualifications

• Extensive experience with defined benefit, defined contribution, and non-qualified retirement plans.
• Strong knowledge of fiduciary oversight, risk management, and regulatory developments.
• Proven ability to lead end-to-end program implementations and process improvements.

Responsibilities

• Support retirement strategy, plan design reviews, analyses, and recommendations.
• Evaluate program effectiveness via benchmarking and regulatory developments.
• Lead implementation of new programs with end-to-end processes.
• Coordinate fiduciary oversight, governance, and risk management across all plans.
• Oversee vendor relationships, performance evaluations, and service improvements.
• Enhance participant engagement through retirement communications and education.

Skills

Retirement plan expertise

Governance & compliance

Vendor management

Project management

Stakeholder collaboration

Job description

Is the opportunity to join a culture where \"We Do the Right Thing,\" and \"We Courageously Shape Our Future Together\" important to you? If so, Guardian is seeking a motivated individual to join our team as a Retirement Plan Manager.

This role will support the governance, compliance oversight, and strategic management of the company's qualified and non-qualified retirement programs, including defined contribution, defined benefit, and executive retirement plans. Additionally, supports the retirement plan operating model, governance framework, fiduciary oversight processes, vendor management strategy, and administration oversight. The Manager will partner with internal stakeholders and external service providers to help ensure operational excellence, regulatory compliance, effective risk management, and strong participant experience.

The successful candidate will combine deep retirement plan expertise with strong business judgment, and continuous improvement capabilities to help evolve Guardian's retirement programs and support long-term organizational objectives and design reviews and lead implementation of new programs.

You will

Retirement Strategy, Plan Design and Project Management

• Support management in plan design reviews and evaluation of new programs by preparing materials, reports, analyses, and recommendations.
• Evaluate retirement program effectiveness through benchmarking, market analysis, participant outcomes, and regulatory developments to identify enhancement opportunities.
• Support participant engagement through strategic review and planning.
• Lead implementation of new programs by developing end-to-end processes that are fit for purpose for Guardian's plans.

Retirement Plan Governance, Compliance & Risk Management

• Use technology, where applicable, to streamline operations, increase efficiency, and improve accuracy.
• Support consistent operational controls, governance practices, and risk management standards across all retirement plans. Identify, assess, and mitigate operational, compliance, fiduciary, and participant risks.
• Maintain robust operational documentation, controls, standard operating procedures, and evidence of oversight activities.
• Lead remediation efforts related to operational issues, audit findings, compliance exceptions, escalations, and data integrity concerns across all plans.
• Coordinate and oversee nondiscrimination testing, regulatory filings, audits, annual limits, and other compliance requirements in partnership with service providers and internal partners.
• Support alignment among plan documents, Summary Plan Descriptions, administrative practices, and operational procedures across all retirement plans.

Vendor & Fiduciary Service Management

• Serve as a key contact supporting vendor relationships for retirement plan service providers, including recordkeepers, administrators, consultants, auditors, custodians, and fiduciary service providers.
• Support vendor governance reviews, performance evaluations, issue resolution, corrective action plans, and service delivery improvements.
• Evaluate vendor capabilities, service models, fees, controls, and participant outcomes to support strategic decision-making.
• Support vendor sourcing, transitions, implementations, and operating model changes, as needed.
• Monitor vendor performance against agreed-upon service standards and identify opportunities for continuous improvement.

Participant Experience & Communications

• Support the development and execution of retirement communication strategies designed to improve participant engagement, financial wellness, and retirement readiness.
• Partners with recordkeepers and service providers to evaluate participant behaviors, communication effectiveness, and service outcomes.
• Identify opportunities to enhance participant education, digital capabilities, and overall retirement planning experience.

Enterprise Partnership & Transformation

• Serve as a retirement subject matter expert for internal stakeholders.
• Support retirement-related operating model improvements, process transformations, and implementation of new services.
• Support automation, analytics, AI-enabled solutions, and process simplification initiatives to improve efficiency and strengthen controls.
• Support strategic retirement initiatives, vendor RFP and transitions, and long-term retirement program evolution aligned with organizational priorities.

You are

A strategic retirement professional with proven expertise across defined benefits, defined contribution, and non-qualified retirement plans.

Able to lead projects that implement new services and programs, collaborate effectively with stakeholders, and contribute insights to leadership.

An innovative thinker who continuously seeks opportunities to improve participant outcomes, strengthen controls, and simplify operations.

Able to support risk management and compliance requirements related to fiduciary obligations, regulatory compliance, participant experience, and busine