Senior Implementation Lead: Pension Risk & DCLI Transitions

Pacific Life; Newport Beach (CA); On-site; USD 125,000 - 153,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid Time Off

Holiday Schedule

Parental Leave

401k with match

Job summary

Pacific Life is seeking a Sr. Implementation Associate II to lead the onboarding of complex Pension Risk Transfer and Defined Contribution Lifetime Income transactions from sale to transition. You will partner with Sales, Pricing, Operations, Compliance, and Technology to ensure a seamless client experience.

In this role you will mentor teammates, drive process improvements, and manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment while delivering strong client outcomes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience and 8+ years in retirement services, pension administration, implementation, project management, operations, or related field.
• Experience managing complex client implementations, onboarding projects, conversions, or retirement plan transitions.
• Experience with Pension Risk Transfer (PRT), Defined Benefit plans, Defined Contribution Lifetime Income (DCLI), or institutional retirement products.
• Build strong internal partnerships (Sales, Operations, Compliance, Pricing, etc.) enabling easy navigation of processes and ability to find quick resolution.
• Outside-the-box thinking with strong problem-solving skills; ability to deal with ambiguity
• Proven ability to lead complex projects, manage competing priorities, and drive results in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent relationship management, communication, problem-solving, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to work independently with minimal guidance while leveraging expertise to influence decisions and mentor others.

Responsibilities

• Lead onboarding for complex PRT and DCLI transactions, ensuring successful implementation and transition to Pacific Life platforms.
• Serve as the primary relationship manager for plan sponsors, consultants, prior recordkeepers, third-party administrators, and key internal stakeholders throughout implementation and ongoing support.
• Own and continuously improve SE&I processes by establishing best practices, documentation, controls, service standards, and governance to support growth and risk mitigation.
• Lead cross-functional initiatives and projects that improve implementation capabilities, operational effectiveness, scalability, and client experience.
• Act as a subject matter expert and mentor by sharing knowledge, training team members, and influencing outcomes across Sales, Pricing, Operations, Compliance, and Technology.

Skills

Relationship management

Communication

Stakeholder management

Problem-solving

Mentoring/team leadership

Project leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

Microsoft 365

Microsoft Copilot

AI-enabled tools

Job description

Pacific Life is seeking a Sr. Implementation Associate II to lead the onboarding of complex Pension Risk Transfer and Defined Contribution Lifetime Income transactions from sale to transition. You will partner with Sales, Pricing, Operations, Compliance, and Technology to ensure a seamless client experience.

In this role you will mentor teammates, drive process improvements, and manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment while delivering strong client outcomes.