Senior Pension & Benefits Analyst (Hybrid, Oakland)

University of California Office of the President; Oakland (CA); Hybrid; USD 96,000 - 107,000; Full time

Job summary

UC Office of the President is seeking a Benefits Analyst 3 to join the Retirement Administration Service Center in Oakland. You will manage complex UCRP retirement cases, ensure policy compliance, and mentor junior analysts while partnering with cross-functional teams to improve processes.

Hybrid role requiring three on-site days per week in Oakland, CA. The candidate should bring deep knowledge of defined benefit plans, ERISA, and UC policies, with strong analytical and counseling skills to

Qualifications

• Advanced expertise in retirement and pension benefits administration, including defined benefit plans and complex eligibility rules.
• Extensive knowledge of UCRP plan rules and regulations.
• Interpreting and applying policies, ERISA, IRS, and UC guidelines.
• Analyses of data and trends to support decisions and program effectiveness.
• Excellent communication and counseling skills with diverse audiences.
• Strong payroll, calculations, and compliance capabilities; audit experience helpful.
• Interacts with Policy, campuses, and Benefit Accounting regularly.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and resolve escalated issues quickly.
• Mentor, train, and support colleagues to grow team expertise.
• Proven ability to drive process improvements and organizational excellence.

Responsibilities

• 70% As the subject matter expert, reviews, validates, and processes complex UCRP benefit applications and documents for completeness, accuracy, and compliance.
• 10% Provides in-depth counseling to Survivors, Contingent Annuitants, Beneficiaries, and other stakeholders on retirement and pension inquiries.
• 5% Ensures data integrity across retirement systems, performing advanced analysis to identify and correct discrepancies.
• 5% Collaborates with cross-functional teams to improve processes, implement solutions, and share best practices.
• 5% Mentors and trains junior analysts, providing guidance and feedback to build team expertise.
• 5% Identifies opportunities for operational excellence and actively contributes to continuous improvement initiatives.

Skills

Retirement & pension benefits admin

UCRP plan rules & regulations

Policy interpretation (ERISA, IRS, UC)

Data analysis & trend identification

Communication & counseling

Payroll calculations

Audit & compliance

Collaboration with Policy & campuses

Mentoring junior analysts

Process improvement

Education

Bachelor's degree in related area / equivalent experience

Tools

Excel

Job description

UC Office of the President is seeking a Benefits Analyst 3 to join the Retirement Administration Service Center in Oakland. You will manage complex UCRP retirement cases, ensure policy compliance, and mentor junior analysts while partnering with cross-functional teams to improve processes.

Hybrid role requiring three on-site days per week in Oakland, CA. The candidate should bring deep knowledge of defined benefit plans, ERISA, and UC policies, with strong analytical and counseling skills to