Sr Specialist – 401(k) Administration & Retirement Planning

Energy Transfer Family of Partnerships; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Energy Transfer is seeking a Senior Analyst in 401(k) Administration and Retirement Planning to lead design, administration and governance of the company’s qualified and non-qualified retirement programs, with primary responsibility for the 401(k) plan and profit-sharing arrangements.

The role requires deep experience with ERISA, the IRC, and plan operations, along with strong analytics, communication, and the ability to translate complex retirement concepts for employees and leadership.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of progressively responsible experience administering large and/or complex 401(k) plans.
• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Finance, Accounting, Business, or a related field.
• Strong working knowledge of ERISA, the Internal Revenue Code, IRS and DOL requirements.
• Demonstrated experience with 401(k) plan operations, compliance testing, payroll and contribution reconciliations.
• Strong analytical and creative problem-solving skills, with the ability to independently investigate complex issues.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain complex retirement plan provisions.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Excel and data analysis.
• Ability to handle sensitive information with discretion.

Responsibilities

• Administer and support defined contribution retirement programs including the 401(k) Plan and profit-sharing plans.
• Ensure retirement plans are administered in compliance with ERISA, the IRC, IRS and DOL requirements.
• Coordinate with Payroll and HRIS to integrate retirement plan data with wages, compensation, eligibility, deductions, and employer contributions.
• Assist with reconciliation of payroll deductions, employer contributions, plan funding requirements, and participation data.
• Review reports to confirm enrollments, deferral elections, eligibility, contributions, and transactions are processed accurately.
• Support Workday implementation and optimization for retirement planning function.
• Monitor participant eligibility and calculate or validate 401(k) and profit-sharing entry dates.
• Support administration of executive non-qualified deferred compensation plan.
• Coordinate and support preparation of the annual Form 5500 filing and related disclosures.
• Analyze plan data and trends and develop recurring and ad hoc reporting for management.
• Identify opportunities to enhance plan administration, controls, and efficiency.
• Assist with employee and retiree retirement plan communications and SPDs.

Skills

Advanced Excel

Data analysis

Communication

Attention to detail

Project management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in related field

Tools

Workday

Job description

Energy Transfer, recognized by Forbes as one of America’s best large employers, is dedicated to responsibly and safely delivering America’s energy. We are driven to inspire our employees to create superior value for our customers, our investors, a sustainable future and giving back to the community where we have long-standing commitments to causes including MD Anderson Children’s Cancer Hospital, The Salvation Army, The American Red Cross, Ronald McDonald House and many more.

We value all of our employees who make our growth and success possible. We are proud to offer industry leading compensation, comprehensive benefits, 401(k) match with additional profit sharing, PTO and abundant career opportunities. Come join our award winning over 13,000 strong organization as we fuel the world and each other.

Summary

The Senior Analyst of 401(k) Administration & Retirement Planning is responsible for design, administration, compliance, governance, and ongoing enhancement of the Company’s qualified and non-qualified retirement programs, with primary responsibility for the 401(k) Plan and profit-sharing arrangements. The ideal candidate brings significant 401(k) administration experience, strong analytical and problem-solving skills, sound judgment, and the ability to communicate complex retirement plan concepts clearly to employees at all levels.

Key Responsibilities

• Administer and support the Company’s defined contribution retirement programs, including the 401(k) Plan and profit-sharing plans, in accordance with plan documents and applicable legal and regulatory requirements.
• Ensure retirement plans are administered in compliance with ERISA, the Internal Revenue Code, IRS and U.S. Department of Labor requirements, and other applicable federal, state, and local regulations.
• Coordinate closely with Payroll and HRIS to ensure accurate integration of retirement plan data with employee wages, compensation, eligibility, deductions, and employer contributions.
• Assist with reconciliation of payroll deductions, employer contributions, plan funding requirements, and participation data.
• Review weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual reports, interfaces, and exception files to confirm enrollments, deferral elections, eligibility, contributions, and participant transactions are processed accurately and in accordance with plan provisions.
• Support Workday implementation and optimization for retirement planning function.
• Monitor participant eligibility and calculate or validate 401(k) and profit-sharing entry dates, as required, based on applicable plan provisions and employee data.
• Support administration of the Company’s executive non-qualified deferred compensation plan, including elections, contributions, distributions, participant inquiries, data validation, and vendor coordination.
• Coordinate and support preparation of the annual Form 5500 filing, schedules, required disclosures and notices, and responses to related information requests.
• Analyze plan data and trends, including participation, deferral rates, contribution levels, utilization, demographics, transaction activity, and other plan metrics; develop recurring and ad hoc reporting for management.
• Identify opportunities to enhance plan administration, controls, employee experience, communications, automation, data quality, and operational efficiency.
• Assist with employee and retiree retirement plan communications, education materials, SPDs, required notices, and other plan-related content.

Perform special projects, analyses, and other retirement plan responsibilities as assigned.

Requirements

Education and/or Experience, Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• 5+ years of progressively responsible experience administering large and/or complex 401(k) plans.
• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Finance, Accounting, Business, or a related field.
• Strong working knowledge of ERISA, the Internal Revenue Code, IRS and DOL requirements, and regulations applicable to qualified defined contribution retirement plans.
• Demonstrated experience with 401(k) plan operations, compliance testing, payroll and contribution reconciliations, participant eligibility, and recordkeeper or third-party administrator coordination.
• Strong analytical and creative problem-solving skills, with the ability to independently investigate complex issues, identify root causes, evaluate alternatives, and drive issues to resolution.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain complex retirement plan provisions and technical concepts clearly to employees, leaders, and business partners at all levels.
• Detailed oriented and demonstrated commitment to completing assigned responsibilities with a high level of accuracy and timeliness.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Excel and strong proficiency with Microsoft Office applications; experience working with large data sets, reconciliations, lookups, pivot tables, and data analysis.
• Strong attention to detail and demonstrated commitment to completing responsibilities with a high level of accuracy, timeliness, and documentation.
• Ability to effectively prioritize competing tasks and manage multiple projects simultaneously while maintaining quality and meeting deadlines.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment and discretion when handling sensitive, confidential, and personally identifiable information.

Required experience is commensurate with the selected job level

• The Specialist/Analyst level requires a Bachelor’s degree and 2-5 years of relevant job related experience
• The Senior Specialist/Analyst level requires a Bachelor’s degree and 5-8 years of relevant job related experience
• The Lead Specialist/Analyst level requires a Bachelor’s degree and 8+ years of relevant job related experience

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Finance, Accounting, Business, or a related field.
• Workday experience.
• Experience supporting non-qualified deferred compensation plans.
• Experience with retirement plan audits, Form 5500 preparation, plan governance, and operational correction processes.

Experience in a large, multi-entity, or complex payroll and HRIS environment.

Working Conditions

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.

• Usually, normal office working conditions.
• Must be able to remain in a stationary position 50% of the time due to prolonged periods of sitting or standing.
• Occasional overnight travel may be required.
• Occasional visits to industrial/manufacturing settings, which may include exposure to various materials and chemicals, as well as extreme temperature conditions and loud machinery, and require appropriate personal protective equipment.