Retirement Benefits Manager

For more than 70 years, the Motion Picture Industry Pension & Health Plans (MPI) has proudly served the entertainment community by supporting the financial and healthcare well-being of the people who bring stories to life — from set crews to post-production pros.

We’re not just people and benefit specialists; we’re problem-solvers, collaborators, and stewards of trust. Our teams are guided by a simple mission: to improve the lives of those who work in the entertainment industry through accuracy, accountability, and care.

MPI is recognized as a five-time certified Great Place to Work® employer and recipient of the World at Work Seal of Distinction because we believe people do their best work when they’re respected, supported, and inspired.

Role Overview:

MPI has an immediate opportunity for a hands-on, solutions-driven Retirement Benefits Manager to join our Retirement Benefits team in a key leadership role. This position oversees a high-performing group responsible for complex retirement benefits processing, system product management, and delivery of exceptional service to Participants and internal partners.

As a member of the department’s management team, the Retirement Benefits Manager plays a critical role in ensuring operational excellence, process integrity, system accuracy, and continuous improvement. This leader will guide staff through daily operations, oversee monthly pension system product cycles, partner closely with cross-functional teams, and support strategic initiatives that ensure compliance and enhance the participant experience.

We’re looking for a thoughtful, collaborative people leader who brings maturity, sound judgment, and a strong command of retirement benefits principles—including defined benefit and defined contribution plans, ERISA, and regulatory requirements. The ideal candidate is equally comfortable coaching staff, interpreting rules and policies, analyzing data, refining processes, partnering with IT, and leading testing and implementation efforts for system changes.

This position works onsite in Studio City, CA. MPI requires employees to be vaccinated against Covid-19, with exceptions as required by law.

Qualified candidates, please submit your current resume with a cover letter and your compensation requirements for consideration. Submissions will be reviewed; only candidates most closely aligned with the requirements of the position will be contacted.

What You Will Need:

·Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration or related field preferred.

·Minimum of 5+ years of experience in supervisory/management role, people management and leadership, project management and related experience.

·Experience working in a union environment and managing union employees a plus.

·Understanding of Pension & Health Plan benefits, specifically defined benefit and contribution retirement plans, ERISA, IRS and DOL regulations.

·Outstanding verbal, written and presentation skills a must. Excellent grammar, punctuation, spelling and business writing skills required.

·Excellent math, analytical and problem solving skills.

·Taft-Hartley experience preferred.

·Experience working closely with front line operations staff, operations subject matter experts, IT leadership, project managers and developers preferred.

·General understanding of Project Management principles including agile methodologies, backlog prioritization, User Stories and User Acceptance Testing.

·Demonstrated ability to lead projects and manage competing priorities.

·Lean six sigma experience/knowledge preferred.

·Ability to comprehend and explain concepts in easy to understand language.

·Strong attention to detail and analytical skills.

·Intermediate Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Visio, Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

·Ability to work extended hours as required.

·Ability to interact with all levels of the organization.

What You’ll Do:

·Supervise and support a team of employees focused on legal, technical, and specialized retirement benefit functions.

·Foster a collaborative and accountable team culture with a focus on continuous improvement and operational excellence.

·Develop and maintain performance metrics and dashboards to monitor team productivity, system performance, and project outcomes.

·Ensures proper scheduling of staff and coverage, ensures delivery of excellent member services by providing guidance, training and/or development of staff.

·Provides timely performance feedback and guidance to staff, ensures adherence to MPI policies, writes and delivers timely performance evaluations and corrective action as required.

·Facilitate process improvement projects, including creation and maintenance of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and administration of training.

·Oversee monthly product management cycles for the Opus pension system (Sagitec Neospin), ensuring timely and accurate implementation of system enhancements and fixes.

·Provide regular reporting to leadership and contribute to data-driven decision-making.

·Coordinate requirement gathering and documentation in partnership with stakeholders and technical teams.

·Lead robust testing efforts for system changes, ensuring quality assurance and alignment with business needs.

·Manage and prioritize a backlog of system items using Azure DevOps, balancing urgency, impact, and resource availability.

·Lead or support special projects, including those resulting from collective bargaining agreements or regulatory changes.

·Ensure compliance with legal and policy requirements in all aspects of retirement benefits operations.

·Partner with IT, Eligibility, legal, HR, Administration and other departments to ensure seamless execution of initiatives and resolution of complex issues. Partner with IT and other departments to prepare EDD quarterly state filings, annual 1099R IRS filing, supporting reports for 5550 and annual statements of plan participants, or other reports as required.

·Serve as a key point of contact for escalations and strategic planning.

·Flexibly support evolving department needs and contribute to organizational goals as required.

Compensation & Benefits:

The anticipated base salary for this position is $120,000 - $145,000 annually. The actual base salary offered will depend on a variety of factors, including without limitation, the qualifications of the individual applicant for the position, years of relevant experience, level of education attained, certifications or other professional licenses held.

MPI offers a comprehensive benefits package, including free medical, dental, and vision coverage, generous paid time off, retirement benefits, and professional development opportunities.

Local candidates only, relocation assistance is not provided.