Senior Specialist, Complex Transactions

University Pension Plan

$70K — $95K *
Finance & Insurance
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • College diploma or university degree with 5+ years in data analytics in pension or financial services.
  • 3+ years of experience with various pension plans including defined benefit and contribution plans.
  • Ability to read and interpret pension plan texts effectively.
  • Strong self-diagnosis skills for member data issues.
  • Experience with SQL, PowerBI, Excel VBA, and reporting best practices is beneficial.
  • CEBS or PPAC certification is a plus.
  • Exceptional oral and written communication skills with a client-focused approach.

Responsibilities

  • Deliver top-quality service to members and participating employers.
  • Provide accurate and timely reporting on pension plans.
  • Enhance pension administration with actionable recommendations.
  • Serve as the main contact for member and contribution data inquiries.
  • Guide the team to meet legislative service deadlines.
  • Act as a subject-matter expert for UPP staff members.
  • Engage in peer reviews for transaction cases and ensure compliance with regulations.

Benefits

  • Defined benefit pension plan.
  • Flexible hybrid work model allowing remote work.
  • Paid time off including vacations and wellness days.
  • Work remotely for up to eight weeks a year.
  • Comprehensive group benefits including medical, dental, and vision coverage.
  • Extended mental health service coverage and paramedical services.
  • Support for fertility treatments, paid parental leave, and gender affirmation coverage.
  • Education Assistance program for continuous learning.
Full Job Description
THE ROLE

Reporting to the Manager, Complex Transactions, this is a fantastic opportunity for an experienced Senior Pension Services professional to join a team of high performing professionals to make a great impact.

You will be involved in a variety of activities within Pension Services and provide subject-matter expertise on the UPP and participating universities' prior plans. Your role will include acting as a team lead to reconcile membership pension data and reporting key measures to stakeholders. The role also includes supporting the transactions and payroll team and interacting with the Client Experience team as a subject matter expert.

This role is based in downtown Toronto in a hybrid work environment, allowing employees the flexibility to work remotely and in-office (minimum two days per week in-office).

This posting is for an existing vacancy.

SPECIFIC ACCOUNTABILITIES

Service Delivery
  • Deliver best-in-class service to our members, participating employers and universities.
  • Provide accurate and timely reporting to all stakeholders regarding general and specific provisions of the benefit and pension plans.
  • Recommend improvements to pension administration.
  • Act as a primary contact for queries regarding member data, contribution data captures, and connecting with client Experience Team.
  • Guide team on delivering services with legislation timelines.
  • Act as the primary contact for UPP Staff members.
  • Exhibit an ability to listen, negotiate and communicate goals; share knowledge, experience, and responsibility with the team to achieve the highest standards of professionalism.

Pension Administration
  • Become a subject-matter expert of UPP plan provisions.
  • Prepare and/or coordinate statutory reporting requirements, such as annual member statements, pension adjustments, and quarterly pension adjustment reversals.
  • Peer review transaction cases and payment streams.
  • Assess feasibility of workarounds for system-generated member calculations.
  • Monitor employer transactions, including the collection, recording and reconciliation of contributions and data.
  • Ensure compliance with the pension plan text, all legally prescribed timelines, and internal policies; ensure that all data is accurate and comprehensive.
  • Ensure all benefit payments, including monthly pension payroll, are paid accurately and on time via the trustee.
  • Remain current on pension benefit trends, practices and procedures, and evaluate and recommend adjustments.
  • Other projects and activities, as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE
  • Completed college diploma or university degree with 5+ years of strong data analytics experience in the pension or financial services industry.
  • 3+ years of experience in a broad range of pension plans, including defined benefit, defined contribution and hybrid plans.
  • Experience reading and interpreting pension plan texts and translating provisions to be used operationally.
  • Strong ability to self-diagnose member data issues correctly.
  • Experience coding SQL, Data visualization (PowerBI/Domo), Mail Merge, PowerAutomation, Excel VBA, and Reporting best practices would be an asset.
  • CEBS or PPAC would be an asset.
  • Strong oral and written communication skills and an ability to communicate complex information clearly and at a level appropriate for the member and employer.
  • Professional, client-focused approach to colleagues and assignments.
  • Seeks out experiences that may change perspective or provide an opportunity to learn new things.
  • Ability to organize, set priorities and work independently.

ATTRIBUTES
  • A passion for delivering a great pension experience from enrollment to retirement, with a proven ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships.
  • Good numeric skills to ensure accuracy in calculations of pension entitlements, payments and deductions.
  • High emotional intelligence.
  • Self-motivated, flexible, and adaptable to changing priorities and new challenges.
  • Logical and detail oriented.
  • Strong commitment to innovation and continuous improvement.
  • Ownership mindset.
  • Strong conflict resolution skills to manage complaints and escalations from members and employers.
  • Excellent judgment and clear and precise communication skills, including a high degree of diplomacy and confidentiality with the ability to adapt communication style to the audience.

EXPECTED COMPENSATION

The expected compensation for this role is an annualized base salary in the range of $70,800 to $95,800.This range reflects the expected range for new hire base salaries and is subject to change and may be modified in the future.

You may also be eligible for a variable incentive depending on organizational, divisional and personal performance. The final total compensation offered will vary depending on your skills, experience and other factors.

LIFE AT UPP

Do work that matters. We are duty-bound to serve our members' interests, and it's a responsibility we don't take lightly. That's why we've ingrained sustainability in our work from day one-to ensure our members have a resilient future to retire into, both today and for generations to come.

Stronger together. Collaboration is how UPP was born, and it's how we work with each other and our partners day in, day out. No one at UPP is just a number (even if they are excellent at math) and every win is a shared win.

Grow every day. You'll have the opportunity to work on unique, once-in-a-career projects that maximize your skill set and probably teach you some new ones-at any stage in your career.

Prioritize wellness. At UPP, wellness takes many forms. Ultimately, it's about ensuring our people are cared for in the ways that matter to them. Check out some highlights of our inclusive employee-focused benefits program including:
  • Defined benefit pension plan
  • Flexible hybrid work model
  • Paid time off - vacations, personal days and wellness days
  • Work remotely up to eight weeks/year
  • Comprehensive group benefits including medical, dental, vision, etc.
  • Extended paramedical and mental health service coverage
  • Health care and lifestyle spending accounts
  • Fertility treatments, paid parental leave, and gender affirmation coverage
  • Education Assistance program

This posting will remain open for a minimum of seven (7) days and will remain open until a sufficient number of qualified applications are received or finalist candidates have been identified.

Artificial intelligence (AI) tools may be used to support certain stages of the recruitment process, including sourcing, screening, and assessment. All hiring decisions involve human review and intervention by UPP employees.

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