Senior Pension Consultant

Venor is proud to partner with the Halifax Regional Municipality Pension Plan (HRM Pension Plan) in their search for a Senior Pension Consultant to join their Plan Member Services team.

The HRM Pension Plan is a busy, growing office responsible for the effective operation of a $3.3+ billion pension fund serving approximately 15,000 plan members. The Plan is a multi-employer defined benefit pension plan with an optional defined contribution component. Reporting to management, the Senior Pension Consultant will work with the Plan Member Services team to provide high-quality pension administration service.

As a Senior Pension Consultant on the Plan Member Services team, your primary responsibility will be to assist the management team, ensuring the accurate and timely processing of all member transactions, such as retirement, termination, death, pension estimates, reciprocal transfers and service purchases; annual year end processing, and overall database management. You will also be responsible for communicating with plan members and beneficiaries on their pension entitlements and providing guidance and training to internal staff.

As the ideal candidate, you have experience in pension administration and can quickly prioritize your day. You are interested in working directly with plan members in a professional and highly regulated industry. You are self-motivated, highly organized, and possess a strong attention to detail. As part of a 24-person office, you must be able to work efficiently and collaboratively in a team environment with minimal supervision and be willing to support other team members as needed.

This position requires confidentiality, excellent communication skills and the ability to work with many stakeholders including Pension Office staff, members of the Pension Committee, service providers, plan members, and Participating Employers. Honesty, integrity and the ability to keep confidential information private are essential requirements for this role.

• Maintain current, thorough knowledge of pension administration best practices, the applicable legislative environment, technology and industry developments
• Assist with supervising the internal Plan Member Services team, including training, development and performance evaluations
• Liaise with regulatory bodies, other pension plan sponsors and administrators, external lawyers, consultants, actuaries, auditors and other relevant parties
• Maintain member pension records, workflow management systems, member self-service and pension calculation tools, procedures, internal standards and controls
• Review calculations, payments, correspondence and database updates for terminations, retirements, death benefits, pension estimates, reciprocal transfers and past service purchases; process and authorize benefit payments
• Ensure the effective flow of documentation for pension-related events, and staff compliance with service standards for member transactions
• Maintain and create pension administration spreadsheets, and prepare presentations to plan member groups about the Plan
• Identify inefficiencies in pension administration processes and recommend improvements
• Assist with the annual year-end data collection process with Participating Employers, annual data review/validation, and preparation/review of Employee Statements
• Perform regular audits and reconciliations to ensure accuracy of benefit payments and pension records
• Provide excellent customer service by responding to escalated plan member requests and questions in a satisfactory and timely manner
• Communicate and meet with plan members, former members and beneficiaries regarding benefit entitlements and processes, and document member calls to support internal audit requirements
• Assi…