Retirement Administrator (Alaska Railroad)

Alaska Railroad Corporation Retirement Plan Administrator

Coadministers the Alaska Railroad Corporation retirement programs, including the Corporate Pension Plan, 401(k) Tax Deferred Savings Plans, 457 Deferred Compensation Plan, and Retiree Medical Plan. Interprets plan provisions and applicable requirements; exercises independent judgment in resolving complex participant and administrative matters; recommends changes to policies, procedures, controls, and plan communications; coordinates retirement plan related activities with third party administrators, recordkeepers, actuaries, trustees, investment service providers, and other consultants; interfaces with ARRC's auditors; and disseminates and provides retirement education and counseling to employees and beneficiaries.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Administers participant transactions and complex benefit requests, including normal and disability retirements, refunds, de minimis distributions, Required Minimum Distributions, repurchases of forfeited pension service, reinstatement of forfeited employer matches, beneficiary matters, Qualified Domestic Relations Orders, and military service purchases.
• Serves as an operational liaison with the pension recordkeeper, actuary, auditor, trustee, investment managers, and other service providers.
• Presents New Employee Onboarding providing retirement benefit education for new hires. Provides retirement education and individualized counseling to employees, retirees, and beneficiaries.
• Maintains the retirement administration manual, forms, procedures, employee communications, and intranet content. Tracks required updates for restatements of Retirement Plan Documents and Summary Plan Descriptions.

Factors:

• Technical and Operational Knowledge
• Analytical Skills and Impact
• Supervision and Control
• Communication
• Working Conditions

Minimum Qualifications:

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Accounting, Finance, Public Administration, or a closely related field from an accredited college or university. Progressively responsible retirement or employee-benefits administration experience may substitute for the education requirement on a year-for-year basis.
• Experience: Four (4) years of progressively responsible professional experience administering retirement or employee-benefit plans, including at least two (2) years of direct experience with qualified retirement plans. Required experience must include interpreting plan documents, resolving non-routine participant matters, working with third-party administrators or professional service providers, reconciling or analyzing plan data, and preparing participant or management communications.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Word and Excel and experience using an HRIS, retirement recordkeeping platform, or comparable enterprise system are required.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Direct experience administering both a defined benefit pension plan and defined contribution plans
• Experience with QDRO review and administration, benefit calculations, plan loans, audits, actuarial data requests, trust or recordkeeper reconciliation, and committee or fiduciary governance support.
• A retirement-focused credential such as Certified Employee Benefit Specialist (CEBS), Retirement Plans Associate (RPA), Qualified 401(k) Administrator (QKA), Qualified Pension Administrator (QPA), or comparable credential

Additional Required Information:

Please include any REQUIRED AND DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS in your APPLICANT PROFILE and/or RESUME. If using work experience not already documented in your application, also provide the employer name, your job title, dates of employment and whether full- or part-time. Your application will be closely reviewed to determine if the responses are supported and minimum qualifications are clearly met. If they are not, the applicant will not advance to the interview and selection phase of the recruitment.

Benefits:

Alaska Railroad Corporation Benefits The following briefly describes the main benefits available to regular employees of the Alaska Railroad Corporation. Actual benefits differ by bargaining unit. Retirement Plans ARRC Pension Plan Participation is mandatory. You are automatically enrolled in the Plan when you meet the eligibility requirement of your bargaining unit. Employees contribute 9% of their Earnings on a pre-tax basis. The Railroad is exempt from participation in Social Security; however, Medicare Tax is withheld. Participants vest with 5 years of eligible Vesting Service which entitles one to receive a pension benefit at retirement age. Tier 2 Description (Employees hired after July 1, 2015) Normal Retirement Age is age 65, however, the plan allows one to retire as early as age 60. The formula for a monthly Normal Retirement Benefits is 2% x Final Average Earnings x all Credited Service. Early retirement, survivor and disability benefits are available for vested participants. 401(k) Tax Deferred Savings Plan Participation is optional. You may enroll once you meet the eligibility requirement of your bargaining unit. Depending on the bargaining unit, there may be an employer match. 457 Deferred Compensation Plan Participation is optional for non-represented employees. Insurance and Flexible Spending Plans All plans are optional except the RR Dental Plan for bargaining unit employees. Health Insurance Plan A comprehensive health insurance plan, self-insured by the ARRC and administered by Premera Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alaska. Coverage is also available for the employee's spouse and dependent children. ARRC and the participant share the premium cost. Bargaining unit employees are Eligible after 90 days, and non-represented employees are eligible as of the date of hire. The Railroad offers a Preferred Provider Organization plan (PPO Blue Essentials) and a Consumer Directed Healthcare Plan with a Health Saving Account (Gold Essentials). The Plans have the following features. The Railroad also offers two dental plans. The Railroad National Dental for represented employees. The Alaska Railroad Optional Dental Plan for both represented and non-represented employees. Paid Leave & Holidays Vacation Leave accrual per bi-weekly pay period: Represented Employees 0-3 Years of Service = 4 Hours >3-15 Years of Service = 6 Hours >15 Years of Service = 8 Hours Non-Represented Employees 0-3 Years of Service = 6 Hours >3-15 Years of Service = 8 Hours >15 Years of Service = 10 Hours Sick Leave: accrues at 4 hours (Represented) or 2 hours (Non-Represented) per pay period. 11 Paid holidays For additional information regarding these benefits, please go to