Senior Manager, Retirement Benefits

Job description

Experience GuideStone! We are an innovative organization that invests in the spiritual, relational, financial, physical and professional development of our employees. We have a culture that values excellence, teamwork, humility, integrity, compassion and stewardship. What We Offer You! We offer employees a generous benefits package, flexible work schedules, the opportunity to be involved in community outreach and tuition reimbursement. The Senior Manager, Retirement Benefits provides strategic leadership and enterprise accountability for the Retirement Benefits function within Retirement Operations. This role establishes departmental strategy, operating priorities, controls, and service standards to ensure accurate, timely, compliant, and high-quality administration of retirement plan benefits and participant loans. The Senior Manager oversees outcomes related to withdrawals, loans, retirement income, disability income, required minimum distributions, and survivor benefits; ensures compliance with applicable IRS and DOL regulations; mitigates regulatory and financial risk; and develops managers and team specialists through coaching, training, and mentoring. In partnership with senior leadership and cross-functional stakeholders, this role translates enterprise strategy into actionable priorities that support operational excellence. We serve those that serve the Lord with the integrity of our hearts and the skillfulness of our hands (Psalm 78:72). What You'll Do: Strategic & Operational Leadership: Establish the vision, strategy, operating priorities, and performance expectations for the Benefits Department in alignment with Retirement Operations and enterprise objectives. Partner with the Director of Retirement Operations and senior leaders to translate enterprise initiatives into actionable departmental plans. Oversee accurate, timely, and compliant delivery of withdrawals, loans, retirement income, disability income, required minimum distributions, survivor benefits, and related services across multiple plan types. Prioritize, assign, delegate, and monitor work to ensure production, quality, service, and risk management standards are achieved. People Leadership & Talent Development: Lead, develop, and support managers and team specialists through coaching, mentoring, training, performance management, and career development. Conduct goal-setting discussions, quarterly and annual performance reviews, and provide input on promotions, merit recommendations, and leadership readiness. Compliance, Governance & Risk Management: Own departmental compliance related to IRS regulations and DOL requirements governing benefit payments, loans, distributions, and survivor benefits. Maintain governance frameworks, controls, escalation paths, audit-ready processes, and accuracy monitoring for high-volume, high-risk transactions. Oversee audits, automated controls, error remediation, root-cause analysis, and stakeholder communication. Member Experience & Escalation Management: Research and resolve complex escalated member, ministry partner, institutional, executive, benefit, survivor, legal, and system-related matters using advanced expertise, discretion, and judgment. Evaluate service trends and identify training, process, or system improvements that strengthen the member experience and support enterprise service goals. Enterprise Alignment & Cross‑Functional Partnership: Serve as a Benefits subject-matter expert and liaison across Retirement Customer Solutions, GuideStone Advisors, Compliance, Legal, IT, Finance & Accounting, Relationship Management, and other stakeholders. Represent Benefits in cross-functional initiatives and enterprise discussions, balancing departmental priorities with broader organizational needs. Continuous Improvement & Strategic Enablement: Sponsor initiatives that improve scalability, automation, accuracy, sustainability, reporting, and process effectiveness for benefit and loan operations. Use data, reporting, trend analysis, industry insight, and regulatory awareness to guide priorities and prepare the department for evolving needs. Reporting, Projects & Leadership Support: Manage departmental reporting and special projects, including system testing, audits, annuity funding rate calculations, wire requests, Fed prime rate monitoring, and support for Finance & Accounting general ledger balancing. Provide backup leadership support for Director-level responsibilities during absences or as delegated. Additional Responsibilities: Assist current and former GuideStone employees and executives with account questions, distribution requests, and related matters while maintaining confidentiality. Flexibility required, including occasional longer hours and up to 5% annual travel for conferences, workshops, or client site visits. Perform other duties as assigned. What You'll Need: Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree and CEBS or similar industry certification preferred. Minimum 5 years of relevant experience in retirement benefits, retirement operations, financial services, or a related field. Advanced knowledge of employer-sponsored retirement plans, including 403(b), 401(k), defined contribution, defined benefit, GuideStone-specific plans, IRAs, and personal investment accounts. Advanced understanding of tax reporting, distributions, conversions, loan defaults, ministers’ housing allowance, plan documents, policies, procedures, and legal requirements. Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office, retirement recordkeeping systems, and applications used for transaction research, audit, corrections, and adjustments. Strong analytical, problem-solving, decision-making, organizational, and communication skills, with the ability to manage complex work, prioritize deadlines, and resolve high-impact issues. Demonstrated ability to lead, train, mentor, and develop others while working collaboratively across all levels of staff and management. Ability to maintain professionalism under pressure, resolve complaints, provide exceptional service, and adapt effectively in a changing environment. Commitment to process improvement, integrity, confidentiality, teamwork, and the highest standards in handling sensitive GuideStone business and member information. #LI-Hybrid #LI-HM1