Special Services Administrator

Base salaries are determined during our interview process, by assessing a candidate’s experience, skills against internal peers and against the scope and responsibilities of the position.

Reports to:  Manager, Special Services     

Job Summary:       The Special Services Administrator plays a critical role in supporting the integrity and compliance of retirement plan distributions, specifically focusing on hardship withdrawal requests.  This role is responsible for reviewing participant-submitted hardship requests to determine if they are in good order (IGO) based on IRS regulations and specific plan provisions.  When requests are not in good order (NIGO), the Administrator clearly identifies deficiencies and outlines what additional information or documentation is needed.  In addition to hardship distributions, this role is also responsible for reviewing and communicating NIGO reasons for other types of distribution requests and for participant/plan-level correction requests that fall within the Special Services team’s scope for various plan correction activities within a qualified 401(k) retirement plan.  The ideal candidate is detail-oriented, organized, and adaptable, with a strong understanding of retirement plan compliance and has a collaborative approach to problem-solving.  This position requires flexibility and a team-focused mindset, as the Administrator may be asked to support other operational functions or shifting priorities based on workload and business needs.

Key Responsibilities:

• Review hardship withdrawal requests and documentation submitted by participants for accuracy, completeness, and compliance with IRS regulations and plan specific rules.
• Determine if requests are in good order (IGO) or not in good order (NIGO) and take appropriate action.
• Clearly identify and document deficiencies in NIGO cases, such as missing forms, incorrect documentation, ineligible hardship reasons, and/or outdated submission dates.
• Communicate clearly and professionally with internal teams, plans sponsors, and/or participants to request missing or corrected documentation.
• Interpret plan documents and special provisions related to hardship distributions, including available withdrawal sources and limitations.
• Maintain accurate records of review activity and correspondence in the case management system (Salesforce and save backup in participant folder)
• Support audits and internal compliance checks by ensuring all review activity is well documented and procedures are followed consistently.
• Stay current with IRS guidelines, including applicable changes to hardship withdrawal rules.
• Assist with process improvements, templates and training resources related to hardship distributions.
• Collaborate with team members and internal departments to resolve complex cases and support efficient processing.
• Assist in maintaining accurate records and documentation for audit and compliance purposes.
• Respond to email inquiries from clients or internal teams regarding the status of requests.
• Adapt to changing priorities and contribute to group efforts to meet deadlines during high-volume periods or special projects.
• Use (and update) Relius to extent necessary to complete distributions
• Work with Administrators and Account Managers when needed to process distributions
• Identify, analyze and process distribution related and other plan corrections, including excess contribution refunds, (402(g), ACP/ADP test failures)
• Missed RMDs and corrective distributions under IRS guidelines
• Reversals or reprocessing of erroneous distributions
• Corrections stemming from plan errors and audit findings

Requirements:

• College degree preferred plus 3-5 years of Retirement and/or Benefits experience preferred
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Knowledge of Excel and other Microsoft applications/software
• Solid understanding of 401(k) plan rules, including IRS hardship distribution guidelines.
• High level of attention to detail with strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work independently while maintaining strong collaboration with peers and client-facing teams.
• Experience reading plan documents and interpreting plan-specific provisions is strongly preferred.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and meet deadlines.
• Comfortable learning new systems and working with data.
• Willingness to learn retirement plan concepts and grow in the role 
• High level of service to internal customers and clients alike
• Relius, Salesforce a plus