Administrative Assistant

We are looking for an Administrative Assistant to support pension benefit operations for participants and beneficiaries in California. This contract-to-permanent position is well suited for someone who can balance analytical work, clear communication, and careful record management while handling a variety of retirement plan matters. The ideal candidate will contribute to benefit processing, participant support, payment administration, and cross-functional coordination with a high degree of accuracy and consistency.

Responsibilities:

• Administer pension benefit applications from initial intake through final review, ensuring required documentation is complete and accurately recorded.
• Meet with plan participants and beneficiaries to explain available benefits, eligibility provisions, and plan guidelines in a clear and thorough manner.
• Establish and verify electronic payment arrangements for recurring benefit distributions and investigate rejected transactions with financial institutions when needed.
• Examine annual account and benefit reports to identify payable amounts, confirm status changes, and support timely distribution decisions.
• Partner with internal teams to address issues affecting benefit payments, including contribution adjustments, eligibility-related deductions, and beneficiary updates.
• Respond to participant inquiries involving missing information, lost payments, and related follow-up actions, including coordinating reissuance requests when appropriate.
• Perform benefit-related calculations such as annual post-retirement amounts and track time-sensitive payment periods, including beneficiary expiration timelines.
• Draft and prepare written communications such as value summaries, benefit confirmations, and other pension-related correspondence, while organizing records for scanning and file maintenance.
• Review and reconcile tax reporting records, including 1099-R documentation, to support accurate year-end reporting and compliance.
• Maintain dependable attendance, follow supervisory guidance, and contribute to additional administrative and pension support activities as assigned.
• Bachelor’s degree preferred, along with 1-3 years of experience in financial services, benefits administration, or pension operations.
• Working knowledge of defined benefit and defined contribution plans, with Taft-Hartley plan exposure strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to manage pension administration tasks with accuracy, discretion, and strong attention to detail.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to explain complex benefit information to participants and beneficiaries.
• Solid mathematical, analytical, and problem-solving skills for reviewing reports, calculating benefits, and resolving discrepancies.
• Ability to organize multiple priorities, follow through on deadlines, and work effectively both independently and as part of a team.
• Strong attention to detail and the ability to collaborate productively with employees, vendors, consultants, and stakeholders at all levels.