Manager, Retirement Plan

Acting as the primary retirement plan expert, this role collaborates across Talent, Payroll, Accounting, Finance, Legal, and external partners to manage plan operations, vendor performance, regulatory requirements, and process improvements. The Manager, Retirement Plan leads the strategy, administration, and governance of the firm's retirement programs, ensuring compliance, operational excellence, and a positive participant experience.

Overview:

Foley & Lardner LLP is a great place to work because of what we do and how we do it. Here, your unique perspectives, experiences, and abilities will be embraced and developed, so you can excel. Being a part of Foley means having the opportunities and resources necessary to gain experience, advance professional goals, and forge meaningful connections. It’s a place where you can build your career and enjoy professionally satisfying work. We have over 2,300 people who are #HappyatFoley, and we think you will be too.

 

The Manager, Retirement Plan leads the strategy, administration, and governance of the firm's retirement programs, ensuring compliance, operational excellence, and a positive participant experience. Acting as the primary retirement plan expert, this role collaborates across Talent, Payroll, Accounting, Finance, Legal, and external partners to manage plan operations, vendor performance, regulatory requirements, and process improvements. The position provides oversight of retirement plan data, reporting, audits, and participant services while supporting broader benefits initiatives and organizational objectives.

Responsibilities:

Retirement Plan Administration

• Serve as the firm's subject matter expert on retirement plans including defined contribution plan, cash balance plan, non-qualified plans
• Partner with actuaries, auditors, legal counsel, and third-party administrators to ensure compliance with ERISA and IRS regulations.
• Assist employees and partners with retirement plan inquiries, education, distributions, retirement transitions, and benefit elections.
• Oversee eligibility, enrollments, contributions, distributions, loans, beneficiary administration, and participant transactions.
• Coordinate funding activities, budgets, compliance testing, audits, Form 5500 filings, and other regulatory reporting.
• Support retirement committee activities, governance processes, plan reviews, and participant communications.
• Develop reporting, metrics, and analyses to support decision-making and program effectiveness.
• Serve as primary contact for retirement vendors, monitoring service delivery and resolving operational issues.
• Ensure accurate retirement plan data is maintained across HRIS, payroll, and external recordkeeping systems.

HRIS, Data Integrity & Process Improvement

• Validate data integrations, payroll deductions, contribution files, and system interfaces
• Support system updates, testing, annual enrollment activities, and vendor implementations.
• Create and maintain process documentation, workflows, and operating procedures.
• Identify and implement opportunities to improve efficiency, automation, reporting, and participant experience.

Benefits Administration Support & Coordination

• Support health and welfare benefit administration, including medical, dental, vision, life, disability, and voluntary plans.
• Assist with enrollments, life event changes, eligibility processing, and employee inquiries.
• Partner with benefits team members and vendors to resolve escalated issues.
• Serve as a backup resource for benefits administration activities and projects.
• Maintain working knowledge of applicable benefits regulations, including ACA, COBRA, and HIPAA.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree required.
• Minimum of eight (8) years of progressive experience administering retirement plans required.
• Proven experience coordinating annual retirement plan cycles, including compliance activities including audits, nondiscrimination testing, regulatory reporting, plan reviews, participant communications and vendor deliverables.
• Experience with health and welfare benefit administration and employee support.

Required Posting Language:

In support of transparency and equity in the workplace, Foley provides salary ranges for all positions. The figures below represent the full compensation range of this position. The actual offered amount will be between the range minimum and midpoint based on the following factors: education, experience, geographic market, and internal pay equity at Foley. #LI-Hybrid 
Milwaukee - $116,900 - $175,400

Chicago, Dallas - $128,600 to $192,900