Retirement Benefits Director

Morgan Stanley is a leading global financial services firm providing a wide range of investment banking, securities, investment management and wealth management services. The Firm's employees serve clients worldwide including corporations, governments and individuals in close to 40 countries.

Morgan Stanley is deeply committed to the health & wellbeing of its employees. We believe the Firm is successful when its employees are healthy, engaged and supported. Our Health and Benefits Team is seeking a Retirement Benefits Director  responsible for the day-to-day administration of the Firm’s US 401(k) retirement savings plan and frozen pension plan, along with support for our Canada RRSP, retirement plans in Latin America and global retirement benefits coordination.

Attributes you will bring to the team:

• Analytical Mindset: You use data to inform decisions and continuously look for ways to improve strategy, administration, and outcomes through insight and analysis.
• Flexibility: You thrive in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment, adapt quickly to change, and pivot effectively as business needs evolve.
• Collaboration: You synthesize multiple perspectives, contribute thoughtful viewpoints, and partner effectively across teams and stakeholders.
• Authenticity: You bring your whole self to work and foster an inclusive, open, and supportive team environment.
• Ownership & Accountability: You take pride in delivering accurate, timely outcomes and proactively see issues through to resolution.
• Sound Judgment & Risk Awareness: You apply good judgment in complex situations and appropriately balance employee experience, compliance, and risk management.

Your responsibilities will include:

Plan Administration, Vendor Management & Participant Support

• Manage day-to-day administration of retirement plans, including eligibility, enrollments, contributions, loans, distributions, retirements, QDRO coordination (as applicable), and benefit commencements, ensuring operations align with plan documents and regulatory requirements.
• Serve as day-to-day liaison for retirement plan vendors, monitoring service levels, resolving operational issues, and ensuring timely/accurate deliverables.
• Conceptualize and execute employee communications; Partner with Benefits Communications team to develop employee engagement and education strategy
• Provide high-quality customer service on escalated issues to plan participants

Compliance, Governance & Fiduciary Support

• Support fiduciary governance processes (e.g., retirement plan committee preparation), including agenda management and meeting materials.
• Stay current on regulatory and legislative developments; partner with ERISA counsel and vendors to assess impact and implement required plan and document updates.
• Coordinate required annual compliance activities and regulatory filings, including nondiscrimination testing, Form 5500 filings, SPD development, plan disclosures, and PBGC-related obligations.
• Partner with Payroll and Finance to support timely remittance of participant contributions.
• Participate in internal controls testing (e.g., SOX or equivalent) and support plan audits

Analytics & Financial Oversight

• Analyze plan data and develop KPIs to identify trends, insights and opportunities
• Benchmark plan features relative to market and peers; identify opportunities for plan changes and enhancements
• Support retirement plan budgeting, forecasting and expense monitoring, including recordkeeping, advisory, audit, actuarial, and PBGC-related costs.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution
• 4-7 years of work experience on a corporate benefits team, retirement benefits administrator or consulting firm
• Familiarity with defined benefit and defined contribution plans and working knowledge of core U.S. retirement compliance concepts
• Demonstrated ability to manage vendors and programs
• Strong problem-solving, technical and analytical skills 
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM MORGAN STANLEY:

At Morgan Stanley, we raise, manage and allocate capital for our clients – helping them reach their goals. We do it in a way that’s differentiated – and we’ve done that for 90 years.  Our values - putting clients first, doing the right thing, leading with exceptional ideas, committing to diversity and inclusion, and giving back - aren’t just beliefs, they guide the decisions we make every day to do what's best for our clients, communities and more than 80,000 employees in 1,200 offices across 42 countries. At Morgan Stanley, you’ll find an opportunity to work alongside the best and the brightest, in an environment where you are supported and empowered. Our teams are relentless collaborators and creative thinkers, fueled by their diverse backgrounds and experiences. We are proud to support our employees and their families at every point along their work-life journey, offering some of the most attractive and comprehensive employee benefits and perks in the industry. There’s also ample opportunity to move about the business for those who show passion and grit in their work.

To learn more about our offices across the globe, please copy and paste https://www.morganstanley.com/about-us/global-offices​ into your browser.

Morgan Stanley is an equal opportunity employer committed to building and maintaining a workforce that is diverse in experience and background.  Our recruiting efforts reflect our strong commitment to a culture of inclusion, where individuals are hired, developed, and advanced based on their skills and talents.

Our workforce reflects a broad cross-section of the global communities in which we operate, bringing a variety of backgrounds, talents, perspectives, and experiences.

For more information, please visit: https://www.morganstanley.com/people-opportunities/eeo.