What are the responsibilities and job description for the Retirement Plans Specialist position at Baird?
About The Role
As a Retirement Plan Specialist, you will play an integral role in the Private Wealth Management Retirement Plan Solutions Department. You will be responsible for supporting Retirement Plan Consultants in serving corporate 401(k) plans. This position provides technical expertise to support financial advisors, plan sponsor clients, and plan participants. You will also collaborate with various departments and contribute to cross-functional projects and initiatives that support Baird Financial Advisors and their clients.
The Impact You'll Make
As a Retirement Plan Specialist, you will play an integral role in the Private Wealth Management Retirement Plan Solutions Department. You will be responsible for supporting Retirement Plan Consultants in serving corporate 401(k) plans. This position provides technical expertise to support financial advisors, plan sponsor clients, and plan participants. You will also collaborate with various departments and contribute to cross-functional projects and initiatives that support Baird Financial Advisors and their clients.
The Impact You'll Make
- Serve as a subject matter expert on corporate 401(k) plans, including plan design, compliance, fiduciary responsibilities, participant education, and regulatory updates.
- Provide technical support to Financial Advisors and internal departments on issues such as plan eligibility, contribution limits, nondiscrimination testing, plan corrections, and distributions.
- Assist Financial Advisors in evaluating and recommending retirement plan solutions tailored to the needs of corporate clients, including startup plans and plan conversions.
- Generate customized plan sponsor client reports, including benchmarking, investment reviews, and fiduciary documentation.
- Respond to requests for proposals (RFPs) from prospective plan sponsor clients, coordinating with internal teams to deliver competitive and compliant solutions.
- Develop and implement marketing strategies and educational materials to help Financial Advisors grow their corporate retirement plan business.
- Create technical content for external brochures, internal guides, and client-facing resources that support 401(k) plan education and engagement.
- Monitor and communicate legislative and regulatory changes affecting corporate retirement plans, including SECURE Act provisions, DOL guidance, and IRS updates.
- Participate in special projects, including department initiatives and cross-functional efforts that enhance the retirement plan consulting offering.
- Ability to work with a variety of teams and leaders, proving your ability to be flexible and highly adaptable.
- Bachelor’s degree and three to five years of experience working with retirement plans in the financial services industry. IRA technical knowledge a plus.
- SIE and Series 7 license required or ability to become licensed within 12 months.
- Strong customer service orientation.
- Strong oral and written communication skills with internal and external clients.
- Exceptional organizational skills as well as ability to manage multiple tasks efficiently and accurately.
- Ability to grasp complex technical concepts and/or strategy and accurately communicate the concepts to others.
- Must be a self-starter, take initiative and work independently while possessing excellent follow through skills and strong attention to detail. In addition, must have strong coordination skills to work well with other cross-functional teams.
- Ability to act as a team player, assisting others in the department when necessary is very important, all in a collaborative manner.
- Ability to shift focus in a fast-paced and ever-changing environment.