Plan Administrator

The Organization

The CFRS was established on April 5, 1947, pursuant to Chapter 926 of the 1947 Session Laws, as amended, of the State of North Carolina, and is officially known as the Charlotte Firefighters’ Retirement System Act (“Act”). The purpose of the System is to provide retirement, disability, and survivor benefits to the uniformed employees of the Fire Department of the City of Charlotte. The System retains a Letter of Determination from the Internal Revenue Service. The System manages approximately $680 million in assets for 1150 Active Members and 980 Retired Members as of 2025.

The administration and responsibility for the proper operation of the System is vested with the System’s 11-member Board of Trustees (“Board”), which is comprised of four Mecklenburg County residents appointed by the Resident Superior Court Judge of Mecklenburg County; the City Manager, who serves by virtue of their position, or some other City department head or employee as designated by the City Manager; the City Finance Director, who serves by virtue of their position, or a deputy finance director as designated by the Finance Director; the City Treasurer who serves by virtue of their position; three Active Member Trustees elected by the Members of the System; and one Retiree Trustee elected by the Retirees of the System.

The Board operationally functions under a committee structure. An Investment Committee and a Benefits Committee are annually appointed by the Chairperson of the Board to monitor, fact-find, and recommend actions for the Board’s consideration. The Board employs the services of various professionals to aid it in its fiduciary responsibility for the effective and prudent management of the System. These professionals include a Plan Administrator who is responsible for the supervision of System staff (3 FTEs) and the administration and coordination of all System operations and activities in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Act and the policies and direction of the Board. The Board engages other professionals and consultants with expertise in related fields for specific services as deemed necessary. For more information about the CFRS, please visit our website at www.charlottefireretire.com.

After a dedicated and rewarding 13 year tenure, the current Administrator is set to retire in October of 2026. CFRS and Korn Ferry are accepting applications from interested candidates who possess the knowledge and ability to carry forward the organization’s commitment of pension administration excellence. This is an incredible opportunity for someone who excels in stakeholder management and thrives in a collaborative environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Carry out the fiduciary obligations and strategic objectives of the Board.
• Prepare Board and Committee meeting materials. Work with Board and Committee Chairs to set meeting agendas. Reviews staff’s drafted minutes.
• Ensure compliance with the Board’s policies and regulations.
• Oversee all day-to-day administration operations of the System, its office and staff. Manage and contribute to the professional development of the System’s staff.
• Accountable for systems administration inclusive of technologies, cyber security, benefit management and records, System’s website, legislative changes, the administration of payroll for the System’s staff, the transfer of active member’s weekly payroll data and process, and the retiree semi-monthly payroll process.
• Oversee the maintenance of the Board’s financial system, accounts, and records, the annual audit, the preparation of the System’s Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, and operating budget. Act as liaison between the City’s Financial & Reporting departments.
• Perform all required activities associated with the System’s investment administration such as contributions, redemptions, rebalancing, and cash flows. Participates in manager reviews and reviews all subscription agreements with legal counsel.
• Work with legal counsel on a broad range of issues including compliance with state and federal regulations, vendor contracts and drafting policies.
• Coordinate a variety of policy and pension plan matters between political leaders, boards and committees. Acts as liaison between the Board and plan Sponsor.
• Manage a variety of administrative, operational, and fiscal issues by analyzing information, evaluating results, and choosing the best approach to short-term and long-term solutions. Includes oversight of the annual valuation process, annual System insurance policies renewals.
• Remain apprised of all policy and regulatory developments as it relates to the System and the pension industry through publications, individual meetings, and seminars and conferences, and incorporate knowledge into policy recommendations or processes.
• Plan, organize, direct, and supervise the work of personnel. Acts as liaison to the City’s Recruitment & Talent Acquisition, Benefits Administration, and Compensation teams.
• Coordinate the annual trustee election process for the active and retired member trustees.
• Oversee the disability application and hearing process. Includes gathering, compiling and reviewing the medical records, engaging the CFRS’ Medical Board, preparing and distributing the materials used in the disability hearing, and monitoring the members’ disability status.
• Act as a skilled change agent and utilize negotiating skills to manage confidential information and navigate sensitive organizational situations.
• Coordinate the creation and distribution of the members’ annual pension statements.
• Design, oversee, and implement continuous process improvement projects to ensure the highest quality service is provided to members and other stakeholders while being cognizant of costs vs benefits. Includes recommendation and testing of updates to the pension administration system.
• Create and distribute RFP and RFQs.
• Create and deliver pension education courses for plan participants.
• Manage all facets of Qualified Domestic Relations Orders including maintaining model language, initial review of Order, submitting Order to third-party vendor for review and approval, education to the member, and serve as subject matter expert in arbitration or court subpoenas.
• Research and respond to Public Records requests.
• Assist Members and Retirees with inquiries and escalated issues.
• Communicate effectively through public speaking and presentations.

The Candidate

Experience and Professional Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with an advanced degree preferred.
• Significant experience (ideally five or more years) in a management capacity, leading a team.
• Experience with a public pension fund, insurance, benefits administration or other complex financial services organization with direct customer-interface is required.
• Prior experience working closely with a Board of Trustees and external stakeholders, to include legislative bodies, members, the media, and general public is preferred.
• Direct knowledge of the legal and regulatory requirements of administering a public retirement benefits organization is required.
• Strong working knowledge of financial accounting systems and reporting requirements, benefit management and records, information technology platforms, applications and utilities.
• Strong qualitative and quantitative analysis skills.
• Proficient in Microsoft Suite of applications.
• Experience with Workday as well as strong vendor management skills.
• Experience working with an external pension administration system is strongly preferred (CBIZ or similar)
• Proficiency in business and technical writing, and strong interpersonal skills.

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