Manager, Payroll Consultant Operations

Your opportunity

At Schwab, you’re empowered to make an impact on your career. Here, innovative thought meets creative problem solving, helping us “challenge the status quo” and transform the finance industry together. 

We believe in the importance of in-office collaboration and fully intend for the selected candidate for this role to work on site in the specified location(s).

Schwab Retirement Plan Services (SRPS) is one of the leading providers of bundled retirement plan services. For mid-to-large companies, Schwab offers full-service retirement plans featuring complete retirement services from a single source. Schwab’s combined expertise in recordkeeping and related services, investment choice and award-winning participant experience and education (including retirement plan advice) and high-end technology helps employers offer competitive employee benefits. As a group we work to unburden our clients in automating procedures and processes to help reduce the clients' time needed to supervise daily administration of their plan.

The Payroll Analysis & Consulting Manager is expected to be a subject matter authority in the flow and impact of data within the recordkeeping system, retirement plan design, and providing in-depth consultative services to SRPS plan sponsors. For Schwab to accurately administer all features of a client's plan accurately & efficiently, we need to ensure we receive accurate data from each plan and/or their 3rd party payroll vendor. This data is typically passed via a recurring payroll feed each pay cycle and contains both financial and demographic information. Getting the ongoing inbound and outbound data feeds established is critical to the success of the plan's administration, as the data housed within these feeds impact everything from account setup to contributions into the plan, clear through to retirement and the participant's ability to disburse funds from the plan. The Payroll Analysis & Consulting Manager’s primary role is to facilitate 180°/360° payroll integration set-ups/modifications for new and existing plan sponsors. In this role, you will have a unique opportunity of working not only with our plan sponsors, but also with a variety of 3rd party payroll vendors to craft, build, test and implement ongoing payroll feeds.

• Serve as a primary point of contact for plan sponsors and third-party payroll vendors, using the most effective communication channel (email and/or phone) to address payroll and integration needs.
• Provide proactive payroll consulting and project management support for new client onboarding, payroll vendor transitions, and file format changes for existing Schwab clients.
• Lead project timeline definition and execution by facilitating recurring touchpoints with clients and vendors to ensure deliverables remain on track and risks are identified early.
• Partner with internal teams and external stakeholders to define payroll data requirements that enhance retirement plan administration, improve operational efficiency, reduce financial risk, and elevate the client experience.
• Design, implement, and support automated inbound and outbound payroll file transmissions between plan sponsors’ payroll providers and Schwab’s 401(k) recordkeeping platforms.
• Manage detailed analysis of audited inbound and outbound payroll test files, collaborating with internal and external partners to research, resolve, and remediate data or processing issues.
• Maintain accurate and comprehensive payroll file specifications and documentation related to integration setups, enhancements, and ongoing changes.
• Prepare and validate recordkeeping systems for new or updated inbound and outbound payroll file integrations to ensure accurate and timely processing.
• Research and resolve complex payroll and data integration issues through root-cause analysis and cross-functional collaboration.
• Execute quality control practices, maintain procedures, and drive process improvements to meet key performance results and consistently exceed client expectations.
• Manage daily workloads effectively by monitoring workflow, prioritizing tasks, and escalating capacity or risk concerns to leadership as needed to meet deadlines and service commitments.

What you have

To ensure that we fulfill our promise of " challenging the status quo " this role has specific qualifications that successful candidates should have. 

Required Qualifications:

• 5-7 years of experience in Qualified Retirement Plan Administration or similar financial industry or payroll related role.
• A Client-First Attitude. At Schwab, we seek to view our business “Through Clients’ Eyes”.
• Ability to multi-task in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment with minimal errors.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, including comfortability presenting to clients and internal departments.
• Ability to exercise good judgment, knowing how and when to call on other resources.
• Challenging the status quo and follow through on new solutions.
• Outstanding time management skills and exceptional interpersonal/analytical skills.
• Track record of excelling in a team-based culture.

Preferred Qualification:

• Ability to develop a collaborative work environment and work independently.
• Creative thought process focusing on continuous process improvement.
• Proven record of influencing others with reasoned debate and dialogue rather than consensus building.
• Acute attention to detail and effective project management skills.
• Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Excel, Word, and OneNote.

In addition to the salary range, this role is eligible for bonus or incentive opportunities.