Director, Retirement Benefits - REMOTE

About this role

Who We Are Join a team that puts its People First! Since 1889, First American (NYSE: FAF) has held an unwavering belief in its people. They are passionate about what they do, and we are equally passionate about fostering an environment where all feel welcome, supported, and empowered to be innovative and reach their full potential. Our inclusive, people-first culture has earned our company numerous accolades, including being named to the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For® list for eleven consecutive years. We have also earned awards as a best place to work for women, diversity and LGBTQ+ employees, and have been included on more than 50 regional best places to work lists. First American will always strive to be a great place to work, for all. For more information, please visit www.careers.firstam.com.

What We Do

Position Summary The Director, Retirement Benefits is responsible for the strategic design, governance, administration, compliance, and ongoing optimization of the Company's retirement and financial wellness programs. This role serves as the organization's subject matter expert for defined contribution retirement plans, investment oversight, fiduciary governance, vendor management, and retirement program strategy. The Director partners closely with senior leadership, Finance, Legal, Human Resources, Payroll, and external advisors to ensure retirement programs are competitive, compliant, cost-effective, and aligned with the Company's talent and business objectives.

Reporting to the Vice President, Total Rewards (or equivalent), this role leads retirement plan strategy for a publicly traded organization with approximately $7 billion in annual revenue and significant fiduciary, regulatory, and operational responsibilities.

Key Responsibilities Retirement Strategy & Plan Design • Develop and execute the long-term strategy for the Company's retirement and financial wellness programs. • Evaluate and recommend plan design enhancements that support employee attraction, retention, engagement, and retirement readiness. • Benchmark retirement programs against market practices and emerging industry trends. • Lead analysis of retirement program effectiveness, participation rates, savings outcomes, income replacement, and utilization metrics. • Develop business cases and recommendations for executive leadership and governance committees.

Leadership & Collaboration • Lead and develop retirement benefits team members, as applicable. • Serve as the internal retirement benefits expert and advisor to HR leadership. • Collaborate with Compensation, Payroll, Finance, Legal, Internal Audit, and Communications teams. • Present recommendations and updates to senior leadership and governance committees

Investment Oversight & Fiduciary Governance • Serve as a key member and advisor to the Administrative Benefits Plan Committee and other fiduciary governance bodies. • Partner with investment consultants and advisors to monitor investment performance and plan fund lineups. • Evaluate investment options, target-date funds, managed accounts, brokerage windows, and retirement income solutions. • Support development and maintenance of: • Investment Policy Statements (IPS) • Fiduciary governance frameworks • Committee charters and documentation

• Prepare investment reviews and recommendations for fiduciary committees. • Maintain a strong understanding of capital markets, investment vehicles, fiduciary responsibilities, and retirement industry developments.

Plan Administration & Operations • Oversee administration of the company’s 401(k) plans • Ensure accurate and timely plan operations, payroll integration, contribution processing, participant transactions, and annual compliance testing. • Direct annual plan audits and regulatory reporting activities. • Manage plan amendments, restatements, participant communications, and operational changes.

Compliance & Risk Management • Ensure compliance with: • ERISA • Internal Revenue Code • SECURE Act and related legislation • DOL regulations • IRS requirements

• Partner with Legal and external counsel regarding regulatory changes and fiduciary obligations. • Manage full plan audits, Form 5500 filings, and nondiscrimination testing. • Identify and mitigate operational, fiduciary, and regulatory risks.

Vendor Management • Lead relationships with retirement recordkeepers, trustees, custodians, investment consultants, auditors, actuaries, and other service providers. • Establish vendor performance standards and service-level expectations. • Conduct vendor evaluations, fee benchmarking, and contract negotiations. • Lead RFPs and vendor selection initiatives. • Ensure service providers deliver high-quality participant experiences while maintaining cost efficiency.

Financial Management & Analytics • Manage retirement program budgets and administrative expenses. • Analyze plan costs, fee structures, investment expenses, and utilization trends. • Develop reporting and dashboards for executive leadership and fiduciary committees. • Utilize data analytics to support strategic recommendations and improve participant outcomes.

Employee Education & Financial Wellness • Develop retirement education and financial wellness strategies. • Partner with vendors to deliver effective participant communication campaigns. • Evaluate participant behavior and engagement metrics to improve retirement readiness. • Ensure communications are compliant, effective, and aligned with organizational objectives. • Partner with internal Employee Resource Groups on custom targeted educational programs.

Required Qualifications • Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Finance, Business Administration, Economics, Accounting, or related field. • 10+ years of progressive retirement benefits experience, including significant responsibility for retirement plan design and administration. • 5+ years of leadership experience managing complex retirement programs in a large organization. • Deep expertis

Similar jobs

• Director, Benefits Consulting Practice National Sales (Remote) — Businessolver · Remote
• Senior Financial Analyst - REMOTE — Ryder · Remote
• Director, Retirement Planner - Phoenix, AZ — Fidelity Investments · Phoenix, AZ
• Director - Finance Program & Change Management (Remote) — Stanford Health Care · Remote
• Director of People (Remote) — Gridunity · Remote
• Director - General Accounting (Remote) — Stanford Health Care · Remote
• Director - Financial Reporting & Technical Accounting (Remote) — Stanford Health Care · Remote
• Director, IT Risk and Controls - Remote Position — Sedgwick · Remote