Deputy Director - job 2 of 27

Applicants must either be eligible to be appointed into the title of Administrative Retirement Benefits Specialist or have a permanent comparable civil service title.

The New York City Employees’ Retirement System (NYCERS) was founded by the New York State Legislature in 1920 with 13,331 members. Today, NYCERS has grown into one of the largest municipal public employee retirement systems in the United States with nearly 375,000 active/vested members, retirees and beneficiaries. NYCERS is a defined benefit retirement plan and a cost-sharing, multiple employer public employee retirement system. We are looking for individuals with passion, dedication and commitment to excellence and innovation who are interested in adding to our dynamic and collaborative work environment. Working for the City of New York, you will receive excellent benefits, including healthcare, vision benefits, dental benefits, as well as the opportunity to participate in the City’s retirement plan. NYCERS offers a hybrid work environment with partial onsite work and partial telework.

Job Description:

The New York City Employees’ Retirement System’s Retirement and Pension Benefits (RPB) Division, seeks a Deputy Director for the Retirement Benefit Unit. Under the direction of the Director, the Deputy will oversee various operational, administrative, and programmatic functions in the Division. This includes but not limited to collaborating with senior leadership to develop and implement strategic planning, performance management and measurement, change management, process improvement, management of day-to-day operations, recruiting, training, and leadership. In addition, ensuring clear and effective communication is made within the organization and with external parties. NYCERS is currently in Phase 2 of a Legacy Replacement Project, which will replace the current mainframe operating system. As these Phases are deployed, the role and responsibilities will shift as the Division is reorganized to maximize the functions and efficiencies provided by the new system.

Success in the role will require:

- Strong leadership
- Ability to manage resources
- Keen focus on overall client experience
- Commitment to NYCERS mission
- Ensuring the Division has measurable goals, clear SLAs and detailed plans to achieve and maintain service levels
- Driving continuous process improvement and automation activities across the Division
- Conveying information, ideas, and expectations clearly and efficiently, fostering collaboration, engagement, strong relationships, trust, and productivity within their teams. Understanding what your Director wants to achieve and creating effective lines of communication with your director to help them achieve those goals. Communicating the progress of your team and your work so they are aware of the direction and progress of the Division. Providing your expertise and judgment to your director to help them be more effective in their role.
- Facilitate collaboration within the Division and with other internal and external stakeholders. Maintain strong relationships with NYCERS’ external stakeholders and partners such as NYC Health and Hospitals, MTA, NYC OPA-FISA, and other City agencies.
- Navigate and facilitate organizational transitions through to the adoption of new initiatives, processes, or strategies. Successful change management requires leaders to understand the dynamics of change, engage and motivate their teams, and overcome resistance. Demonstrate strong leadership during the change process by setting expectations, inspiring others, and modeling the desired behaviors. Actively manage resistance and proactively address issues.
- Allocate the necessary resources to support the change effort, including identifying staff, needed technology or tools, challenges and highlighting and mitigating potential issues. Focus on building and developing high-performing teams, identifying individual strengths, providing opportunities for growth, and fostering a collaborative and supportive work environment that encourages innovation and continuous improvement.
- Effectively evaluate, track, and improve the performance of individuals, teams, and the organization. The ability to set clear objectives, monitor progress, provide feedback, and facilitate growth to optimize individual and team performance.
- Develop comprehensive performance plans that outline objectives, strategies, and action steps to achieve desired outcomes for each team. These plans should consider the organization's overall strategy and steps to achieve success. Conduct in-depth analysis of performance data to identify trends, patterns, and areas for improvement or to highlight and share successes. Utilize analysis and data to make informed decisions, adjust strategies if necessary, and allocate resources effectively.
- Approach complex situations, gather and analyze information, identify patterns and trends, delegate decision making, and develop effective solutions. Make informed decisions, address challenges, and drive organizational success. Conduct strategic analysis, considering long-term goals to identify emerging opportunities, risks, and challenges for the organization. Encourage innovative thinking and creative problem-solving approaches. Lead by example to foster an environment that supports experimentation, exploration of new ideas, and alternative solutions.

Required Experience
- Minimum of two years in the capacity of a manager where responsibilities included direct reports in managerial and/or supervisory positions.
- Prior experience in Benefits Administration/Operations, including defined benefit retirement plan administration or relevant related experience.

About the Retirement and Pension Benefits Division:

The Retirement and Pension Division consists of two distinct units, Retirement Benefits and Pensions Benefits. In addition to the Division Director, there are two Deputies who oversees each of these units. The Retirement Benefit Units focuses on the retirement process and calculations that determines the benefit that will be paid to a retiree. The Pension Benefit Units focuses on the disbursements of the retirement allowance to pensioners and/or beneficiaries at retirement or upon their death.

Retirement Benefits Unit is comprised of seven (7) sub- units that the new Deputy Director will oversee. They are as follows:

-Estimated Benefits
The Estimated Benefits (ESTBN) sub-unit is distinct from the other sub-units within Retirement Benefits in that it provides estimated retirement benefits information exclusively to eligible active members on an annual basis.
Estimated Benefits Letters are sent to members starting the year in which they first become eligible for service retirement based on their tier and plan. Letters are subsequently mailed to members each year until they retire.


-Retirement Eligibility & Vesting
The Retirement Eligibility (RETEL) sub-Unit is responsible for the first phase in the retirement process. RETEL determines eligibility of members who file for service retirement and processes Advance Payments (APs) for service and vested retirees as well as for applicants that have been approved for disability retirement.

Retirement Calculation
Retirement Calculation (RETCAL) is the second area within Retirement Benefits that continues with the processing of retirement cases. RETCAL determines compensation bases for all retirements (service, vested, disability and death) using salaries earned during a defined period of time such as the last year, or a three (3) year average or a five (5) year average depending on a member’s tier and plan.

-Edit and Annuity
The Edit & Annuity (EDANN) Sub-unit is responsible for the processing steps in the third phase of the retirement process which is to produce option letters. EDANN reviews for quality control purposes, data (member and beneficiary birth information, plan, retirement date) that was entered into the system earlier in the retirement process.
This area is also responsible for ensuring that Member Contribution Accumulation Funds (MCAF) and Retirement Reserve Funds (RRF) are fully paid at retirement, or otherwise handled in accordance with current procedures before producing option letters.

-Benefit Certification
The Benefit Certification sub-unit is the final check point in the retirement process, which involves a thorough review of entire case before option letters are mailed to retirees.

-Option Selection
The Option Selection sub-unit performs the final function in the retirement process, before cases are transferred to the Pension Payroll sub-unit of the Pension Benefits Unit for finalization of retirement allowance. The Option Selection sub-unit reviews option selection forms, beneficiary vital records and other related documents submitted by retirees.

-Revisions
At the Revision stage, every case is reviewed to verify the accuracy of retirement allowances being paid to retirees. This process occurs several months after the pension allowance is finalized. In many cases, the retirement allowance is changed due to retroactive contractual increases in salaries or overtime payments, cancelled checks subsequent to the retirement process, changes in laws, procedures or legal settlements.

ADMINISTRATIVE RETIREMENT BENE - 82986

1. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university including or supplemented by 12 credits in mathematics, statistics, accounting, and/or actuarial science and four years of satisfactory full-time experience implementing the provisions of a retirement plan involving the use of mathematical, statistical, actuarial or accounting computations, 18 months of which must have been in an administrative, managerial or executive capacity or supervising professionals implementing the provisions of a retirement plan involving the use of mathematical, statistical, actuarial or accounting computations; or

2. An associate degree or 60 credits from an accredited college or university, including or supplemented by 12 credits in mathematics, statistics, accounting and/or actuarial science and six years of satisfactory full-time experience as indicated in “1”; or

3. Education and/or experience equivalent to “1” or “2” above. However, all candidates must have 60 credits from an accredited college or university, including or supplemented by 12 credits in mathematics, statistics, accounting and/or actuarial science and the 18 months of experience in a supervisory, administrative, managerial or executive capacity as described in “1” above.

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.