Senior Pension and Benefits Specialist
CSA Group · Toronto · CA$100,890–CA$132,416 (stated in the posting)
Employment Status:
RegularTime Type:
Full timeBUILDING A WORLD CLASS TEAM STARTS WITH YOU
At the heart of CSA Group is a vision: making the world a better, safer, more sustainable place. It's been part of our mission for nearly one hundred years: from the first engineering standard for railway bridges developed in 1919, to more than 3,500 standards, codes & related products today.
Headquartered in Canada, with a global footprint of more than 30 labs and offices across Europe, Asia and North America, CSA Group tests, inspects and certifies a wide range of products - from every day househould items to leading edge technology-to meet exacting requirements for safety, performance and environmental impact.
Our employees take pride in making a difference in people's lives through the work that we do. We're looking for people like you to help make it happen.
Job Summary:
CSA Group has an opportunity for a Senior Pension and Benefits Specialist based in Toronto. This role is responsible for supporting the effective delivery, administration and governance of pension, benefits and wellbeing programs, with a primary focus on Canada and support for global Total Rewards initiatives.
The Senior Pension and Benefits Specialist will serve as a subject matter expert on pension and benefits programs, supporting plan governance, regulatory compliance, vendor management, benchmarking, financial management, employee communications and ongoing program improvement. The successful candidate will work closely with internal stakeholders and external service providers to ensure programs are administered effectively, remain competitive and support CSA Group’s broader Total Rewards strategy.
This position offers significant exposure to pension and benefits strategy and governance, as well as the opportunity to work with a range of global service providers and internal stakeholders.
Principal Duties & Responsibilities
- Manages the day-to-day administration and delivery of pension, retirement, benefits and wellbeing programs, including medical, dental, disability, life and AD&D insurance and other employee programs.
- Supports the governance and administration of pension and retirement programs, including enrolments, beneficiary changes, terminations, retirements, deaths and other member events, as applicable.
- Supports pension governance activities, including coordination of pension committee meetings, preparation of agendas and minutes, maintenance of governance documentation and follow-up on action items.
- Monitors legislative, regulatory and market developments affecting pension and benefits programs and assesses their potential impact on existing plans and practices.
- Supports regulatory compliance activities, required filings and maintenance of pension and benefit plan documentation.
- Coordinates annual benefit renewals, including analysis of financial and utilization data, review of proposed rates and plan changes, development of employee communications and implementation of approved changes.
- Works closely with external pension, benefits, actuarial, investment, insurance and other service providers to support effective program administration and resolve operational issues.
- Supports benchmarking and competitive analysis of pension and benefits programs and identifies opportunities to enhance plan design, employee experience, operational effectiveness and cost management.
- Supports the development and monitoring of annual pension and benefits budgets, including analysis of program costs, forecasts and variances.
- Performs regular audits and reconciliations between HRIS, payroll and vendor records to help ensure data integrity and accurate administration.
- Serves as a key point of contact for employees, former employees and internal HR stakeholders on pension and benefits matters, providing clear interpretation of plan provisions, policies and processes.
- Develops and supports employee communications, education sessions and other initiatives designed to improve employee understanding of pension and benefits programs.
- Partners with Total Rewards, HR, Payroll, Finance, Legal, Procurement and other stakeholders to support pension and benefits initiatives.
- Supports vendor contract management, service reviews and renewals in collaboration with Procurement and other internal stakeholders.
- Identifies and recommends opportunities to improve pension and benefits processes, controls, employee experience and administration.
- Supports broader Total Rewards projects and initiatives in Canada and globally, as required.
Preferred Education & Experience
- Post-secondary education in Human Resources, Business, Finance or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Professional designation or education related to pension, benefits or Human Resources, such as CEBS, CEB, CBP or equivalent, completed or in progress, is preferred.
- Minimum 8 years of relevant pension, benefits, Total Rewards or HR experience, including experience administering complex pension and/or benefits programs.
- Strong knowledge of pension and benefits administration, governance practices and applicable legislation and regulatory requirements.
- Experience working with external pension, benefits, actuarial, investment, insurance or other Total Rewards service providers.
- Experience supporting pension plan governance and regulatory activities is an asset.
- Experience with annual benefit renewals, financial analysis, budgeting and benchmarking.
- Working knowledge of Workday is preferred.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with demonstrated attention to detail.
- Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office, particularly Excel.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex pension and benefits information clearly.
- Ability to work independently, manage competing priorities and exercise sound judgment.
- Strong customer service orientation and the ability to build effective relationships with employees, internal stakeholders and external partners.
- High degree of professionalism, discretion and confidentiality.
The typical hiring range for this position is $100,890 - $132,416 CAD gross annually. The actual base pay offered will depend on factors such as education, licenses, certifications and experience. As part of our total rewards offering, permanent employees in this position may be eligible for our annual bonus program, subject to program eligibility requirements.