Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Registered Plans Administrator

🎯 Role Definition

As a Registered Plans Administrator you will manage day‑to‑day administration and governance for employer-sponsored and member-funded registered plans (defined contribution and defined benefit where applicable). You are the operational lead for contributions and remittances, recordkeeping, regulatory filings and participant communications, and you work closely with payroll, benefits, plan sponsors, actuaries and investment teams to ensure compliant, timely and accurate plan delivery. This role demands deep knowledge of registered plan legislation (Income Tax Act, CRA guidance and relevant provincial pension legislation), exceptional attention to detail, and proven experience with pension administration systems and year‑end tax reporting.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Benefits Coordinator / Benefits Administrator
Payroll Specialist with pension experience
HR Generalist supporting retirement plans

Advancement To:

Senior Registered Plans Administrator
Pension Plan Manager / Benefits Manager
Retirement Services Manager or Client Solutions Lead

Lateral Moves:

Benefits Consulting Analyst
Pensions Compliance or Governance Specialist

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Administer full lifecycle of registered plans including enrolment, contribution processing, vesting, transfers, terminations, retirements and lump‑sum payouts, ensuring all transactions adhere to the plan text and regulatory rules.
Calculate, validate and process employee and employer contributions, catch‑up contributions, voluntary and mandatory transfers, and special remittances in coordination with payroll and finance teams.
Prepare, review and file statutory and year‑end reports and tax forms (e.g., T4RSP, T4A, NR4 where applicable; RRSP/TFSAs reporting requirements) and execute required CRA and provincial pension filings on time.
Maintain and reconcile plan member records and ledger balances daily — investigate and resolve discrepancies between administration system, custodian/trust records and payroll source systems.
Coordinate benefit calculations and retirement estimates (commuted values, pension projections, option calculations) for plan members and support ad‑hoc pension quotes and retirement modelling requests.
Manage plan data migrations, onboarding of new plans and system configurations for new client plan designs while ensuring data integrity and documentation of change controls.
Support defined benefit and defined contribution plan administration by preparing member statements, annual statement production and distribution, including printing and secure delivery where required.
Act as primary contact for plan members for inquiries regarding contribution options, vesting, beneficiary designations, portability and retroactive corrections; deliver clear, compliant member communications.
Liaise with external vendors (custodians, recordkeepers, payroll providers, investment managers, actuaries, legal counsel, auditors) to coordinate reconciliations, monthly reporting and operational deliverables.
Support actuarial and consulting teams by preparing census and financial data for valuations, benefit audits and plan design change analyses.
Monitor and implement plan amendments, policy updates and plan text changes — assess operational impacts, update procedures and communicate change to stakeholders.
Execute daily and monthly reconciliations between administration platform, trust/custodian records and general ledger; prepare reconciliation schedules and variance explanations for Finance.
Manage contribution remittance schedules and ensure timely remittance and reconciliation of employer/employee contributions to the trust/custodian.
Prepare and manage documentation for regulatory examinations and third‑party audits, including retention of plan documentation, meeting minutes, investment policy statements and governance artifacts.
Maintain detailed standard operating procedures (SOPs), work instructions and runbooks for plan administration processes and ensure knowledge transfer across the team.
Develop and deliver member and sponsor training materials and presentations on plan provisions, retirement readiness, contribution rules and investment options.
Investigate and resolve complex plan issues such as retroactive adjustments, corrective contribution strategies, lost members and uncashed cheques, applying best practices for corrective action and compliance.
Monitor legislative and regulatory changes affecting registered plans and update internal compliance checklists, workflows and communications to reflect new requirements.
Oversee beneficiary designation processes and support estate and survivor benefit calculations in line with plan text and applicable law.
Drive continuous improvement initiatives, automation of manual processes (spreadsheets to system workflows), and upgrades to administration platforms to enhance data accuracy and service levels.
Support plan governance and committee meetings by preparing reports, minutes, compliance dashboards and action logs, and by following up on committee directives.
Respond to and resolve escalated sponsor service issues, client complaints and SLA exceptions, documenting root causes and corrective action plans.
Maintain strict confidentiality and security of member and plan data, ensuring compliance with privacy legislation and internal information security policies.

Secondary Functions

Support ad‑hoc reporting and management information requests, design templates and automate recurring reports for sponsors and internal leadership.
Participate in cross‑functional projects (system upgrades, integrations, M&A plan conversions) providing administration expertise to ensure successful delivery.
Conduct periodic file and process audits to identify data quality gaps and implement remediation plans, including back‑routing data corrections and reconciliation sweeps.
Assist in pricing and scoping new plan implementations, preparing operational impact assessments and resource estimates for proposals.
Mentor junior administrators, provide on‑the‑job training and contribute to hiring, onboarding and performance reviews for the administration team.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Deep working knowledge of registered plan rules (Income Tax Act, CRA guidance and relevant provincial pension legislation) and practical application to RRSPs, RPPs, TFSAs and other registered arrangements.
Proven experience with pension/registered plan administration systems (e.g., PensionsPro, PensionGold, Adminisource, SunGard/SS&C, PeopleSoft Benefits or comparable recordkeeping platforms).
Advanced Microsoft Excel skills (pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, INDEX/MATCH, Power Query), plus experience with data cleanup and spreadsheet automation (VBA a plus).
Experience with data reconciliation techniques, GL reconciliation, trust/custodian reconciliation and transaction lifecycle management.
Strong experience preparing year‑end tax reporting and statutory filings (T4RSP, T4A and other jurisdictional forms) and coordinating with payroll and tax advisors.
Familiarity with actuarial data requirements, valuation data packs and the preparation of census files for actuarial valuations.
Competence in using CRM/ticketing systems and MS Office suite to manage member and sponsor communications and case tracking.
Basic SQL or data query experience and comfort extracting and validating data for reporting and reconciliation.
Knowledge of investment operations, unit pricing flows and the operational interface between recordkeepers and custodians.
Experience supporting audits and regulatory reviews, preparing workpapers, reconciliation schedules and evidence for auditors.
Experience implementing plan design changes, performing impact analysis and updating administrative configuration and procedures.
Understanding of privacy laws, data security practices and experience handling confidential financial records.

Soft Skills

Exceptional attention to detail and high degree of accuracy when processing financial transactions and regulatory filings.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills for clear member letters, sponsor reporting and cross‑functional collaboration.
Strong customer service orientation with empathy and the ability to explain technical pension concepts in plain language.
Analytical problem‑solving skills with the ability to investigate root cause and recommend sustainable corrective actions.
Time management and organizational ability to prioritize high‑volume daily tasks while meeting strict periodic deadlines (payroll runs, remittances, year‑end).
Collaborative team player who builds relationships across payroll, finance, legal, actuarial and investment teams.
Project management capabilities to lead small to medium operational projects and system configuration changes.
Adaptability and resilience in a changing regulatory and technical environment, with a continuous improvement mindset.
Professional judgment, discretion and commitment to confidentiality and ethical handling of member data.
Stakeholder management skills, including negotiating timelines and clarifying scope with plan sponsors and external vendors.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, Human Resources or a related discipline; or equivalent professional experience.

Preferred Education:

Post‑graduate certificate or diploma in pension administration, benefits management or payroll/pensions compliance.
Professional designations such as a pension/plan administration certificate (e.g., Registered Pension Plan Administrator designation, Pension Administration Certificate, CPFA or equivalent) are an asset.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Finance / Accounting
Human Resources / Benefits Administration
Business Administration / Actuarial Science

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

3–7 years of progressive experience in registered plan administration, benefits operations or pension recordkeeping; experience across both defined contribution and defined benefit plans is advantageous.

Preferred:

5+ years of hands‑on registered plan administration experience with demonstrated success in year‑end reporting, regulatory compliance, vendor management and complex transaction processing. Experience with plan conversions, pension valuations support and audit participation is strongly preferred.