Retirement Plan Consultant

Department: Retirement Plan Services  

Location: Hybrid or Remote 

The Purpose of Your Role:  

The Plan Consultant position offers a retirement plan professional the opportunity to manage a book of clients while supporting their retirement plan administration and recordkeeping needs. This role is grounded in customer service, relationship management, and compliance excellence. As the day-to-day contact for assigned clients, the Plan Consultant is responsible for delivering proactive service, overseeing core recordkeeping and administrative activities, preparing valuation reports, conducting compliance testing, and helping clients navigate the ongoing requirements of their retirement plans with clarity and confidence. 

What You'll Be Responsible For 

Customer Service and Relationship Management 

• Serve as the primary day-to-day contact for an assigned group of clients, delivering proactive, reliable, and relationship-driven service. 

• Build and maintain strong relationships with clients across a range of industries and levels of financial experience. 

• Answer a wide variety of client questions related to retirement plan administration, recordkeeping, and participant activity, including payroll contributions, distributions, investments, audits, and plan reporting. 

• Communicate clearly and effectively with clients, colleagues, and external partners, especially when translating technical retirement plan concepts into practical guidance. 

• Strengthen key relationships through proactive outreach, thoughtful follow-up, and meaningful conversations that support client confidence and long-term retention. 

• Communicate proactively with clients and internal partners by providing clear updates, helpful context, and practical next steps that keep work moving forward. 

Compliance and Plan Administration 

• Perform annual compliance testing and valuations for qualified retirement plans to help ensure adherence to IRS requirements. 

• Conduct and explain testing results, including coverage testing under IRC Section 410(b), general nondiscrimination testing under IRC Section 401(a)(4), ADP and ACP testing under IRC Sections 401(k) and 401(m), compensation ratio testing under IRC Section 414(s), and top-heavy determinations under IRC Section 416. 

• Calculate projected and actual employer contributions, including matching contributions, safe harbor match, profit sharing contributions using pro rata, integrated, and new comparability allocation methods, and self-employed contributions. 

• Review and interpret retirement plan documents, amendments, notices, and summary plan descriptions to support accurate plan administration. 

• Oversee and coordinate recordkeeping and administrative tasks tied to the ongoing service of assigned plans. 

• Ensure timely and accurate completion of annual testing, reporting, and related compliance requirements. 

• Manage multiple priorities and deadlines with strong organization, accountability, and attention to detail. 

Business Contribution and Collaboration 

• Collaborate internally and externally to support the responsible handling of plan assets and the accurate completion of service deliverables. 

• Work closely with other Sentinel departments and external business partners to coordinate deliverables, resolve issues, and support effective client service. 

• Follow through on commitments, communicate status clearly, and demonstrate accountability in support of team initiatives and business priorities. 

• Contribute to the broader business plan by combining high-quality execution with strong relationship management, thoughtful communication, and consistent follow-through. 

About You 

You are a customer-focused consultant who can take the complex world of retirement plan administration and communicate it clearly and effectively to clients. You are detail-oriented, organized, and comfortable managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment. You build trust through responsiveness, sound judgment, and dependable execution. You are flexible, curious, and willing to embrace change in an industry that continues to evolve. 

What You Need to Have 

• At least 3 years of experience working in defined contribution plan administration with a Third Party Administrator focus. 

• Experience supporting a variety of retirement plan types and designs, including 401(k), 403(b), profit sharing, non-qualified, and defined benefit plans. 

• Experience performing retirement plan compliance testing and communicating results to key stakeholders. 

• Intermediate to advanced knowledge of Microsoft Excel, including formulas, and the ability to learn and use different software platforms effectively. 

• Strong analytical, problem-solving, organization, and time-management skills. 

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain technical matters clearly to different audiences. 

• Ability to develop and maintain strong working relationships with colleagues, clients, and external partners. 

• Experience with Relius Administration software preferred. 

• Progress toward the ASPPA Qualified 401(k) Administrator (QKA) designation, or interest in pursuing the credential, is preferred. 

  Salary Range: $65,000-$85,000, depending on experience 
  At  Sentinel, compensation is calibrated to your geographic location to reflect local market conditions; the posted salary range may vary based on where you live. 

What you’ll be part of: 

Joining our company means becoming part of something special. We're driven by a mission to excel in our industry and within our team, supported by people who truly care about our organization. 

Sentinel was recognized by The Boston Globe as a Top Place to Work in 2020, 2023, and 2025. The firm also earned the Top Workplaces USA Award from Energage through 2021-2026. 

At Sentinel, we welcome people from diverse experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives – and we wouldn’t have it any other way. So even if you don’t meet every single requirement, please consider applying if you like what you see. Our priority is to find talented individuals who enrich our team culture, contribute with enthusiasm, and are passionate about what they do. 

Sentinel is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes everyone to our team. If you need reasonable adjustments at any point in the application or interview process, please let us know. 

Some of our Benefits: 

• PTO (vacation, sick, personal time bank) 

• FTO (Flexible time off for vacation, sick, and personal time) after 2 years of service 

• 12 Paid Holidays (10 stated and 2 floating holidays) 

• 2 Community Volunteer Days 

• 5 Summer Half Days 

• Medical, Dental, Vision 

• Life Insurance 

• LTD & STD 

• Retirement Plan with 4% Employer Match 

• Parental Leave 

See What We Stand For: 

Who we are: 

Sentinel Group proudly serves nearly 5,000 clients throughout the U.S. For 35+ years, we’ve remained devoted to positively impacting the lives of our people, our clients and our communities. With a 9-year average associate tenure among our 265 professionals, our team’s commitment to excellent service has positioned Sentinel as the only provider who makes benefits EASY: easy for your people; easy for your business; and easy for you. 

Our ultimate goal is to help companies and their employees prepare for their future health, wealth and retirement needs. Whether it’s through retirement plans, group health insurance, reimbursement accounts or financial planning, we engineer simple solutions and continuously strive to make them better. Our in-house experts – and their commitment to excellence – define who we are. 

Sentinel is also one of the largest employee benefits firms in Massachusetts (Boston Business Journal) and was named a 2022 Retirement Plan Adviser of the Year in the Mentorship category (PLANADVISER Magazine).