Position Overview

The Participant Care & Pension Specialist serves as a primary steward of the Christian Education Pension Plan, supporting Christian educators and participating organizations through technically accurate, compassionate, and mission-aligned pension administration. This role sits at the intersection of pension administration, participant care, member communications, and Christian stewardship. The Specialist helps participants and employers understand pension provisions, retirement processes, contribution information, and administrative requirements in clear, respectful, and accessible language. As Christian Education Benefit Solutions Inc. continues building its Canadian administrative operations in Edmonton, this role also supports the development of new customer service systems, inbound communication processes, workflow documentation, and pension administration procedures. The position requires a person who can combine financial-services discipline with a genuine understanding of the Christian education community.

Distinguishing Features of the Role

• Mission-aligned administration: The work is not only transactional. It supports the long-term retirement security of Christian educators and staff serving schools across Canada.
• Builder mindset: The incumbent will help shape service systems, communication practices, and operational processes as CEBSI builds its internal pension administration capacity.
• Technical growth path: The role is intended to develop toward Senior Specialist and, possibly over time, Manager-level responsibilities within pension administration and participant care.

Key Responsibilities

Participant Care & Member Communications

• Respond to inbound participant and employer inquiries by phone, email, and other approved service channels.
• Support participants through retirement, termination, beneficiary, survivor, membership, and other pension-related inquiries.
• Translate pension provisions and administrative requirements into clear language that reduces confusion and promotes trust.
• Communicate with patience, accuracy, and dignity, recognizing that pension matters often arise during significant life transitions.
• Escalate complex technical or sensitive matters appropriately while maintaining ownership of the participant experience.

Pension Administration & Data Stewardship

• Maintain accurate participant, employer, contribution, beneficiary, and pension administration records.
• Support processing related to enrolments, terminations, retirements, contribution information, service records, and member updates.
• Assist with reconciliations, data validation, audit support, and quality-control reviews.
• Treat accuracy, confidentiality, and privacy as essential stewardship responsibilities.
• Support the development of internal procedures that create consistent, repeatable, and well-controlled administrative practices.

Plan Management Support

• Assist with pension plan administration work connected to defined benefit arrangements and related regulatory requirements.
• Support the preparation and review of participant communication packages, employer materials, and administrative correspondence.
• Coordinate with consultants, actuaries, external administrators, and other service providers as required.
• Participate in process mapping, system testing, procedure documentation, and service model development during the administrative transition.
• Identify operational risks, recurring service issues, data gaps, and process improvements.

Faith-Integrated Service

• Serve participants and member organizations in a manner consistent with CEBSI’s Christian identity, Statement of Faith, and commitment to Biblical stewardship.
• Demonstrate the ability to converse respectfully and fluently with Christian educators regarding their vocational context and the values of Christian education.
• Apply discernment, humility, kindness, mercy, forgiveness, and truthfulness in participant interactions and internal teamwork.
• Represent CEBSI as a non-profit, membership-driven organization serving Christian education organizations, rather than as a conventional commercial pension administrator.

Qualifications & Experience

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of three years of relevant client service, administrative, operational, or relationship management experience in financial services, pensions, benefits, insurance, banking, wealth management, investment administration, or a related field.
• Strong written and verbal English communication skills, with the ability to explain technical information clearly and professionally.
• Demonstrated ability to learn pension legislation, plan provisions, regulatory requirements, internal procedures, and technical systems.
• Strong attention to detail, data accuracy, confidentiality, and service follow-through.
• Comfort operating in a growing organization where systems, processes, and procedures are being built and refined.
• Minimum two-year post-secondary credential in a relevant field, or equivalent education and experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with defined benefit pension arrangements, pension administration, group retirement plans, or regulated financial products.
• Prior experience in a financial institution, pension administrator, benefits organization, consulting firm, third-party administrator, or member service environment.
• Exposure to pension legislation and regulatory requirements.
• Experience building or improving customer service workflows, communication systems, procedure manuals, or administrative controls.
• CEBS, RPA, PPAC, payroll, benefits, pension, financial planning, or related coursework is considered an asset.

Level Placement

Candidates may be appointed at either the Specialist Level 5 or Senior Specialist Level 6 level based on prior work experience, education, technical skill, pension exposure, communication judgment, and demonstrated readiness for independent responsibility.

Level 5 - Specialist: $61,662 - $79,280

Strong financial-services client service, pension/benefits administration, or related operational experience.

Level 6 - Senior Specialist: $72,544 - $93,270

Advanced experience, stronger independent judgment, pension exposure, or demonstrated ability to manage complex participant and operational matters.

Bona Fide Occupational Requirement

Because CEBSI serves Christian education organizations and administers pension benefits within a faith-based, membership-driven context, the ability to understand and communicate within the Christian education community is an essential requirement of this role. To perform this role effectively, the incumbent must be able to integrate professional pension administration with CEBSI’s Christian identity, Statement of Faith, and commitment to Biblical stewardship. This includes communicating with Christian educators and member organizations in a manner that reflects the organization’s mission, values, and understanding of vocational service.

• Theological literacy: Demonstrated ability to converse respectfully and fluently with Christian educators regarding their vocational context and the values of Christian education.
• Spiritual maturity: A demonstrated capacity to provide encouragement, patience, humility, and care in participant interactions, especially when participants are navigating retirement, termination, death, or other significant life transitions.
• Mission alignment: An ability to represent CEBSI’s work as a ministry of stewardship and mutual support for Christian education organizations, rather than merely as a financial administration function.
• Statement of Faith: The successful candidate must sign and adhere to the organization’s Statement of Faith as a Bona Fide Occupational Requirement.

We prioritize applicants who follow the Christian faith to the extent permissible by law. This position requires the incumbent to sign and adhere to the organization’s Statement of Faith as a Bona Fide Occupational Requirement. All successful candidates will be required to complete a satisfactory background check before being offered a role.