Retirement Plans Analyst

Notice

Location: On-site at Eastman's Corporate Headquarters in Kingsport, TN

This posting will be active until at least Friday, September 18

Position Summary

The Retirement Plans Analyst is an entry-level professional role that supports the administration, processing, reporting, and compliance activities for Eastman's retirement plans, including the 401(k), pension plan(s), Health Savings Account, and retiree health and welfare plans. This is a foundational role focused on learning the organization, building practical experience, and developing technical proficiency in retirement-plan administration while working under direct supervision of the Retirement Plans Manager and guidance from experienced team members.
The analyst applies conceptual knowledge of retirement-plan theories, practices, and procedures and general business knowledge gained through education or prior experience. The role assists with recurring and annual plan processes, supports payroll and funding activities, helps resolve routine participant issues, assists with invoice and plan-data reconciliations, and supports coordination with internal business partners and external service providers. The position requires strong Excel and data-analysis skills, attention to detail, sound judgment, and the ability to protect confidential employee and company information while meeting operational and regulatory deadlines. 

The Retirement Plans Analyst reports to the Retirement Plans Manager and receives training, coaching, and ongoing guidance from experienced team members. The analyst works closely with Payroll, HRIS, Compensation, Finance, Treasury, Legal, the Employee Service Center, plan participants, vendors, and recordkeepers, with more complex matters escalated to the Retirement Plans Manager.

Responsibilities

•    Support biweekly payroll processing for 401(k) contributions, loans, and Health Savings Account (HSA) contributions under established procedures, including clearing routine file errors, researching paid-off loans and account-status issues, coordinating refunds, notifying affected employees, reconciling payroll, applying funding, and maintaining digital and physical documentation.
•    Assist with the annual 401(k) Retirement Savings Contribution (RSC) and employer-match true-up processes, including data collection, eligibility verification, compensation analysis, reporting, reconciliations, funding and deposit validations. 
•    Support 409A processing of non-qualified retirement plan requests using SAP, HRIS, and Excel, for time-sensitive requests.
•    Submit and monitor routine service requests through vendor systems, support timely closure of standard tickets and escalate data discrepancies or complex participant issues to the Retirement Plans Manager.
•    Collaborate on the annual HSA employer-contribution process, including supporting testing and production loads and helping identify employees whose accounts are inactive or not ready for funding.
•    Support Data Integrity Monitor (DIM) audits for defined benefit and defined contribution plans by helping gather requested reports, comparing HRIS and vendor data under supervision, and documenting discrepancies for review by experienced team members.
•    Maintain annual Form 5500 data collection, organization, and filing preparation, including maintaining checklists and helping gather required vendor documentation such as ERISA letters, Schedules A and C, Form 8955-SSA information, funding reports, and participant counts.
•    Reconcile retirement-plan and benefit invoices by validating charges against supporting reports and documentation and communicating routine findings for review and approval before payment.
•    Produce recurring and ad hoc reports using HRIS, payroll, vendor portals, and other systems, including basic financial, valuation, census, and audit-support data, under the direction of the Retirement Plans Manager.
•    Develop and apply Excel skills to organize data, perform lookups and calculations, and support reconciliations; continue building proficiency with more advanced Excel tools such as pivot tables and lookup functions.
•    Foster retiree communications and assist with coordinating information exchanged with third-party administrators, recordkeepers, and retiree benefit service providers.
•    Help maintain and update process documentation, reference materials, and checklists to support accurate and consistent completion of plan activities.
•    Participate in internal process-improvement efforts with the HRIS team to help identify and reduce data discrepancies.
•    Perform other duties and support special projects as assigned, gaining exposure to a broad range of retirement-plan administration activities.

Qualifications

•    Bachelor's degree in human resources, finance, accounting, business administration, data analytics, or a related field; relevant coursework, internships, or up to approximately two years of related experience may also be considered.
•    Basic to intermediate Microsoft Excel skills, with a demonstrated willingness and ability to develop more advanced skills, including pivot tables, lookup functions, and data reconciliation techniques.
•    Exposure to or coursework involving SAP, HRIS, payroll systems, or similar recordkeeping platforms is helpful but not required; willingness to learn new systems and processes is expected.
•    Ability to handle confidential employee, compensation, payroll, tax, and plan information with discretion.
•    Strong organizational skills and the ability to follow established procedures and meet assigned deadlines.

Knowledge and Competencies
•    Foundational or conceptual understanding of retirement-plan concepts such as 401(k), defined contribution and defined benefit plans, HSA, and ERISA is preferred; specific plan and regulatory knowledge, including Form 5500 and Internal Revenue Code Sections 401(k) and 409A, will be developed through on-the-job training.
•    Strong attention to detail, dependability, and a genuine interest in learning retirement-plan administration and compliance.
•    Clear written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to ask questions, seek clarification, and confirm understanding when working with Payroll, HRIS, participants, and vendors.
•    Demonstrated commitment to accurate, ethical, and confidential handling of information, with sound judgment in escalating issues appropriately.
•    Ability to work collaboratively within a team while operating under direct supervision and standardized procedures.