Director of Retirement Plan Services
401(k) Plan Advisor & Business Development Leader
Location: Gardiner, Maine or Scottsdale Arizona, (Hybrid flexibility available)
Company: J.M. ARBOUR
Compensation: Competitive Base Salary + Performance-Based Incentives
Schedule: Full-Time (40+ hours weekly)
To apply: submit cover letter, resume, and responses to questions at the end of the job posting to teresa@jmarbour.com.
About the Firm
J.M. Arbour is a multi-family office serving successful families, executives, and business owners through integrated wealth management solutions. Our firm provides investment management, retirement plan advisory, tax strategy, insurance planning, and estate coordination.
Our retirement plan division is expanding as more employers seek fiduciary oversight, cost transparency, and stronger retirement outcomes for their employees.
We are building a retirement plan advisory platform designed for professionals who combine analytical rigor, disciplined prospecting, and consultative leadership.
This position is designed for individuals who want to build a serious career in retirement plan consulting while directly contributing to the growth of the firm.
Role Overview
The Director of Retirement Plan Services is responsible for both winning new retirement plan relationships and delivering strategic consulting to existing plan sponsors and participants.
This role requires a professional who can:
- Identify companies with under-optimized retirement plans
- Gather plan data and conduct benchmarking analysis
- Develop strategic plan improvement recommendations
- Present retirement plan proposals to decision makers
- Win new retirement plan advisory relationships
- Lead ongoing plan oversight and participant engagement
- Identify, interview, hire 401(k) Plan Wholesalers and Participant Advisers
The ideal candidate combines analytical skill, client advisory capability, and a strong drive to develop new business.
Core Responsibilities
Retirement Plan Business Development
A central responsibility of this role is identifying and winning new retirement plan relationships.
Responsibilities include:
- Identifying companies that may benefit from improved retirement plan oversight
- Gathering plan data including Form 5500 filings, fee structures, and investment lineups
- Conducting benchmarking analysis to evaluate plan competitiveness
- Preparing fiduciary improvement strategies and competitive proposals
- Presenting plan recommendations to business owners, executives, and HR leaders
- Maintaining a disciplined pipeline of prospective retirement plan opportunities
- Developing relationships through professional networking, referrals, and outreach
- Converting plan benchmarking discussions into new advisory relationships
Professionals who succeed in this role enjoy identifying opportunities, preparing compelling analysis, and winning new client relationships.
Retirement Plan Prospecting Mandate
Growing the firm’s retirement plan advisory business is a central responsibility of this role.
The Retirement Plan Team Lead is expected to maintain a structured and disciplined prospecting process, including:
- Identifying companies with under-optimized retirement plans
- Reviewing Form 5500 filings and public plan disclosures to identify potential improvement opportunities
- Initiating conversations with business owners, CFOs, and HR leaders regarding fiduciary oversight and plan benchmarking
- Maintaining a consistent pipeline of retirement plan prospects within the firm's CRM
- Delivering plan benchmarking analyses and improvement recommendations to prospective plan sponsors
Successful professionals in this role maintain consistent weekly outreach and prospecting activity.
Retirement Plan Prospecting System
The Retirement Plan Team Lead will utilize a structured plan prospecting system designed to identify high-probability opportunities.
This system focuses on retirement plans that typically meet the following criteria:
- Companies with 50–500 employees
- Plans with approximately $5 million to $50 million in assets
- Plans with elevated expense ratios or outdated service arrangements
- Plans without a clearly defined retirement plan advisor
- Plans using older or less competitive recordkeeping platforms
Responsibilities include:
- Systematically reviewing retirement plan data to identify improvement opportunities
- Conducting benchmarking analysis of plan fees, investment menus, and design features
- Preparing strategic recommendations for plan sponsors
- Initiating conversations with decision makers about plan improvements
This structured prospecting approach is designed to identify retirement plans where the firm’s advisory services can deliver measurable value.
Plan Sponsor Advisory & Relationship Management
- Serve as the primary relationship manager for retirement plan sponsors
- Conduct regular plan reviews covering investments, fees, participation rates, and plan design
- Deliver strategic recommendations to improve plan outcomes and fiduciary oversight
- Assist plan sponsors in fulfilling fiduciary responsibilities
Plan Benchmarking & Strategic Analysis
- Analyze retirement plan data including Form 5500 disclosures and fee structures
- Conduct service and cost benchmarking against industry standards
- Evaluate investment menus and assist in optimizing fund lineups
- Recommend plan design enhancements such as:
- Automatic enrollment features
- Employer match optimization
- Qualified Default Investment Alternative (QDIA) improvements
- Participant engagement strategies
Participant Engagement & Financial Guidance
- Conduct one-on-one meetings with plan participants to provide retirement planning guidance
- Deliver financial education sessions and retirement readiness programs
- Improve participant engagement and contribution behavior
- Identify rollover opportunities and potential advisory relationships when appropriate
Team Leadership & Internal Coordination
- Provide leadership and accountability for the firm’s retirement plan service team
- Coordinate with advisors, compliance teams, and operations staff
- Work with recordkeepers and third-party administrators to ensure smooth plan operations
- Help improve internal processes that enhance efficiency and client experience
Monthly Retirement Plan Opportunity Report (Performance Requirement)
The Retirement Plan Team Lead is responsible for maintaining transparency and discipline in prospecting efforts.
Each month this role will present a Retirement Plan Opportunity Report to firm leadership summarizing:
- Retirement plans analyzed for benchmarking opportunities
- Companies contacted regarding plan reviews
- Benchmarking reviews delivered to prospective sponsors
- New retirement plan opportunities created
- Progress toward new plan acquisition goals
This process ensures consistent prospecting activity and measurable business development progress.
Performance Expectations
This is a high-performance role within a growth-oriented advisory firm.
Professionals who succeed in this position typically:
- Maintain a consistent pipeline of prospective retirement plan opportunities
- Conduct regular outreach to business owners and decision makers
- Analyze multiple retirement plans each month for improvement opportunities
- Deliver compelling plan benchmarking presentations
- Convert plan reviews into new retirement plan clients
Professionals seeking a primarily administrative or service-focused role will likely find this position challenging.
Ideal Background
This role is well suited for professionals currently working in retirement plan consulting or institutional retirement services who want to transition into a more entrepreneurial advisory environment.
Professionals with experience at firms such as Fidelity Investments, Charles Schwab, Vanguard Group, Empower Retirement, or Principal Financial Group often bring valuable retirement plan expertise that translates well into this role.
At J.M. Arbour, this experience can evolve into a consulting and business development career with significant long-term upside.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Business, Human Resources, or related field
- Experience working with employer-sponsored retirement plans (401(k), 403(b), etc.)
- Strong understanding of ERISA and fiduciary responsibilities
- Ability to analyze financial data and translate insights into strategic recommendations
- Strong communication and presentation skills
- Proven ability to manage client relationships in a consultative environment
- Series 65 or equivalent
- Experience with retirement plan benchmarking tools
- Experience analyzing Form 5500 and 408(b)(2) disclosures
- Familiarity with major recordkeepers including Empower Retirement, Principal Financial Group, John Hancock, and Nationwide
Compensation & Benefits
Competitive compensation includes:
- Base Salary (commensurate with experience)
- Performance incentives tied to retirement plan growth
- 401(k) with Safe Harbor match
- 15 days paid time off annually
- Professional development opportunities
Application Requirements
To ensure we review candidates who are genuinely interested in this opportunity, applicants must submit the following along with their resume.
Brief Written Responses (200–300 words each):
- Describe your experience analyzing or benchmarking retirement plans.
- What motivates you to pursue new retirement plan opportunities and present solutions to business owners or HR leaders?
- Describe the most demanding professional environment you have worked in and how you performed.
Applications submitted without these responses will not be reviewed.
Final Question
Please include the following in your application:
On a scale from 1–10, how comfortable are you initiating conversations with business owners or executives about improving their company’s retirement plan?
Please briefly explain your answer.
How to Apply
Submit cover letter, resume, and responses to questions listed above to teresa@jmarbour.com.