Defined Benefit Retirement Strategist

At MFS, you will find a culture that supports you in doing what you do best. Our employees work together to reach better outcomes, favoring the strongest idea over the strongest individual. We put people first and demonstrate care and compassion for our community and each other. Because what we do matters – to us as valued professionals and to the millions of people and institutions who rely on us to help them build more secure and prosperous futures.

THE ROLE

The Defined Benefit Retirement Strategist in the Strategy & Insights Group (SAIG) will drive research and delivery of thought leadership to clients related to retirement plan issues globally, with a primary focus on defined benefit (DB) plans.

The Strategist will analyze client trends, stay abreast of legislation and policy, industry issues and write/publish/present MFS's thoughts via client ready presentations, white papers, web, conference presentations. Strong presentation skills and comfort presenting to both small and large audiences is a necessity for this position.The role will involve close collaboration with the Head of Client Strategy, Lead Retirement Strategist, Investment Teams, Sales, Relationship Management and Consultant Relations teams, along with other key stakeholders across the firm to help support the strategy, thought leadership and positioning of the firms’ retirement proposition. The initial focus will be primarily on the US, but will expand to include responsibilities across other countries and regions such as Canada, the UK, Netherlands, etc.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

• Develop and implement a comprehensive ongoing research agenda program related to DB issues of interest to clients with a heavier emphasis on public plans versus corporate plans. This includes analysis of various industry trends, staying abreast of client preferences and asset owner investment trends in DB.  

• Work in partnership with the MFS Institutional team to be a trusted partner to our clients, prospects and their consultants by deeply understanding the unique objectives and challenges of their defined benefit plans. Provide perspective to help them make informed decisions on relevant topics critical to aligning plan management with long-term goals. Deliver clear, practical solutions that address their specific priorities and ensure effective outcomes across funding, risk management, governance, and investment strategy.

• Work closely with the current Lead Retirement Strategist to further develop and execute on existing defined contribution thought leadership and content plans.

•  Develop and maintain deep retirement plan expertise by participating in and presenting at client meetings, conferences, networking, researching and developing thought leadership both within the US and globally.

•  Represent MFS in industry bodies and participate in working groups and sub committees to raise the firm's profile and maintain/enhance its credibility.

• Travel with distribution colleagues to present MFS's thought leadership to clients, consultants and prospects.

•  Work closely with relationship managers, sales and enablement teams, and colleagues in SAIG in leading DC and DB consulting engagements as necessary. The role will be supported by analyst resources within SAIG.

•  Develop internal training tools, videos, white papers and client discussion guides to enhance MFS's distribution expertise and dialog with clients on retirement issues.

• Assist other teams and regions within MFS and perform additional duties as requested.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

• Bachelor’s degree required; CFA, MBA or other Master's degree is strongly preferred.

• Required minimum of ten years of retirement plan investment consulting, senior plan sponsor or asset management experience working primarily with public sector DB clients but also demonstrating experience with corporate plans. DC experience is welcomed but not required. 

• Established credibility and visibility in the US public plan retirement market is preferred.

• A thorough understanding of both public and private DB plans in the US is required. Familiarity with Canadian, UK, Australian and other global retirement issues is desirable.

• Ability and willingness to be hands on in analyzing data, building PowerPoint presentations, white papers and other thought leadership.

• Excellent public speaking and communication skills required.

• Experience with investment strategy, all asset classes and asset allocation/ investment issues pertinent to retirement plans is required.

• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively and manage multiple tasks simultaneously within tight deadlines.

#LI-JN1

Base Salary: $140,000.00 This position is eligible for competitive commission pay.

At MFS, we believe in fair and transparent compensation. For that reason, we’re including the salary range for this position. This range reflects our good-faith expectation for what we’ll pay depending on the candidate’s experience, training and education. In addition to the salary, we also offer significant and competitive incentive compensation based on both individual and company performance. Other components of our Total Rewards Package include:

• MFS contributes an amount equal to 15% of your base salary to your retirement account that is separate from the company -sponsored 401(k) 

• Education Assistance: MFS contributes $100 monthly up to $10,000 lifetime maximum directly to loan provider

• Education Assistance: Tuition reimbursement up to $8,000 annually 

• Education Assistance: Access to discounted tutors and college coaches

• Generous time off and fully paid leaves including 20-weeks for maternity, 12-weeks for parental and caregiver leaves

• Choice of medical and dental plans and an and an employer contribution into the Health Savings Account

• Tax deferred commuter benefits & flexible spending accounts (medical & dependent care)

• Wellness Programs: Robust wellness webinars, employee assistance program with a focus on mental health, subsidized fitness benefit via Wellhub (formerly Gympass), where you can workout at gyms, studios and boutique fitness locations near you, join virtual personal training sessions and access a wide variety of well-being apps

Our compensation philosophy is to pay competitively for talent while ensuring equity across employees performing comparable work. We are committed to transparency – if you have questions about how we arrived at this range or what additional benefits and bonus opportunities come with the role, we’ll be happy to discuss them

#LI-HYBRID

At MFS, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace. If you are excited about this role but your past experience doesn't align perfectly, we encourage you to apply - you might be just the right candidate for this role or others.

MFS is a hybrid work environment (remote/onsite) unless otherwise stated in the job posting.

If any applicant is unable to complete an application or respond to a job opening because of a disability, please contact MFS at 617-954-5000 or email [email protected] for assistance. 

MFS is an Equal Opportunity Employer and it is our policy to not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or any other status protected by federal, state or local laws. Employees and applicants of MFS will not be subject to harassment on the basis of their status. Additionally, retaliation, including intimidation, threats, or coercion, because an employee or applicant has objected to discrimination, engaged or may engage in filing a complaint, assisted in a review, investigation, or hearing or have otherwise sought to obtain their legal rights under any Federal, State, or local EEO law is prohibited. Please see the Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal document, linked for your reference.