Manager, Cyclical Transactions

OUR COMPANY BACKGROUND & CULTURE

UPP is the first pension plan of its kind in Ontario’s university sector, proudly serving over 46,000 members across six universities and nineteen sector organizations. Our purpose is to bring greater retirement peace of mind to the university sector by investing with integrity and serving members with care. As a sector-wide plan designed for growth, our doors are open to all Ontario universities.

We’re a team of progressive thinkers and agile doers operating within a fast-paced culture of collaboration and respect. We believe in bringing smart and capable people together to create, solve, and grow with a clear shared vision and values of integrity, inclusivity, ingenuity, and impact.

We’ve built and nurtured a culture that is intentionally welcoming and purposefully rooted in equity, diversity, inclusion, and reconciliation (EDI&R). We believe diverse teams, perspectives, and lived experiences contribute to better decisions and a better workplace. As UPP celebrates its fifth anniversary, we’re proud to be recognized for our efforts:

• 2026 Greater Toronto’s Top 100 Employers 
• 2026 Canadian HR Award for Excellence in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging

Join us in building a bright future for our members, our organization, and each other.

THE ROLE

Reporting to the Associate Director, Cyclical Transactions, the Manager, Cyclical Transactions is responsible for the execution, coordination, and quality assurance of recurring pension administration activities across monthly, quarterly, annual, and ad hoc cycles.

This role plays a critical part in ensuring cyclical transactions are delivered accurately, on time, and in compliance with plan rules, legislative requirements, and internal governance standards. The Manager supports the Associate Director in operationalizing the cyclical operating model, coordinating cross-functional inputs, and ensuring readiness across all recurring deliverables.

The Manager acts as a hands-on leader and subject matter expert, overseeing day-to-day cyclical processing, managing risks and issues, and ensuring strong controls, validation, and reconciliation practices are consistently applied.

This role is based in downtown Toronto under a hybrid work policy, allowing employees the flexibility to work remotely and in-office (approximately two days per week in-office).

This posting is for a existing vacancy.

SPECIFIC ACCOUNTABILITIES

The Manager, Cyclical Transactions will have responsibility for but not limited to the following:

• Oversees the end-to-end execution of cyclical pension administration activities delivered by the team across monthly, quarterly, annual, and ad hoc processes, ensuring accuracy, completeness, and timeliness.
• Ensures the timely and accurate delivery of key cyclical outputs, including annual member statements, year-end processing, and recurring regulatory and statutory reporting.
• Reviews and validates outputs produced by the team, ensuring alignment with plan provisions, legislative requirements, and internal standards.
• Supports the preparation and delivery of data required for actuarial valuation activities, ensuring completeness and accuracy.
• Ensures appropriate controls, validation, and reconciliation processes are consistently applied across all cyclical activities to maintain data integrity and financial accuracy.
• Oversees quality assurance reviews, providing guidance on issue resolution and ensuring root causes are identified, documented, and addressed.
• Supports compliance with pension legislation, CRA requirements, and internal policies across all recurring transactions and filings.
• Maintains documentation and audit trails to support internal controls, audit readiness, and regulatory reviews.
• Coordinates cross-functional dependencies with Actuarial, Finance, Technology, Product, and Communications teams to support cyclical delivery.
• Supports execution of the cyclical calendar by ensuring team readiness, workload planning, and alignment to key timelines and dependencies.
• Monitors progress across cyclical activities, proactively identifying risks, delays, or issues and escalating as needed.
• Oversees the resolution of escalated cyclical processing issues, ensuring consistent adjudication and proper documentation.
• Identifies opportunities to improve cyclical processes, controls, and workflows to enhance efficiency, scalability, and accuracy.
• Supports the implementation of process improvements, automation opportunities, and system enhancements in collaboration with the Associate Director and cross-functional teams.
• Leads, coaches, and develops a team responsible for cyclical transaction processing, setting clear expectations for delivery, quality, and timelines.
• Builds team capability in pension calculations, cyclical processes, and control execution, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement. 

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

The successful candidate will have a solid understanding of defined benefit plans and demonstrated success in his or her role and be accustomed to working in a high energy, hands-on, dynamic organization, while dealing with multiple projects concurrently.

• Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience, with strong experience in pension administration.
• Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS) or Pension Plan Administration Certificate (PPAC) an asset
• Minimum of 5 years of progressive experience with defined benefit plan administration required – experience must be hands on across multiple facets of pension operations
• Strong knowledge of the fundamentals of defined benefit plan design
• Demonstrated leadership, training, and mentorship of junior/new team members
• Exceptional client service with strong professional acumen
• Strong analytical, attention to detail and problem-solving skills
• Professional, client-focused approach to colleagues and assignments
• Seeks out experiences that may change perspective or provide an opportunity to learn new things
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to organize, set priorities, work independently and complete multiple projects within established deadlines

ATTRIBUTES

• Strong client service disposition
• Self-motivated, flexible, and adaptable to changing priorities and new challenges
• Logical and detail oriented
• Strong commitment to innovation and continuous improvement
• Pro-active problem solver
• Ownership mindset
• Commitment to excellence
• Excellent judgment and clear and precise communication skills – written, verbal, listening and presentation, including a high degree of diplomacy and confidentiality with the ability to adapt communication style to the audience
• Proven ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships

EXPECTED COMPENSATION

The expected compensation for this role is a combination of base salary and variable incentive.

The annualized base salary in the range of $85,600 to $135,600. This range reflects the expected range for new hire base salaries and is subject to change and may be modified in the future.

You may also be eligible for a variable incentive depending on organizational, divisional and personal performance. The final total compensation offered will vary depending on your skills, experience and other factors.

LIFE AT UPP

Do work that matters. We are duty-bound to serve our members’ interests, and it’s a responsibility we don’t take lightly. That’s why we’ve ingrained sustainability in our work from day one - to ensure our members have a resilient future to retire into, both today and for generations to come.

Stronger together. Collaboration is how UPP was born, and it’s how we work with each other and our partners day in, day out. No one at UPP is just a number (even if they are excellent at math) and every win is a shared win.

Grow every day. You’ll have the opportunity to work on unique, once-in-a-career projects that maximize your skill set and probably teach you some new ones - at any stage in your career.

Prioritize wellness. At UPP, wellness takes many forms. Ultimately, it’s about ensuring our people are cared for in the ways that matter to them. Check out some highlights of our inclusive employee-focused benefits program including:

• Defined benefit pension plan
• Flexible hybrid work model
• Paid time off – vacations, personal days and wellness days
• Work remotely up to eight weeks/year
• Comprehensive group benefits including medical, dental, vision, etc.
• Extended paramedical and mental health service coverage
• Health care and lifestyle spending accounts
• Fertility treatments, paid parental leave, and gender affirmation coverage
• Education Assistance program

This posting will remain open for a minimum of seven (7) days and will remain open until a sufficient number of qualified applications are received or finalist candidates have been identified.

Artificial intelligence (AI) tools may be used to support certain stages of the recruitment process, including sourcing, screening, and assessment. All hiring decisions involve human review and intervention by UPP employees.

UPP enthusiastically welcomes applications from all qualified applicants and especially invites people with lived experience as an Indigenous person, a person with a disability or as a member of another Human Rights Code protected group that faces barriers to employment to apply. Our goal is to create a barrier-free experience for every candidate throughout the recruitment process.

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