Director of Service Retirement

Job Description and Duties

A resume and statement of qualifications (SOQ) is required to apply for this position. Please review the SOQ section toward the bottom of this bulletin to ensure you're responding to the specific SOQ prompt. Applications received without a SOQ and resume will not be considered. The California State Teachers’ Retirement System is seeking to fill its Director of Service Retirement position.

The Director of Service Retirement is responsible for policy formulation, risk mitigation, internal controls, and execution impacting the administration and payment of benefits required by the State Teachers’ Retirement Plan and Teacher’s Retirement Law. The primary focus is on benefits and other programs that enhance our service retirement programs, which support approximately 12,000 California educators who retire for service annually and more than 300,000 members who already receive benefits.

Reporting to the Chief Benefits Officer, the Director of Service Retirement serves as a consultant to the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Executive Leadership team, Teachers’ Retirement Board and external consultants dealing with significant matters related to administration of benefits to members and beneficiaries in accordance with the law, policy and regulations.

To learn more about this opportunity, click here .

Relocation benefits may be available.

In July 2025, the State of California implemented the Personal Leave Program 2025. This program reduces employees’ monthly base pay in exchange for paid leave credits. This position is subject to PLP 2025 and will have a monthly base pay reduction of 3% in exchange for 5 hours of leave credits for the duration of the program. The salary ranges shown on this job posting do not reflect the reduced amounts.

You will find additional information about the job in the .

Working Conditions

CalSTRS offers a hybrid approach including in-office and remote work solutions based on business needs.

All staff of CalSTRS are employees of the State of California and subject to California employment taxes and withholdings. Upon appointment, staff are required to provide a current California address to CalSTRS Human Resources to be used as a remote work location.

Special Requirements

Background Investigation

Prior to employment with CalSTRS, a background investigation (BI) will be conducted. The BI consists of a Personal History Statement and fingerprinting through the Department of Justice. The BI will check criminal and civil records and, if applicable, verify education, credit and check driving records.

The position may be subject to the disclosure and disqualification requirements concerning economic conflict of interest in government work, pursuant to the CalSTRS Conflict of Interest Code and the Political Reform Act.

CalSTRS Disclosure Requirements

This position may be subject to disclosure and disqualification requirements concerning economic conflict of interest in government work, including the Conflict of Interest Code that applies to CalSTRS team members and the Political Reform Act , which require disclosure of certain investment information and use of a designated trading platform for securities transactions, as well as filing a Statement of Economic Interest (Form 700) .

Incompatible Activities

This position is subject to the provisions of Government Code Section 19990 . Upon accepting a position at CalSTRS, you will also be required to comply with the CalSTRS Incompatible Activities Policy by ensuring that outside work or activities are compatible and align with your professional activities or workplace obligations.

Desirable Qualifications

In addition to evaluating each candidate's relative ability, as demonstrated by quality and breadth of experience, the following factors will provide the basis for competitively evaluating each candidate:

• Experience overseeing and providing leadership to a large program area and knowledge of retirement laws, rules, policies and regulations governing the entitlement of teacher retirement benefits.
• Experience in policy formulation and execution impacting administration of a statewide program responsible for benefits to members and beneficiaries, or similar.
• Experience presenting to a board or governing body and external consultants dealing with significant matters related to administration of benefits to members and beneficiaries.
• Experience at the senior leadership level managing project teams participating in cross-functional transformational projects.
• Experience supporting organizational change at an enterprise level.
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity of thought, an inclusive leadership style, and the ability to give and receive feedback with the highest level of professionalism.

Benefits

Learn about all of the benefits of being a CalSTRS employee by visiting CalSTRS.com/Careers and clicking on the About Us tab.

Statement of Qualifications

In addition to the required documentation, a Statement of Qualification (SOQ) must be submitted with your application. The SOQ must specifically address your education and experience as it relates to each item below. The SOQ must not exceed four pages, single-sided and double-spaced with 12 point arial font. Failure to follow this format and the "Application Instructions" above may result in disqualification.

The SOQ serves as the examination for this position. Please make sure your answers are as detailed as possible, including relevant examples and dates of employment.

1. Experience as a senior leader directing, creating vision, and setting expectations to lead the administration of a customer-facing program through leaders and staff as part of the larger organization’s strategic mission.
2. Experience as a senior leader driving large-scale organizational change through the implementation of process improvement or business transformation initiatives that enhance operational efficiency and service delivery, including ways you partner with others across an organization to navigate the challenges of implementing innovative solutions in a rapidly changing environment.
3. Experience as a senior leader establishing and maintaining strong internal controls, fiduciary standards, and risk management frameworks to ensure the accuracy, integrity, and accountability of benefit operations.
4. Experience as a senior leader developing and sustaining a high-performing workforce through effective succession planning, staff development, and engagement strategies that support organizational goals.

Required Application Package Documents

The following items are required to be submitted with your application. Applicants who do not submit the required items timely may not be considered for this job:

• Current version of the State Examination/Employment Application STD Form 678 (when not applying electronically), or the Electronic State Employment Application through your Applicant Account at All Experience and Education relating to the Minimum Qualifications listed on the Classification Specification should be included to demonstrate how you meet the Minimum Qualifications for the position.
• Resume is required and must be included.
• Statement of Qualifications -

  A Statement of Qualifications is required. Please see the Special Requirements section of the job posting for detailed instructions.