Job description
About Betterment
Betterment is a leading, technology-driven financial services company that offers investing and retirement solutions for retail investors and investment advisors as well as financial wellness solutions, including a 401(k) for small and medium-sized businesses. Our team is passionate about our mission: making people’s lives better. We’re headquartered in NYC and offer hybrid NY-based positions (three days/ week in-office).
About the Role:
The 401(k) Onboarding Associate plays a pivotal role in shaping the first impressions of Betterment at Work’s experience. As a client-facing project lead, your core mission is to ensure a streamlined, accurate, and empowering onboarding experience for clients transitioning their existing 401(k) plans to Betterment (a “conversion”).
You’ll take ownership of the onboarding process immediately after a successful sale, acting as the primary driver of the transition process from contract signing through first payroll and plan asset transfer. You’ll develop strong, consultative relationships with Plan Sponsors and Advisors, ensuring they feel confident, supported, and aligned throughout onboarding.
This role is remote eligible. Below we’ve reflected the base salary range we would offer for this position in locations with city or state requirements. For those located elsewhere, the actual compensation offered will be based on candidate experience and geographic location. Actual salaries may vary depending on factors including but not limited to location, experience, and performance. The range listed is just one component of Betterment’s total compensation package for employees.
- New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Boston, Washington D.C. & Orange County, CA: $75,000 - $90,000
- Other locations: $63,750 - $81,000
We offer a competitive equity package, health, dental and vision benefits, life and AD&D, short-term and long-term disability insurance, EAP, commuter and parking benefits FSA/HSA, and 401(k) with employer match as well as a flexible PTO policy. This job may also be eligible for variable compensation in the form of a company incentive bonus.
A Day in the Life:
- Drive onboarding success: Own a book of client conversions end-to-end, serving as the primary project manager responsible for hitting conversion milestones with precision and urgency.
- Master cross-functional project planning: Build and manage detailed weekly project plans, proactively removing blockers and aligning internal and external stakeholders across key phases of implementation.
- Deliver accurate and efficient plan transitions: Validate and apply all critical information for plan conversions, ensuring quality, consistency, and speed.
- Build client trust through clear communication: Confidently lead clients through every step of onboarding, providing prompt, jargon-free guidance and anticipating potential roadblocks.
- Resourcefully manage third-party coordination: Act as the client’s advocate by navigating conversations with payroll and retirement providers to keep transitions on track and reduce friction.
- Partner for complex success: Collaborate deeply with internal teams (401(k) Compliance, Client Success, etc.) on sensitive issues such as plan design, conversion files, and wires.
- Lead with influence: Use Zoom, phone, and email to guide onboarding meetings, instill confidence in clients, and reinforce Betterment’s expertise and reliability.
- Work smart, work connected: Leverage tools like Salesforce, Zendesk, Asana, and our internal systems to track progress, ensure accountability, and deliver a consistently exceptional experience.
What We’re Looking for:
- 4+ years of experience in implementing 401(k) plan conversions with a proven track record of delivering results on time and with high customer satisfaction.
- Demonstrated ability to lead high-stakes projects, manage competing priorities, and resolve challenges swiftly and decisively.
- Deep knowledge of the 401(k) lifecycle, including payroll, plan design, and conversions—with the ability to collaborate cross-functionally to solve nuanced onboarding needs.
- Prior experience in B2B onboarding or implementation roles where relationship-building and influencing skills were critical to success.
- Technical dexterity—comfortable navigating multiple complex systems and client tools while maintaining presence and clarity in real-time conversations.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills that inspire confidence, clarity, and trust across multiple audiences.
- Proficiency in CRM and project management platforms (Salesforce, Zendesk, Asana, etc.).
- Highly organized and resourceful under pressure, with an instinct for anticipating client needs and solving issues before they escalate.
- A natural influencer, able to advocate for client needs while aligning stakeholders to project goals.
What being at Betterment means for you
We change lives
Join a community of innovators working to transform financial outcomes for real people. Your work will make an impact, always laddering up to our mission: making people’s lives better.
We set audacious goals
We set them for the company, our customers, and ourselves—and we won’t stop until we reach them. We don’t just show up; we give our all, then celebrate our wins.
We value all perspectives
When we collaborate, we’re at our best. We believe diverse perspectives lead to better outcomes and strive to uphold our supportive and inclusive community.
We invest in you with:
- A competitive suite of benefits, including: medical, dental, and vision insurance; life and AD&D insurance; STD and LTD benefits, including infertility support and World Professional Association for Transgender Health approved benefits; and generous parental leave.
- Flexible paid time off (and encouragement to use it!)
- Meaningful opportunity for community building through our 7 Employee Resource Groups
- Empowerment to own and lead change and affect the business
- Dedicated professional development opportunities
- Lunch from our in-house chef three days a week at our NYC headquarters
What happens next
We’ll take a few weeks to review all applications. If we’d like to spend more time with you, we’ll reach out to arrange next steps, which will include 3-4 sets of meetings with your future colleagues.
In the interview process, we’ll look to learn more about your skills, experiences, capabilities, and motivators. Many of our questions will be aimed at understanding how you might operate here at Betterment. Depending on the role, we may ask you to complete a case study exercise or technical assessments, as we want to collect a robust set of data points to better inform our decisions.
On average, it takes us around 3-5 weeks to make a hiring decision, depending on your availability and sense of urgency. As a best practice, we aim to interview at least 2-3 final round candidates before making a hiring decision. Please note that, as we usually receive an overwhelming number of applications for open positions, we’re unable to offer individual feedback during the interview process.
We recognize that interviewing for a new role is a big deal. We appreciate you considering Betterment as the next step in your career, and our Recruiting Team is here to support and advocate for you through the interview process!
Betterment is dedicated to providing accommodations to candidates upon request. If you need accommodations at any point throughout the interview process, please reach out to your recruiter.
Please note that in any materials you submit, you may_ redact or remove age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting _or removing this information.
Come join us!
We’re an equal opportunity employer and comply with all applicable federal, state, and local fair employment practices laws. We strictly prohibit and do not tolerate discrimination against employees, applicants, or any other covered persons because of race, color, religion, creed, national origin or ancestry, ethnicity, sex, gender (including gender nonconformity and status as a transgender or transsexual individual), sexual orientation, marital status, age, physical or mental disability, citizenship, past, current or prospective service in the uniformed services, predisposing genetic characteristic, domestic violence victim status, arrest records, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state or local law.
E-Verify Statement
Betterment participates in E-Verify. We will provide the Social Security Administration, and if necessary, the Department of Homeland Security, with information from each new employee’s Form I-9 to confirm work authorization. Please note that we do not use this information to pre-screen job applicants.
E-Verify Notice
E-Verify Notice (Spanish)
Right to Work Notice
Right to Work Notice (Spanish)
CPRA Language - CA Applicants ONLY
We collect and store personal information for the purposes of candidate tracking (for this role and future opportunities). The information you provide in the course of completing your application will be kept for up to 24 months. We use tools provided by third-party service providers but do not share candidate information for any purpose other than for recruiting. To access the data that is collected, request deletion or to make updates to your candidate profile, please email [email protected] .
