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Pension consultant vs compensation specialist

The differences between pension consultants and compensation specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a pension consultant and a compensation specialist. Additionally, a pension consultant has an average salary of $74,793, which is higher than the $67,722 average annual salary of a compensation specialist.

The top three skills for a pension consultant include calculation, plan administration and ERISA. The most important skills for a compensation specialist are human resources, compensation programs, and customer service.

Pension consultant vs compensation specialist overview

Pension ConsultantCompensation Specialist
Yearly salary$74,793$67,722
Hourly rate$35.96$32.56
Growth rate7%7%
Number of jobs6,58332,642
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 83%Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age4545
Years of experience66

Pension consultant vs compensation specialist salary

Pension consultants and compensation specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Pension ConsultantCompensation Specialist
Average salary$74,793$67,722
Salary rangeBetween $52,000 And $106,000Between $41,000 And $110,000
Highest paying City-San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state-Washington
Best paying company-Microsoft
Best paying industry--

Differences between pension consultant and compensation specialist education

There are a few differences between a pension consultant and a compensation specialist in terms of educational background:

Pension ConsultantCompensation Specialist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 83%Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Pension consultant vs compensation specialist demographics

Here are the differences between pension consultants' and compensation specialists' demographics:

Pension ConsultantCompensation Specialist
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 51.7% Female, 48.3%Male, 25.3% Female, 74.7%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 7.9% White, 62.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 7.4% White, 62.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between pension consultant and compensation specialist duties and responsibilities

Pension consultant example responsibilities.

  • Recruit to manage key client engagements to define global strategic sourcing projects and solutions to utilize technology and advance ERP systems.
  • Research and compile documents to assist senior legal counsel specific to ERISA litigation.
  • Fast learner, note for quickly developing strong knowledge of IRS rules for insurance industry.
  • Leverage sales skills to identify customer needs and create new opportunities to transfer assets to TIAA-CREF.
  • Pioneer the Spanish initiative, in taking the first calls in Spanish for TIAA-CREF along with a small team.
  • Review court orders and relate legal documents to ensure compliance with applicable IRC provisions, ERISA, and qualify plan requirements.
  • Show more

Compensation specialist example responsibilities.

  • Manage contractor terminations/hiring, process exceeding target of updating PeopleSoft within one business day.
  • Manage special projects including a compensation structure redesign, a performance evaluation redesign and a PeopleSoft implementation.
  • Evaluate new and current job descriptions for appropriate placement in salary structure and FLSA overtime exemption rules.
  • Evaluate FLSA status and appropriate salary structure positioning.
  • Conduct HRIS audit and quality assurance to ensure data integrity and accuracy.
  • Coordinate and complete all ERISA and other regulatory filing requirements.
  • Show more

Pension consultant vs compensation specialist skills

Common pension consultant skills
  • Calculation, 19%
  • Plan Administration, 14%
  • ERISA, 13%
  • Government Filings, 12%
  • Plan Provisions, 11%
  • Plan Design, 10%
Common compensation specialist skills
  • Human Resources, 12%
  • Compensation Programs, 10%
  • Customer Service, 9%
  • HRIS, 7%
  • Data Analysis, 5%
  • FLSA, 5%

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