IRA Operations Specialist

About StartEngine

StartEngine is the FinTech powerhouse driving the future of fundraising and alternative investing. StartEngine was founded by Howard Marks, the co-founder of Activision (now valued at over $75B), with the goal of helping entrepreneurs achieve their dreams by removing funding barriers. Howard partnered with co-founder Ron Miller, a veteran entrepreneur and early advocate of equity crowdfunding, to build a platform that democratizes access to capital. In 2020, StartEngine welcomed Shark Tank judge and serial entrepreneur Kevin O'Leary (aka Mr. Wonderful) as Strategic Advisor and Investor. Since its inception, StartEngine has helped over 550 companies raise more than $1.5B from retail investors, with investments starting at as little as $100.

Why merely back a company when you can own a piece of it?

We're looking for a highly skilled IRA Operations Specialist to support and streamline the growing volume of IRA-related activity flowing through our platform. This is a hands-on, execution-focused role responsible for keeping IRA processes running smoothly, ensuring accuracy, and creating a best-in-class investor experience.

About the Role

In this role, you'll manage the day-to-day operations associated with IRA investment activity—primarily through our partner custodian, Equity Trust, as well as other custodians used by investors. You will coordinate account openings, transfers, investment processing, reconciliations, and general IRA operational workflows.

You'll work closely with internal teams and external custodians to ensure that accounts are properly set up, documentation is complete, transactions move quickly, and investors receive a seamless experience.

This role is ideal for someone who thrives in execution-heavy operational environments, understands IRA/retirement account mechanics deeply, and enjoys solving operational inefficiencies through automation and process improvement.

• • Custodian Coordination & Account Operations

• Manage end-to-end processing of IRA accounts, including new account openings, document validation, and custodian registration.

• Serve as the primary operational liaison with Equity Trust and other IRA custodians.
• Track requirements, resolve missing information, and proactively keep accounts moving without needing internal follow-ups.
• Coordinate IRA transfers, ensuring accuracy and completeness of documentation.
• Oversee IRA investment submissions, registration steps, and custodian confirmations.

• Operational Excellence

• Maintain accurate records, reconcile balances, and review custodian statements.

• Support miscellaneous IRA-related workflows such as auditing documents, FMV updates, and routine reconciliations.
• Look for opportunities to improve investor experience and overall process speed.

• Automation & Process Improvement

• Identify manual workflows that can be automated to reduce friction for both investors and internal teams.

• Collaborate with engineering, product, and operations to enhance IRA workflows, improve UX, and reduce repetitive follow-ups with custodians.
• Use tools like Excel and n8n to streamline operations, track status, and implement lightweight automations.

• Compliance-Oriented IRA Operations (Experience with these is not required but strongly preferred.)

• Support IRA/trust custody operational procedures such as FMV updates, reporting cycles (Forms 5498 and 1099-R), beneficiary structures, RMD workflows, and escheatment processes.

• Contribute to SOP development, controls, books/records retention, and audit support.

• • You are an operations-minded, detail-driven IRA expert who can keep hundreds of accounts organized while maintaining precision, speed, and professionalism.

• Must-Have Qualifications

• Solid hands-on experience working with IRAs or retirement accounts (e.g., at a custodian, bank, trust company, or brokerage).

• Deep familiarity with IRA account structures, transfers, documentation, and operational processes.
• Strong execution skills—organized, proactive, and capable of managing a high volume of accounts with minimal oversight.
• Ability to track complex workflows and keep multiple custodial processes running simultaneously.
• Comfort with spreadsheets and operational tools; ability to learn and implement automations.
• Curious about AI and excited to incorporate automation and intelligent workflows into daily operations.

• Nice-to-Have

• Experience in IRA/trust custody operations at a bank, trust company, or custodian.

• Background in building operational controls, SOPs, or audit processes within a trust or retirement division.
• Industry certifications, such as CISP (Certified IRA Services Professional).
• Experience with workflow automation tools (n8n, Zapier, internal tools).

• • Accounts and transfers move without internal teams needing to chase status updates.
• IRA investments are processed efficiently, accurately, and with exceptional investor satisfaction.
• Processes become less manual over time through automation and thoughtful system design.
• Collaboration with engineering leads to better UX and reduced custodian friction.
• IRA operations scale smoothly as volume continues to grow.

• • 100% covered Medical/Dental/Vision - pick your own plan
• Generous Equity package
• Unlimited PTO and sick days
• Paid WeWork Usage (optional)
• 100% Remote
• Team Off-sites and Celebration Dinners
• Paid Maternity/Paternity leave
• 401K program
• Flexible hours
• Be part of one of the fastest growing parts of the FinTech Industry
• A chance to work with a highly profitable and rapidly expanding startup (not VC funded)

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.