Lacera Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Salary : $143,964.96 - $217,902.48 Annually
Location : Pasadena, CA
Job Type: Full-Time Regular
Job Number: RC 26-02
Department: Legal Services
Opening Date: 05/28/2026
FLSA: Exempt
Bargaining Unit: 991
POSITION INFORMATION
THIS IS NOT A CIVIL SERVICE EXAMINATION
This announcement is for a Call for Resumes for the position of Staff Counsel, LACERA - (Benefits)
The Call for Resumes can be officially suspended at any time.
Annual Salary: $11,997.08 - $18,158.54 Monthly.
BENEFITS:LACERA offers a comprehensive benefits package including a cafeteria benefit plan (14.5% - 17% of monthly base salary), annual leave, defined benefit retirement plan, Savings Plan (401k), Deferred Compensation Plan (457), 13 paid holidays per year, savings plan, tuition reimbursement, hybrid work schedule, and a ride share program.
The Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association (LACERA) administers and manages the $91 billion retirement fund for the County of Los Angeles. We provide retirement, disability, and death benefits to eligible County Employees and their Beneficiaries, and collect, deposit, invest, and manage retirement funds collected from the County, Outside Districts, and County Employees. LACERA is one of the largest county retirement associations in the United States with almost 200,000 members. Our Membership is comprised of individuals from a diverse range of careers, age groups, and ethnicity - all contributing to the greater welfare of Los Angeles County. LACERA also manages the $5 billion OPEB Master Trust whose purpose is to pre-fund OPEB Program medical, dental, and vision benefits for the retirees of participating employers.
LACERA is located in Gateway Plaza at 300 North Lake Avenue in the beautiful City of Pasadena. The building is easily accessible from the Foothill Freeway (210) and the Metro Lake Station. We offer convenient free parking for staff members in our secure structure adjacent to the building in addition to a robust rideshare program providing commuting alternatives such as ride-matching, vanpool, carpool, parking services and more. Prioritizing health, well-being, and sustainability, Gateway Plaza is a Class "A" office building, LEED Gold Certified and EPA Energy Star Certified. With a Walkability Score of 91, LACERA staff members easily enjoy the approximately 150 shops, food, and dining options that make up the popular South Lake Avenue District.
Our members dedicate their careers contributing to the welfare of Los Angeles County. For their service, the County contributes to their promised benefits, and LACERA is dedicating to serving them in return throughout their career and their life afterwards.
Our Core Values: I ACT (Integrity, Inclusivity, Innovation, Accountability, Collaboration, and Transparency), serve as our cultural guide and foundation in meeting our mission. As a member-focused government agency, we abide by our core values to ensure the public's trust, operate efficiently and cost effectively, and provide our members with their promised benefits.
ABOUT THE POSITION:
The Legal Division is comprised of a Chief Counsel, Senior Staff Counsels, Staff Counsels, Legal Analysts, and Legal Secretaries. Legal staff work in one of four sections: Litigation and Employment, Investments and Commercial Transactions, Benefits, and Disability.
The current vacancy is in the Benefits Section of the Legal Division. This position will be part of a team of attorneys, legal analysts, and secretarial support that provide legal advice and representation on all aspects of administration of the pension plan and retiree health care plan other than disability to LACERA and its Boards of Retirement and Investments, the Executive Office, the Member Operations Group, and other divisions as needed in the performance of LACERA's fiduciary duty of loyalty and prudence in providing benefits to members and their beneficiaries. Issues will include interpretation of the California Constitution, County Employees Retirement Law of 1937 (CERL), the Public Employees' Pension Reform Act of 2013 (PEPRA), the Internal Revenue Code, and other benefit eligibility and delivery laws, regulations and internal policies, and procedures. The position will involve legal research, analysis, writing, collaboration, and presentation to the Board of Retirement and its committees. The position will advise the Board of Retirement on administrative appeals by members.
BENEFITS STAFF COUNSEL ROLE:
The Benefits Staff Counsel position reports to LACERA's Senior Benefits Staff Counsel. The role of Benefits Staff Counsel is responsible for the following duties:

• Providing legal support to the Board of Retirement, the Executive Office, the Member Operations Group, and other LACERA Divisions as needed on a wide range of benefits matters, including benefits eligibility (other than disability), the interpretation and application of CERL, PEPRA, the Internal Revenue Code, and other relevant state and federal laws and regulations and LACERA policies and procedures.
• Working closely with Senior Benefits Staff Counsel, other attorneys (including outside counsel), and staff, provide legal advice on complex benefits issues, benefits-related tax questions, fiduciary matters, and ethics and compliance matters.
• Preparing legal memos and presenting them to the Board of Retirement for action or counseling on benefits issues and topics in open and closed session, including advising on the development and refinement of LACERA's policies, procedures, and practices.
• Advising staff and the Board of Retirement in connection with administrative appeals filed by members on benefits issues.
• Processing domestic relations orders submitted by members in connection with the split of pension rights and related issues, including guardianship, and conservatorship, and reviewing Powers of Attorney.
• Supervising the activities of legal staff and outside counsel on benefits issues.
• Providing legal support to the Boards, Committees, and staff at meetings in the absence of Senior Benefits Staff Counsel and Chief Counsel.

EXAMPLES OF ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS
To view the complete job description for this classification, please click
REQUIREMENTS
SELECTION REQUIREMENTS:
Four years' experience in the practice of employee benefits law, tax law related to employee benefit plans, public agency law or a comparable legal specialty.
Other Requirements: Applicants must be able to perform the essential functions of this classification, with or without a reasonable accommodation.
LICENSE:
Admission to practice law in all courts of California
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

• Demonstrated experience providing legal advice with regards to the administration of retirement, health, and other employee benefits.
• Demonstrated experience reviewing court orders regarding dissolution, guardianship, and conservatorship.
• Demonstrated experience making presentations on benefit issues.
• Demonstrated experience advising a board of trustees or directors, or a board level committee, preferably on benefits issues.

How to Submit Your Interest...
If you wish to be considered for this position, please submit your resume along with a cover letter that describes how you meet the selection requirements and any of the desired qualifications listed above, along with 2 writing samples.
Resume, cover letter and 2 writing samples MUST be attached during the submission of your online application. Faxed, emailed, or hard copy submissions will not be accepted. Application submissions without a resume AND cover letter AND 2 writing samples may be disqualified from further consideration.
To submit your interest online, go to or click directly here.Please contact Sharon Norton, Senior Human Resources Analyst at for any questions.
LACERA is an Equal Opportunity Employer
This is not a Civil Service Examination
Employment Information
Any language contained in the job posting supersedes any language contained below.
This document is intended to provide general information about the recruitment process. Applicants with questions about a specific job posting should contact the exam analyst listed on the posting.
Your Responsibilities:
1. Completing Your Application:
a. Before submission of the application, it is your responsibility to ensure that all information provided is correct and complete on the application. Incomplete applications cannot be accepted.
b. List each payroll title separately for each job. Do not group your experience. Specify the beginning and ending dates for each job. If you are a Los Angeles County employee and have held multiple positions, list each position separately. Do NOT list all of your time with the County under your present payroll title.
c. To receive credit, include required documents (e.g., copy of your diploma, transcript, certificate, or license) as directed on the job posting. International degrees in a foreign language must be translated to English and evaluated for equivalency to U.S. standards. Refer to the job posting for specific deadlines for supporting documentation.
2. Requirements on Job Posting:
a. Your application will only be accepted if it clearly shows you meet the requirements. The information you give will determine your eligibility and is subject to verification at any time.
b. You must be at least 16 years of age at the time of appointment unless other age limits are stated on the job posting. The Federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) of 1967, as amended, prohibits discrimination on the basis of age for any individual age 40 or older.
c. Experience is evaluated on the basis of a verifiable 40- hour week, unless specified otherwise. Prorated part-time experience may be acceptable.
3. Application Deadline: All job applications must be completed and submitted before the closing time on the last day of the filing period as indicated on the job posting unless other instructions are provided. Job postings with an open continuous filing period are subject to closure without prior notice. It is to your advantage to file your application early and not wait until the last allowable date and time as you will not be able to apply once the filing period has closed.
4. Change of Name or Address: To change personal information such as your name or address, log into your profile on and make the necessary change. This can be done at any time.
5. Equal Employment Opportunity/Non-Discrimination Policy:
a. It is the policy of the Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association (LACERA) to provide equal employment opportunity for all qualified persons, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, disability, or any other characteristic protected by state or federal law. b. If you are an individual requesting reasonable accommodation(s) in the examination process, please contact the testing accommodation coordinator listed on the job posting. The provision of accommodation(s) may be subject to verification, consistent with state and federal law. All accommodation-related information will remain confidential.
Disclaimer: The Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association (LACERA) is not responsible or in any way liable for any computer hardware or software malfunction that may affect the employment application or the application selection process.
You assume all responsibility and risk for the use of this system and the Internet generally. This system and the information provided on it are provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. No advice or information given by LACERA or its respective staff members shall modify the foregoing or create any warranty.
LACERA expressly disclaims any warranty that the information on this system or on the Internet generally will be uninterruptible or error free or that any information, software or other material accessible from the system is free of viruses or other harmful components. You shall have no recourse against LACERA as the system provider for any alleged or actual infringement of any proprietary rights a user may have in anything posted or retrieved on our system.
LACERA shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, punitive, incidental, special or consequential damages arising out of or in any way connected with the use of this system or with the delay or inability to use it (or any linked sites), or for any information obtained through this system, or otherwise arising out of the use of this system, the Internet generally or on any other basis.
NOTE: Your application is submitted using Secure Encryption to ensure the privacy of all information you transmit over the Internet.
By accepting the Use Disclaimer set forth herein, you agree to all of the above terms and further agree to use this Online Job Employment Application System only for the submission of bona fide employment applications to the County of Los Angeles. Any other use of this Online Job Employment Application System, including without limitation any copying, downloading, translating, decompiling, or reverse engineering of the system, data, or related software, shall be a violation of the Use Disclaimer.
Veteran's Credit: In all open competitive examinations, a veteran's credit of 10 percent of the total credits specified for such examinations will be added to the final passing grade of an honorably discharged veteran who served in the Armed Forces of the United States under any of the following conditions: During a declared war; -or- During the period April 28, 1952 through July 1, 1955; -or- For more than 180 consecutive days, other than for training, any part of which occurred after January 31, 1955, and before October 15, 1976; -or- During the Gulf War from August 2, 1990 through January 2, 1992; -or- For mor...