Research Analyst

About TRS

The Teachers Retirement System of the State of Illinois (TRS) is one of the largest pension systems in the United States. We provide retirement disability and survivor benefits to teachers administrators and other public-school personnel employed outside the city of Chicago. The System serves over 462000 members and had assets of $83.7 billion as of February 28 2026. TRS is governed by a 15-member Board of Trustees.

Mission Statement

Delivering expert pension service to Illinois public educators as they earn their promised retirement security.

Job Summary

Under the direction of the Director of Research the Research Analyst supports the Teachers Retirement System (TRS) through advanced research data analysis and policy evaluation. This position plays a key role in analyzing actuarial financial and legislative data to inform decision-making and ensure TRS remains compliant with state and federal regulations.

The Research Analyst will work closely with actuaries TRS legislative consultants and internal leadership to evaluate the financial and operational impacts of proposed legislation assist in actuarial and statistical data collection and develop analytical tools and reports to support strategic initiatives. The ideal candidate possesses a strong foundation in data analytics public policy and quantitative research as well as the ability to clearly communicate findings to technical and non-technical audiences.

Essential Functions

• Collect analyze and interpret financial actuarial and statistical data to support internal reporting forecasting and legislative analysis.
• Conduct research on proposed legislation and evaluate potential impacts to TRS funding benefits and operations; prepare summaries and cost analyses for leadership and legislative audiences.
• Serve as a secondary liaison between the Research Department and the TRS actuary Illinois State Actuary and other external partners to coordinate data and ensure accuracy of reports and assumptions.
• Develop maintain and enhance Power BI dashboards SQL-based reports and other analytical tools to visualize and communicate key insights to leadership and stakeholders.
• Assist in the preparation of the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) Actuarial Valuation and Experience Analysis reports.
• Support the development and documentation of business processes workflows and data management standards to improve efficiency and data integrity.
• Respond to internal and external data requests including legislative inquiries Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and state or federal agency data calls.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with IT Finance and Communications teams to ensure alignment and consistency in reporting and analysis.
• Assist with presenting research findings and analytical insights to the Board of Trustees senior management and other stakeholders.
• Stay informed on pension policy trends economic developments and emerging data analytics tools and techniques.

Knowledge Skills and Abilities

• Strong analytical and quantitative skills; ability to interpret and explain complex data clearly.
• Demonstrated experience using BI and data visualization tools (e.g. Power BI Tableau) and working knowledge of SQL or similar data query languages.
• Understanding of actuarial financial or economic concepts as they relate to pension systems state funding or public sector finance.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills including the ability to communicate effectively with legislators actuaries and executive leadership.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively under tight deadlines in a dynamic environment.
• Strong organizational problem-solving and project management abilities.
• High attention to detail and accuracy.
• Familiarity with legislative processes and the ability to interpret statutes and policy proposals preferred.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelors degree in Economics Statistics Mathematics Data Analytics Public Policy or a related field.
• Masters degree in a related field and/or experience working with pension or retirement systems preferred.
• Minimum of five (5) years of progressive experience in data analysis research or policy evaluation preferably in a pension actuarial or government setting.
• Proficiency in data analytics tools such as Power BI SQL Excel or Python/R.
• Experience preparing and presenting technical information for executive and legislative audiences.