Human Resources Specialist (Employee Benefits)

Human Resources Specialist (Employee Benefits) Team Lead

The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AO), Department of Administrative Services, Human Resources Office (HRO), Judges Compensation and Retirement Division (JCRD) is seeking a self-motivated and experienced Human Resources Specialist (Employee Benefits) to serve as Team Lead in the JCRD. This position reports to the JCRD Assistant Chief. JCRD is responsible for managing multiple unique retirement systems for retired Supreme Court justices and federal judges, and the survivor annuity system for their spouses. In addition, the division coordinates with other AO divisions on personnel actions, monthly payroll processing, benefits, and other requests for retired justices, judges, and their surviving spouses. The Human Resources Specialist (Employee Benefits) must have excellent communication, strong interpersonal, organizational, and analytical skills. The ideal candidate must have experience in a team environment, and the ability to work collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders.

The duties of this position include, but are not limited to:

1. Leading and overseeing the Judges Retirement and Advisory Services Team, ensuring effective operations, high performance, and alignment with organizational priorities.
2. Managing workload distribution and ensuring quality control, including reviewing work products for accuracy, consistency, and compliance with policies and procedures.
3. Overseeing and managing retirement and survivor benefit cases for justices, judges, and their spouses, including handling complex and sensitive matters requiring a high degree of expertise and discretion.
4. Ensuring accurate calculation of pay and annuities for justices, judges, and survivors, in accordance with statutes, regulations, and standard operating procedures.
5. Providing expert-level counseling and advisory services to justices, judges, and their spouses on pay, benefits, and retirement programs, including the Judicial Retirement Systems, Civil Service Retirement System, Federal Employees Retirement System, Judicial Survivors' Annuities System, Thrift Savings Plan, Federal Employees Health Benefits, Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance, Judiciary-specific retirement programs, Social Security and Medicare.
6. Representing the AO in national outreach efforts, including delivering presentations on pay, benefits, and retirement planning at circuit judicial conferences, Federal Judicial Center orientations and workshops, and other judiciary-wide meetings and events.
7. Supporting the annual actuarial valuation and audit processes for the Judicial Retirement and Survivors Annuities Funds, ensuring accuracy, accountability, and compliance with financial and program requirements.
8. Preparing and reviewing written communications to judges and their spouses regarding benefits, retirement, and related programs, ensuring clarity, accuracy, and consistency.
9. Providing substantive input to division leadership on employee performance, including contributions to semi-annual and annual evaluations and ongoing staff development.
10. Leading and contributing to the development and maintenance of procedures, forms, and policy guidance, including drafting and updating standard operating procedures, agency specific forms for judges, content in the Guide to Judicial Policy, and other judges' pay, benefits, and retirement programs publications.