Senior Specialist, Benefits and Wellness

Job Summary Assists with the administration of the State of Texas Employees Retirement System of Texas (ERS) benefits programs for Health and Optional Welfare benefit plans. Responsible for providing, developing, and implementing wellness initiatives targeted towards specific needs or requirements based on the ERS wellness strategy including establishing and monitoring partnerships with wellness providers and applicable services. Ensures compliance with the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) and Optional Retirement Program (ORP) retirement plans. Administer Federal protected Family and Medical Leave.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Answer, research, and provide information regarding benefits, leaves, retirement, and wellness to employee inquiries/requests via Benefits group phone and email.Benefits include health, dental, vision, flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts, supplemental life insurance, disability, leaves, voluntary benefits, and retirement plans. Handle the Leave Administration process, from the employee’s initial request through the return to work, for Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and HCC Non FMLA process in accordance with federal, state and HCC policies and procedures.This includes determining leave eligibility by reviewing and approving medical certification forms and accounting for continuous, intermittent, and reduced schedule leave usage, and emailing, or mailing required notices/communications designating leave as FMLA qualifying. May provide coaching and guidance to employees and managers on employee situations related to Benefits and Leaves Administration and Wellness activities. Enter Payroll Status Changes to ensure correct Pay Records based on leave status. Answer questions and resolve Payroll and Leave Balance discrepancies. Verify, calculate, and correct timekeeping and payroll records related to under/overpayments for employees approved for FMLA, Non FMLA, and Worker’s Compensation. Utilize employee interactions to develop communications addressing commonly misunderstood benefit programs and develop communications to address benefit, retirement, wellness, and HCC Leave Regulations education needs. Correspond with employees and process complex benefits enrollments regarding initial benefit enrollment, qualifying life events, and open enrollment options/corrections. May develop, create, and coordinate educational seminars, presentations and webinars related to ERS benefits, wellness, and retirement offerings. Assist in scheduling various health and wellness activities including special events, challenges, health fairs, and health screenings. Participate and assist in managing the annual summer enrollment process.May serve as a backup for presentation of New Employee Benefits Onboarding and College Leadership Program (CLP) training. Conduct account reconciliations and audits for Benefit Elections and Leave Enrollments. Develop and present the communications strategy to Talent Engagement leadership for implementation. Work as part of a team to strategize on intranet content, campaigns, and initiatives pertaining to benefits, leaves, retirement, and wellness Perform other duties, tasks and assignments as required.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education & Experience Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration or related field required Associate’s degree or equivalent certification plus 4 years of human resources experience may be considered in lieu of required degree 3 years experience working with Benefits with a large employer (500+ employees) required Licensing & Certification Valid Texas Driver License Special Skills MS Office Programs Information Management Systems Competencies Delivering High Quality Work Accepting Responsibility Serving Customers Supporting Organizational Goals Driving Continuous Improvement Acting with Integrity Thinking Critically Managing Change Communicating Effectively Working Conditions General Office.Must be able to perform all job requirements with or without reasonable accommodations; remain in a stationary position during shift; move items weighing up to 25 pounds; position self to operate job equipment; apply established protocols in a timely manner.Must access, input and retrieve information from technology devices; communicate with others to accomplish job requirements.May be required to work after hours to include weekends and holidays.

SECURITY SENSITIVE:

This job class may contain positions that are security sensitive and thereby subject to the provisions of Texas Education Code § 51.215 #J-18808-Ljbffr Houston City College