Agency HR Consultant II - Senior Benefits Consultant – EHRA

State of North Carolina

8d • Hybrid

About The Position

The N.C. Department of Information Technology (NCDIT) serves as the Technology Center for the State of NC. Services that NCDIT provides reach a client base of state and local government agencies, as well as schools, colleges and universities. NCDIT’s mission is to enable trusted business-driven solutions that meet the needs of North Carolinians. NCDIT provides technology services to state agencies and is charged with closing the digital divide by expanding availability of broadband services and promoting the adoption of affordable, high-speed internet.

Are you ready to take the next step in your career? We currently have an opening for a HR Consultant II – Senior Benefits Consultant This position may be eligible for hybrid remote work in accordance with state policy and the agency’s remote work program but does require weekly onsite work This vacancy is open to current North Carolina state government and current UNC System employees only or previous NC state government and UNC System employees with unexpired RIF priority re-employment rights. Current temporary employees working in NC state government or in the UNC System will also be considered. The primary purpose of this position is to serve as the Lead Benefits Consultant providing guidance and support as needed to the Benefits Consultant (I) and Benefits Specialist positions. This position provides guidance/support with complex benefits cases including but not limited to Short- and Long-Term Disability, overseeing and providing guidance as needed for QLE approvals and exception requests to the State Health Plan and NCFlex, overseeing and providing support to the leave administration and Leave of Absence programs, etc. Position shall also focus on retirement consultations and delivery of retirement seminars and other benefit training programs. Position serves as the Employee Experience Consultant, involved in the planning and coordination of the employment recognition program, retirement recognition (ordering Governor’s Awards), Governor’s Award of Excellence (GAE), and other related duties.

The Agency HR Consultant II is the Senior Benefits Consultant and is a member of the HR Services team in the HR Division which includes a staff of approximately 34 HR professionals that support an agency of approximately 1,200 employees, including a variety of staff in the IT profession. The HR Services team consists of a HR Manager that supervises (5) HR staff (including this position) overseeing the areas of Employee Benefits, Employee Awards & Recognition, Employee Relations, and Safety and Workers' Compensation.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree, typically in Human Resources or related field from an appropriately accredited institution and 2 years of experience required; OR High school or General Educational Development (GED) diploma and 5 years of progressive experience in Human Resources; or equivalent combination or education and experience.

Nice To Haves

• Demonstrated experience in monitoring/overseeing benefits programs related to State Health Plan, NCFlex, Leave of Absences, Leave programs (FMLA, VSL, CSL, PPL, military leave), Disability, Separations, and retirements. This includes experience in researching and guiding the resolution of various complex benefit program matters, understanding eligibility requirements, and how the benefit programs interact and/or overlap. This requires great familiarity with the HR/Payroll system (time entry, HR actions, payroll), eBenefits system, ORBIT system, as well as resources with the Retirement System, OSHR/NCFlex, State Health Plan, and BEST Shared Services.
• Demonstrated and extensive knowledge and experience with TSERS retirement planning and enrollment processing. Familiarity with ORBIT and with calculating retirement estimates. Knowledge about Medicare enrollment for Medicare eligible retirees that are applying for retirement.
• Demonstrated experience delivering training on the retirement process and other benefit and leave programs.

Responsibilities

• Serving as Lead Benefits Consultant providing guidance and consultation to the two benefits positions. Includes managing and communicating annual open enrollment for the State Health Plan and NCFlex programs, ensuring appropriate communications regarding insurance while employees are out on a leave of absence, reviewing/approving Qualifying Life Events in eBenefits, reviewing/approving exception requests as needed for the State Health Plan and NCFlex, etc.
• Provide guidance/consultation for Short and Long Term Disability benefits, reviewing applications and submitting to the Retirement System Medical Board for review. Able to explain the complexities and comparison of the available benefits to help ensure employees are able to make the best decisions for themselves.
• Provide retirement consultations, explain the retirement process, calculate retirement estimates, understand and explain impact of retirement on health insurance/Medicare benefits. Deliver quarterly retirement seminars to employees that are eligible to retire in the next (5) years.
• Provide guidance/consultation on Leave benefits and the Leave of Absence (LOA) process, including Family Medical Leave (FML), Family Illness Leave (FIL), Paid Parental Leave (PPL), Voluntary Shared Leave (VSL), etc.
• Responsible for developing/maintaining various template letters and email communications for FML designation, FML exhaustion, Death benefits, QLE approvals/denials.
• Coordinating monthly payroll calls to ensure NCDIT HR/Payroll staff have taken all necessary actions for the month to ensure overpayments are avoided.
• Oversees/ensures all benefit tracking logs are updated and maintained accurately (Separation logs, LOA logs, FML logs, QLE logs, Retirement logs, etc.). Reports on a variety of benefits metrics (retirement eligibility stats, retirement consultation stats, retirement stats and trends, LOA reports, etc.).

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level