Benefit Counseling Coordinator

Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS)•El Paso, TX

7d•Onsite

About The Position

In the Pension Services Division, we cultivate connection with our more than 2 million valued members by striving for excellence through counseling and administering benefits for retirees, active members, and employers. It is our goal to ensure our members have personalized service for pension benefits every day. Joining our fast-paced team you’ll have the opportunity to create meaningful experiences by learning the ins and outs of our business alongside a committed and collaborative community. Through coaching and mentorship, you’ll gain the skills you need to achieve your career goals at TRS while earning member trust and making a positive impact in their lives. The Benefit Counseling Coordinator is responsible for coordinating visitor appointments and providing support for Benefit Counseling operations in the El Paso Regional Office. The incumbent will greet and direct visitors, coordinat visitor appointments with Benefit Counselors, aid in scheduling benefit meetings and presentations, and provide general office support. This position will proactively work with Regional Office Counseling team, Benefit Counseling coordinators, Pension Services staff, and agency employees. This is an onsite position Monday - Friday at our Regional Office in El Paso, TX.

Requirements

High School Diploma or GED.
Education and experience may substitute for one another.
Three (3) years of full-time experience providing complex administrative support in a professional office environment. Qualifying experience must include:
Drafting correspondence and other materials,
Scheduling and maintaining appointment and meeting calendars,
Interaction with business professional and the general public,
Adhering to protocols with discretion on confidential or sensitive matters,
Managing complex confidential customer information in a public setting.
Experience may be concurrent.
Current designation as a Notary Public, or must be obtained within 6 months of employment.

Nice To Haves

Associates or Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
Bilingual in English and Spanish.
Ability to type at least 45 words per minute.
General office practices and procedures.
State government and TRS rules, regulations, policies and procedures.
Using a computer in a windows environment with spreadsheet, word processing, presentation, database, and other business software to prepare correspondence, spreadsheets, graphs, charts, and reports.
Planning, organizing, and prioritizing work assignments to manage a high-volume workload in a fast-paced and changing environment and in completing detailed work with a high degree of accuracy.
Analyzing problems and devising effective solutions.
Accurately performing data entry.
Organizing and maintaining electronic files, forms, and other materials.
Providing quality customer service.
Effective verbal communication, including telephone communication and active listening skills.
Establish and maintain harmonious working relationships with co-workers, agency staff, and external contacts.
Work effectively in a professional team environment.
Work occasional overtime or extended hours as needed.

Responsibilities

Coordinates the scheduling of visitor appointments with Benefit Counselors.
Coordinates with Benefit Processing Department staff to ensure files and records are ready for scheduled office visit appointments
Monitors counselor availability and assigns visitors to available counselors.
Monitors email for high-priority inquiries/requests and provides timely and accurate responses.
Maintains department appointment calendar utilizing scheduling software.
Obtains member files and other required information and provides to the counselor for review prior to scheduled appointments, including requesting information from Benefit Processing as needed.
Greets all visitors in the TRS El Paso Regional Office lobby and directs to appropriate TRS staff and/or meeting locations.
Answers incoming calls to TRS’ main telephone line; appropriately directs calls; provides basic information regarding TRS processes; and enters data necessary for Benefit Counselors to return member calls.
Works in coordination with security staff to ensure appropriate visitor check-in procedures.
Assists Benefit Counselors with scheduled appointments and walk-ins by providing and collecting any necessary documentation or basic information prior to meeting with counselor.
Maintains a detailed schedule of meeting/presentation dates, cities, venues and assigned counselors.
Identifies available meeting rooms and coordinates room set up for in-house meetings, including reserving required supplies and equipment.
Assists with preparing travel itineraries for Benefit Counselors.
Maintains and updates department travel spreadsheets and staff calendars.
Assists with preparing travel itineraries for Benefits Counselors.
Assists in coordinating with school districts, higher education, and other agencies, primarily via telephone and email, to arrange appointments and regional benefit meetings, and informs appropriate staff.
Provides general office administrative support, including but not limited to composing and/or typing routine correspondence, work processing forms and other documents; timekeeping, sorting and distributing incoming and outgoing mail, copying, and maintaining files.
Processes requests for personal identification numbers from TRS Members.
Responds to routine telephone and in-person inquiries regarding basic TRS services.
Notarizes documents for TRS members and staff.
Provides back-up support and assistance to other Benefit Counseling administrative support staff.
Assists other departments within Pension Services with processing member request, such as but not limited to; returned mail, and updating demographic information.
Maintains office supplies inventory and ensures operation of equipment.
Maintains supply forms, brochures, and handbooks and ensures member meeting rooms remain stocked with these items.
Maintains knowledge of records retention policies and assists Benefit Counseling operations to support annual records retention project.
Maintains files, logs, and other record keeping systems.
Participates on special projects and work groups as needed.
Performs related work as assigned.