Benefits Specialist

City of Myrtle Beach•Sc, SC

About The Position

The Benefits Specialist performs administrative and technical work assisting applicants, employees, and retirees with benefits questions and account administration. The role emphasizes benefits communication, outreach, and vendor oversight, and helps keep employees, prospective new hires, and retirees informed throughout the year. It supports a primary employee group and/or retiree group and provides cross-coverage for the other as needed. The position administers employee benefit programs and related records, coordinates with vendors and payroll, supports broker management, and helps evaluate available services and coverage. It also supports open enrollment, benefits meetings, new-hire orientations, year-round employee communications, onsite wellness services, and retiree benefits administration. Additional work includes preparing benefits materials and reports, responding to inquiries, maintaining awareness of applicable regulations, and coordinating with employees, retirees, providers, City officials, and other parties.

Requirements

Associate’s degree or higher; coursework in human resources, business, public administration, communications, or insurance is preferred.
Two years of related experience in employee benefits administration, preferably including group health and life insurance.
Knowledge of benefits administration, risk management, and customer service principles.
Skills in organizing, persuading, time management, coordinating projects or programs, and performing basic arithmetic and interpreting graphs.
Ability to establish effective work relationships, listen, build rapport, meet deadlines, and use resources efficiently.
Ability to assess data using established criteria, operate relevant equipment and tools, use reference and advisory information, and interpret written, oral, diagrammatic, or schedule-based instructions.
Ability to exercise independent judgment, adapt methods and standards to assigned objectives, and make decisions involving evaluation against measurable or verifiable criteria.
Ability to communicate and coordinate effectively with employees, retirees, vendors, City officials, members of the public, and other parties.

Nice To Haves

Experience in employee communications or customer service.
Certified Employee Benefit Specialist (CEBS), Group Benefits Associate (GBA), or similar benefits-related certification.

Responsibilities

Administer employee benefits programs, including health, disability and life insurance, employee assistance, retirement, deferred compensation, unreimbursed medical and dependent care, COBRA, and other plans.
Maintain benefits and payroll data in human resources information systems; coordinate data transfers to vendors, plan providers, and payroll; and prepare vendor payment requests.
Verify employment information, reconcile insurance billings, and assist with bi-weekly payroll production.
Participate in evaluating and recommending insurance services, coverage, and options; support broker management and maintain a benefits consultant performance scorecard.
Coordinate with vendors to ensure wellness incentive payments are correct and to arrange vendor participation in the annual employee benefit fair.
Assist with open enrollment, benefits meetings, and new-hire orientations; explain benefits and enrollment procedures; collect and enter enrollment information; and submit enrollment details to providers.
Develop and deliver year-round benefits communications, including materials for employees without regular computer access.
Coordinate and staff department road trips to provide onsite benefits information, answer questions, and support enrollment.
Coordinate and promote onsite health services, such as mobile mammography visits, dental clinics, and flu clinics.
Prepare and distribute retiree-specific benefits communications and support retiree benefits administration, including tracking RHRA balances, coordinating payments, notifying retirees of balances, and assisting with reimbursement claims and annual premium reimbursement updates.
Communicate benefit program changes, procedures, and government-mandated disclosures to employees, retirees, and Council members.
Address routine questions and complaints, research issues, initiate resolution, and respond to public inquiries.
Serve as the primary contact for an assigned employee group and provide cross-coverage as needed.
Prepare and process benefits forms, reports, correspondence, invoices, policies and procedures manuals, brochures, pamphlets, and reference materials.
Perform administrative tasks in support of department activities, stay aware of regulatory and professional developments, and comply with applicable laws and rules.
Communicate and coordinate with supervisors, employees, retirees, benefit providers, vendors, City officials, the public, outside agencies, and others.
Operate a personal computer, general office equipment, and relevant word-processing, spreadsheet, database, or other software.
Perform other related duties as required, requested, and assigned.