Benefits Supervisor

State of Illinois • Springfield, WA

9d • Onsite

About The Position

The Benefits Supervisor leads the Survivor and Disability functional area at the Teachers’ Retirement System of the State of Illinois (TRS). Under the direction of the Benefits Manager, the role supervises and coordinates Benefits Analysts’ daily work researching, calculating, verifying, and processing disability, survivor, and applicable reciprocal claims. The Supervisor coordinates workflow and workloads, monitors productivity and quality, coaches and develops staff, and ensures that procedures, policies, statutes, rules, and internal controls are followed.

The Supervisor serves as a technical resource, helps resolve complex or non-routine matters, and escalates significant issues and recommendations to the Benefits Manager. The role supports departmental priorities, process improvements, and projects, and cross-trains in Retirements and Member Accounts and Refunds to provide support during peak periods. The position is based at TRS headquarters in Springfield, Illinois, with stated work hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, Communications, Education, or a related field, or four years of progressive experience in lieu of a degree.
• At least five years of experience in public pension fund member services or pension administration management.
• At least one year in a supervisory or team lead/senior role.
• Demonstrated ability to build and manage effective teams through coaching and constructive feedback.
• Demonstrated time management and priority-setting skills.
• Ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to analyze information logically and demonstrate sound judgment and decision-making.
• Ability to identify alternative solutions to problems.
• Working knowledge of Agile principles, Scrum methodology, and internal controls.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in a public pension plan.

Responsibilities

• Supervise, develop, coach, train, and evaluate assigned Benefits staff, providing ongoing feedback and guidance on performance, productivity, and work quality.
• Direct and coordinate daily workflow, assign and balance workloads, monitor productivity, and ensure production and service deadlines are met.
• Monitor the accuracy, quality, and timeliness of Benefits Analysts’ work and provide technical guidance and corrective direction as needed.
• Advise Benefits staff on applicable pension laws, rules, policies, procedures, and internal controls; resolve routine and moderately complex issues and escalate significant or precedent-setting matters to the Benefits Manager.
• Implement established policies, procedures, internal controls, and approved process changes; identify improvement opportunities and communicate recommendations to the Benefits Manager.
• Review and verify claims, recalculations, and other work prepared by Benefits Analysts, and perform difficult or time-sensitive calculations when needed.
• Coordinate recurring Benefits activities and operational projects, including Mandatory Distribution Research, questionnaires, and reporting requirements.
• Monitor and coordinate timely completion of Daily Action Reports and other required operational activities.
• Assist with testing and implementing approved system enhancements; serve as liaison between Benefits staff and Information Technology when needed or when the Benefits Manager is unavailable.
• Participate in cross-functional project teams and provide Benefits subject matter expertise as assigned.
• Identify staff training and development needs and provide technical or operational training as assigned.
• Work with the Benefits Manager and other Benefits Leaders to promote consistent application of policies, procedures, and practices across Benefits.
• Cross-train in Retirements and Member Accounts and Refunds to support those functional area leaders during peak times.
• Perform other duties as required or assigned.

Benefits

• Medical coverage
• Dental coverage
• Vision coverage
• Participation in the TRS retirement pension plan for employees hired after August 17, 2001
• Option to contribute to additional State of Illinois deferred compensation plans

What This Job Offers

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