EMPLOYEE BENEFITS SPECIALIST III

State of careers Rhode Island

About The Position

Within the Department of Administration (DOA), Office of Employee Benefits and at the highest level of expertise; to assist in the administration and maintenance of a variety of employee benefit programs as provided for in state and federal law; including active employee and retiree medical/prescription, dental and, vision coverage programs, active employee and retiree, group term life, legal coverage, dependent care and, flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts, deferred compensation, COBRA, and other programs; and to do related work as required.

Requirements

A thorough knowledge of and the ability to interpret the laws, rules and regulations governing the administration and maintenance of active employee and retiree benefit programs, including but not limited to, medical/prescription, dental and vision coverage, group term life insurance, legal coverage, dependent care and flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts, deferred compensation, COBRA and other programs and the ability to apply the principles, practices and techniques of administering and maintaining said programs
A working knowledge of federal tax laws and state regulations that impact employee benefit programs
The ability to develop and implement methods and procedures necessary for the effective administration of employee benefit programs
The ability to meet and work effectively with employees, public officials, insurance representatives, union officials and others concerned with employee benefit programs
The ability to prepare concise correspondence, as well as gather, compile and prepare data for required reports
Possession of a bachelor’s degree with specialization in public administration, human resource management, finance, or a related program
Employment in a responsible professional position involving the implementation and administration of an employee benefits program
Or, any combination of education and experience that shall be substantially equivalent to the above education and experience.

Responsibilities

Assist in the administration and maintenance of a variety of employee benefit programs as provided for in state and federal law.
Perform a full range of complex professional assignments in the field of employee benefits, including enforcement of the State’s section 125 cafeteria plan, management and enforcement of the State’s policy related to continuing benefits eligibility for employees on unpaid leave, management of the State’s billing process for benefits contributions for employees on unpaid leave, planning and design/execution of employee wellness programming, management of web-based employee benefits enrollment platform, and oversight of regular data transmissions from web-based employee benefits enrollment platform to external employee benefits vendors.
Provide exceptional customer service to agency HR departments, active state employees and retirees, answering telephonic, email and web-based inquiries in a timely manner and resolving benefits related issues.
Act as a direct contact with external vendors client services representatives for service issues, problem resolution and technical support.
Manage the response to and the resolution of the most complex benefits-related inquiries, specifically including those generated from leaves of absence, retirements, and union grievances.
Ensure compliance with federal tax laws and state regulations that impact employee benefit programs.
Attend conferences and meetings with or on behalf of superior with other senior state officials and outside consultants/vendors and prepare reports/analyses thereon as required.
Prepare Office of Employee Benefits communications materials, including emails, letters, rate charts and comparison tables.
Gather and prepare information required for use as a basis for important financial and insurance program decisions.
Interact with the Controller's Office in the preparation, and reconciliation of information used to coordinate the deductions from employee pay of benefit plan contributions and to supply data as needed for accounting audits.
Perform complex administrative and professional tasks involved with the implementation and administration of employee benefit projects and programs that affect all departments and agencies of state government.
Review and evaluate of existing policies, procedures, and programs as to their effectiveness and to initiate improvements as determined by an administrator.
Assist with the administration of the State's various deferred compensation plans, including the review of in-service financial hardship distributions requests as necessary and the provisions of customer service to active and retired employees regarding enrollment, contribution management and fund access.
Prepare reports and correspondence on the various employee benefit programs using various software applications such as Outlook, Excel, and Word.
Coordinate benefit onsite events with the various agencies and benefit plan providers.
Interact with agency HR payroll officers to coordinate corrections and recoupment of employee benefits contributions.
To do related work as required.