Retirement Benefits Counselor

State of North Carolina•3200 Atlantic Ave Wake, NC

1d•$47,703 - $83,479•Hybrid

About The Position

The Retirement Benefits Counselor assists active and retired state and local government employees, beneficiaries, employers, and agencies with retirement and benefit inquiries. The counselor educates customers about benefit programs administered by the Retirement Systems Division and explains statutes and legislative interpretations. The Counseling Center responds to phone calls and emails from across North Carolina, handling questions that range from simple to highly complex and requiring research and follow-up. The position applies laws, codes, Attorney General opinions, and procedural guides across numerous state and local retirement, insurance, disability, and supplemental retirement plans. It assesses individual member situations under current statutes and regulations and communicates decisions to involved parties. The role also provides technical assistance to agencies and HR professionals on procedures and reporting requirements, and researches complex benefit provisions in light of cumulative statutory and regulatory changes. The position requires successful completion of an eight-week new-hire training class, ongoing quarterly refresher trainings and assessments, a three-day customer-service phone-interaction training, and ongoing weekly quality assessments based on randomly selected call recordings. The position is currently eligible for a hybrid telework arrangement with routine office and remote workdays; this arrangement may change at management’s discretion. The anticipated hiring rate is up to $56,865, and the listed salary range is $47,703–$83,479. The position is subject to FLSA overtime.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree from an appropriately accredited institution and two years of experience related to the area of assignment, or an equivalent combination of training and experience.
Knowledge of retirement, insurance benefits, financial planning, and customer-service principles, practices, and processes.
Ability to troubleshoot and resolve login errors and diagnose system issues to implement effective solutions.
Skill in using Microsoft Office applications, including Outlook, Word, and PowerPoint.
Must complete the mandatory eight-week new-hire training and required ongoing trainings and assessments.

Nice To Haves

Two years’ experience interpreting and communicating employee benefits effectively.
Two years’ experience working in a call center environment.

Responsibilities

Counsel and educate active and retired employees, beneficiaries, employers, and agencies about retirement and benefit programs administered by the Retirement Systems Division.
Explain and apply interpretations of laws, codes, Attorney General opinions, and procedural guides related to covered retirement, insurance, disability, and supplemental retirement plans.
Assess individual member situations under current statutes and regulations and communicate appropriate decisions to involved parties.
Provide technical assistance to agencies and HR professionals on retirement-system procedures and reporting requirements.
Provide information to administrative and personnel officials of agencies covered by the retirement plans.
Research complex benefit provisions and account for the effects of statutory and regulatory changes over time.
Respond to customer inquiries by phone and email, including complex cases requiring additional research and follow-up.
Complete required initial and ongoing training, knowledge assessments, and call-quality assessments.