Retirement Benefits Counselor
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 statutory details and legislative interpretations. The Counseling Center responds to phone calls and emails statewide, addressing questions ranging from simple to highly complex. Counselors serve as retirement subject matter experts, researching complex situations and following up with a focus on customer service. The role interprets and applies laws, codes, Attorney General opinions, and procedural guides covering numerous state retirement, pension, insurance, and supplemental retirement programs. It assesses individual member circumstances under current regulations and communicates decisions to relevant parties. The position also provides technical assistance to agencies and human resources professionals on procedures and reporting requirements. The role requires successful completion of an eight-week new-hire training class, ongoing quarterly refresher training and assessments, customer-service phone interaction training, and weekly quality assessments based on randomly selected call recordings. The position is currently eligible for hybrid telework with routine office and remote workdays; telework arrangements may change at management’s discretion. The position is subject to FLSA overtime. The anticipated hiring rate is up to $56,865, and the listed salary range is $47,703 to $83,479.
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.
- Ability to complete mandatory training and pass required knowledge and call-quality 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 state and local government employees, beneficiaries, employers, and agencies about retirement and benefit programs.
- Explain statutory details and legislative interpretations and respond to retirement inquiries by phone and email.
- Explain and apply laws, codes, Attorney General opinions, and procedural guides for the retirement, insurance, pension, and supplemental retirement programs administered by the Retirement Systems Division.
- Assess individual member situations using current statutes and regulations and communicate appropriate decisions to involved parties.
- Provide technical assistance to agencies and human resources professionals on retirement-system procedures and reporting requirements.
- Research complicated benefit provisions, accounting for cumulative statutory and regulatory changes and the dates of relevant events.
- Complete required new-hire and ongoing training, knowledge assessments, customer-service training, and call-quality assessments.
Benefits
- Health insurance options
- Standard and supplemental retirement plans
- NC Flex pre-tax benefits program
- Paid vacation leave
- Paid sick leave
- Community service leave
- Paid parental leave for eligible employees
- Eligibility for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program
- Access to a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week campus gym at no cost
- Free employee parking
Stand Out From the Crowd
Upload your resume and get instant feedback on how well it matches this job.
What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
