Retirement Specialist I

State of Nebraska•Lincoln, NE

10d•$18 - $27•Onsite

About The Position

The Nebraska Public Employees Retirement Systems (NPERS) is seeking a Retirement Specialist I to join a new, evolving team. This position is ideal for someone looking to start a career in state government, with a passion for helping others, the ability to learn many processes, and the desire to work towards a common goal. The role involves assisting plan members through the retirement process, reviewing retirement paperwork, and calculating retirement benefits.

Requirements

At least one year of coursework, training, and/or experience in office support functions, including providing customer service, and/or experience providing service to recipients about benefit plan guidelines.
Any equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered.
Desire and curiosity to learn as an individual and as part of a team.
Possess effective oral and written communication skills.
Willingness to help create or update procedures during training and as part of our team.
Maintain and ensure the confidentiality and security of sensitive information.
Strong ability to accurately and independently research, analyze, and draw logical conclusions from written and numerical data.
Ability to operate office equipment, understand and apply instructions, and file and retrieve records.
Knowledge and experience with Excel and Word (Microsoft Office Suite products).
Ability to learn and apply new technical knowledge as required.
Knowledge of office procedures; basic math calculations; English grammar, spelling, punctuation, and composition for purposes of recognizing and correcting errors in correspondence.
Ability to have regular and punctual attendance to support deadline driven processing.
Fosters and facilitates communication through cooperation, empathy, trust building, and respect when communicating with members, employers, and teammates.
Ability to interact, communicate, and engage with diverse people and create positive and productive internal and external relationships.
Remain adaptive and flexible to changing work priorities.
Displays a high level of initiative, effort, attention to detail, and commitment by completing assignments efficiently with general supervision.

Nice To Haves

A Bachelor’s degree
Experience processing retirement plan refunds, annuities, and/or other retirement distributions
Experience composing and conducting business correspondence and communications

Responsibilities

Reviews and audits death benefit applications, legal documentation, and incoming paperwork to ensure compliance with internal procedures and state statutes.
Identifies deceased retirement system members by monitoring third-party reports, online obituaries, and agency records, and initiates benefit suspensions to prevent overpayments.
Calculates death and family survivor benefit estimates for various state and county retirement plans under applicable rules and regulations.
Corresponds with beneficiaries, family members, and legal representatives via written and oral communication to explain death benefit processes, outline plan options, and request necessary documentation.
Establishes and monitors accounts receivable records for benefit overpayments, coordinates collection attempts, and maintains accurate tracking logs.
Conducts research on member accounts regarding Required Minimum Distributions, unclaimed property, and direct deposit discrepancies.
Manages the administrative processing of returned mail, returned checks, and the secure return of original vital records (e.g., death certificates) to families.
Answers inquiries from internal staff, Member Services, and outside stakeholders regarding death benefit rules, timelines, and account updates.
Other duties as assigned.