Employee Benefits & Leave Specialist

Job Summary

Under general supervision of the Deputy HR Officer, serves as the initial point of contact for employee inquiries or concerns and administers all employee benefit and leave programs. This position involves extensive communication and interaction with employees and third-party contacts. The position will assist employees with all leave and benefit programs. Ensure accurate administration, regulatory compliance, and consistent communication with employees and leadership while maintaining complete and confidential records. Conduct new hire orientation, ad hoc trainings, and annual open enrollment meetings. This individual must have excellent customer service skills, exceptional attention to detail, and keep tabs on several tasks going on at once to be successful in this position.

Education and Experience Requirements

• Associate’sdegree in business, accounting, or related field; or certification of CEBS, PHR, or SPHR in current standing with three (3) years of relevant work experience with benefit plan administration; or equivalent combination of education and work experience sufficient to perform the duties of the position. Bachelor’s degree, preferred
• Must be bondable to be a Notary Public.
• Valid State of New Mexico Driver's license or able to obtain within six (6) months of employment.

Environmental Factors and Conditions/Physical Requirements

• Work is performed in an office environment; may be subject to repetitive motion such as typing, data entry and vision to monitor; may be subject to extended periods of intense concentration in the review of documents and reports.
• May be subject to bending, reaching, kneeling, and lifting such as retrieving files, records, and reports.
• May be required to flex work schedule during open enrollment and/or wellness fair.
• Work schedule for this position may include working on religious holidays.
• Utilize, process, and navigate the County’s electronic ERP system as necessary and appropriate based on the needs and requirements of this position.

Essential Job Functions

The list that follows is not intended as a comprehensive list; it is intended to provide a representative summary of the major duties and responsibilities. Incumbent may not be required to perform all duties listed, and may be required to perform additional, position-specific tasks.

• Serve as the HR initial point of contact for all benefit inquiries and leave program requests. Assess and provide guidance in accordance with policy and procedure.
• Manage and administer employee leave programs, including but not limited to FMLA, ADA and ADAAA accommodations, disability, retirement, military leave (USERRA), worker’s compensation, leave without pay, and other statutory or organizational leave programs. Successfully liaise between employee, internal departmental contacts, and vendors to ensure timely and successful leave management.
• Conduct effective and interactive new hire orientation as scheduled; shall be a backup for the handbook and compliance training portions of new hire orientation.
• Meet with employees and/or family members to explain leave options, eligibility requirements, timelines, and coordination of benefits.
• Responsible for employee benefit selections and collecting all required documentation to ensure a successful enrollment. Ensure necessary enrollment documents and forms are transmitted to all third-party vendors and any other applicable entity website or contacts, as needed.
• Ensure applicable PERA forms are completed correctly and completely, have required attachments, and are sent to PERA in the required timeframe and ensure Munis NM Retiree Maintenance is updated with necessary changes consistently, timely, and correctly.
• Process life events and change requests as requested; collect required and supporting documents and calculate premium for changes; ensure all information is updated with pertinent entities, send in a timely manner.
• Enter, audit, maintain, and update benefit and leave data in the Human Resources information system and the upkeep of electronic and physical employee medical records and files and shall provide backup support to the HRIS Specialist as needed and assist with personnel filing.
• Must work effectively with the HRIS Specialist by ensuring that information is created and provided for bi-weekly payroll processing by required deadlines for all Personnel Actions.
• Coordinate and manage open enrollment, including employee communications, system build coordination, scheduling and conducting meetings, and developing processes to ensure benefit selections and changes are accurately entered and transferred to administrators.
• Regularly schedule and conduct meetings with benefit and leave vendors to review program performance, resolve issues, and coordinate services.
• Accept and forward to finance any benefit premium received from employees on leave.
• Work with supplemental benefit vendors to ensure enrollment records are up-to-date and maintain changes as necessary; submit appropriate personnel action change request.
• Accurately inform and update any benefit and sub-program to ensure information is up-to-date and accurate for employees leaving the County; send final correspondence email to the former employee.
• Administer leave and benefit programs as defined in the Employee Handbook and ensure compliance with federal and state laws as necessary.
• Monitor the use of unpaid leave; calculate employer portion of premium owed; communicate with payroll, the employee, and the department to distribute leave without pay letters.
• Cross-train with all positions in the Human Resources Department and may be required to perform the duties of those positions; serve as backup to HRIS Specialist in their absence or as needed.
• Responsible for understanding 457(b) plans and coordinating requested changes.
• Plan, develop, and coordinate the annual wellness fair.
• Plan, build, and coordinate the annual retirement seminar, including communications, scheduling, and vendor engagement.
• Process and communicate all aspects of the Educational Assistance Program and Fitness Activities Program in accordance with established policy.
• Ensure compliance with WCAG 2.0 AA and other guidelines determined by the ADA Web Coordinator when making changes to any webpage.
• Perform other job-related duties as assigned.