Benefits Specialist

Job Description

The Benefits Specialist is a key member of the Benefits team within the Division of Human Resources. This role has the primary responsibility of coordinating and conducting new hire orientation for in-person and virtual attendees (including scheduling, assisting with determining content delivered to employees and coordination of presenters (within Benefits and external presenters). The specialist is responsible for providing information for employees to make timely decisions regarding benefit elections and following up to ensure that enrollment and other forms are submitted timely. The Benefits Specialist oversees the administration of optional benefits which includes collaborating with outside vendors and other internal stakeholders, as well as employees), and is the primary contact for Virginia Retirement System purchase of prior service. The Benefits Specialist is responsible for reconciliation functions related to benefits to ensure the accuracy of premiums withheld and remitted to third party benefits providers. The position serves as a backup for processing transactions to bill benefit recipients for premiums (when applicable) and provides support in a variety of roles: ensuring that transactions related to health insurance/medical benefits (including COBRA and FSA), and voluntary retirement benefits are processed accurately and timely, providing provide administrative support for the team and support to the Human Resources Service Center team as needed. This position will be tasked with analyzing data and producing reports for a variety of purposes including benchmarking and data metrics. The role requires strong communication skills (both verbal and written) to clearly convey information to employees and the ability to interpret information/communication received from employees, team members, vendors and other stakeholders.

Required Qualifications

• Experience creating presentations and comfortably presenting to of large, diverse groups of people.

• Experience providing administrative and/or program support in an academic or professional environment.

• Experience maintaining, interpreting and applying policies and procedures (preferably related to Human Resources.

• Proficient with MS Office, particularly Outlook, Excel, Word and PowerPoint.

• Proven ability to utilize tools, such as MS Excel, to audit data, prepare reports, and perform reconciliations

• Comfortable preparing professional correspondence such as letters and announcements to targeted groups or global employee communications.

• Experience utilizing relational databases (such as Human Capital Management/HR Systems)

• Ability to work within the guidelines of federal and state regulations relating to benefits.

• Ability to independently organize, plan, prioritize work, and handle multiple tasks simultaneously.

• Ability to effectively research, interpret and disseminate information related to regulations, policies and procedures to a a large, diverse employee population

• Ability to analyze data, draw conclusions, exercise sound judgment, compile data to prepare reports and present findings.

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills and ability to interact comfortably with all individuals in a diverse multicultural environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Benefits experience such as conducting new employee orientation, retirement plans and/or administration of other benefits programs or general human resources experience.

• Bachelor's degree in human resources, business or a related field or equivalent level of training and/or experience.

• Experience working within guidelines of government regulations relating to benefits administration or experience with benefits administration in higher education.

• Demonstrated experience with retirement, group health care plans and other benefits including but not limited to life insurance, leave, disability insurance and workers compensation.

• Experience overseeing and/or delivering new employee orientation programs for in-person and virtual attendees.

• Experience with large volume Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems such as Banner.

Pay Band

4

Appointment Type

Regular

Salary Information

Commensurate with experience with a salary range up to $46,000 per year

Review Date

July 15, 2024

Additional Information

The successful candidate will be required to have a criminal conviction check.

About Virginia Tech

Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech pushes the boundaries of knowledge by taking a hands-on, transdisciplinary approach to preparing scholars to be leaders and problem-solvers. A comprehensive land-grant institution that enhances the quality of life in Virginia and throughout the world, Virginia Tech is an inclusive community dedicated to knowledge, discovery, and creativity. The university offers more than 280 majors to a diverse enrollment of more than 36,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students in eight undergraduate colleges, a school of medicine, a veterinary medicine college, Graduate School, and Honors College. The university has a significant presence across Virginia, including the Innovation Campus in Northern Virginia; the Health Sciences and Technology Campus in Roanoke; sites in Newport News and Richmond; and numerous Extension offices and research centers. A leading global research institution, Virginia Tech conducts more than $500 million in research annually.

Virginia Tech does not discriminate against employees, students, or applicants on the basis of age, color, disability, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, or military status, or otherwise discriminate against employees or applicants who inquire about, discuss, or disclose their compensation or the compensation of other employees or applicants, or on any other basis protected by law.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Marisela Garza at garza87@vt.edu during regular business hours at least 10 business days prior to the event.