Generalist Benefits- Enrollment And Onboarding

Bargaining Unit: Exempt

Work Year: 12 months

Work day: 8 hours per day

FTE: Full time, 1.0 FTE

Salary: $75,000 - $76,000, DOE

Job Summary

The Benefits Generalist for enrollment and onboarding oversees benefit enrollment processes and eligibility for Anchorage School District employees and dependents. The generalist verifies benefit coverage, employment status changes impacting benefits, and responds to inquiries about ASD's health, leave, and retirement plans. Generalists collaborate with Human Resources Division staff in the management and maintenance of employee records and information systems, including confidential information relevant to benefits, employment actions, and collective bargaining. Generalists are responsible for ensuring confidentiality and compliance with laws and procedures. The position has a retirement association with the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS).

Job Requirements

The following are required:

• A bachelor's degree. Equivalent experience, education, and training may be considered in lieu of the degree requirement.

• Possession of one of the following certifications within 12 months of date of hire: Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS) certification, Certified Compensation Professional (CCP), Professional Human Resources (PHR), or Senior Professional Human Resources (SPHR) certification or equivalent, such as SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP.

• Three years of experience in and knowledge of working with employee benefits.

The following are preferred:

• Thorough knowledge of ASD's benefit plans/provisions and prior experience with human resources information systems.

• Knowledge of Alaska statutes of the Teachers' and Public Employees' Retirement Systems (TRS and PERS) and 403(B)/457(B) defined contribution retirement plans.

• Intermediate to advanced knowledge of Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Word including high proficiency with spreadsheets and HRIS management tools.

• Experience working within a large organization with a unionized workforce, particularly in a public school district or public higher education setting.

• Prior project management and HRIS report writing experience.

• Experience with public speaking.

Essential Job Functions

• Serves as the liaison between the Anchorage School District and the employee group health trust contacts, ASD health insurance third party administrators, and benefit vendors.

• Serves as primary contact for benefit inquires from employees, dependents, and outside entities.

• Reviews employee information and reports and ensures benefits offers, coverages, and deductions are accurate.

• Provides user support for Benefits Department computer kiosks. Collaborates with Benefits staff and provides training as needed on the benefits platform.

• Responsible for planning and facilitating benefits orientations.

• Coordinates employee enrollment in all applicable benefits such as medical, dental, vision, life, Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA), Health Savings Accounts (HSA), and voluntary benefits.

• Reviews and tracks notices of resignation and bargaining unit and FTE changes and informs appropriate parties of benefit eligibility changes.

• Collaborates with vendors/plan contacts and internal departments to resolve service issues and responds to inquiries regarding employee benefits.

• Assists with planning, organizing, and coordinating department events.

• Collaborates with department staff to ensure accuracy of internal/external benefits forms and communications such as benefit summary guides, benefit flyers, and benefit presentations.

• Assists with development and maintenance of process manuals.

• Responds to inquiries from employees, administrators, and the general public, interpreting state laws, Anchorage School Board policies, negotiated agreements, and benefits business practices.

• Provides support as needed for the leave, benefits, and retirement functions through cross training, ensuring continuity of workflow and exceptional employee experience.

• Exemplifies and ensures a department service culture of excellence in customer service and collaboration with Benefits internal and external customers.

• Collaborates with the senior director in review and monitoring of benefit business practices, including, but not limited to, department operations, onboarding practices, contract/law compliance, and records management, supporting with collaborative counsel in these areas to Benefits staff and customers.

• Collaborates with the senior director in the management, maintenance, and auditing of benefits data and required reports.

• Collaborates with the Labor Relations Department as assigned.

• Assists with the development, preparation, generation, and analysis of ongoing and ad hoc reports pertaining to benefits information.

• Adapts established procedures to practical situations, makes decisions, develops recommendations for system improvements, manages multiple tasks, organizes, plans, prioritizes, and implements/completes assignments.

• Assists in development of departmental goals, objectives, and systems.

• Communicates effectively verbally and in writing with all levels of management, supervision, and other ASD personnel.

• May attend and present at benefits and retirement seminars as required.

• Updates job knowledge by participating in conferences and educational opportunities, reading professional publications, and participating in professional organizations.

• Establishes and maintains effective working relationships with others, especially from a consultative perspective.

Physical /Mental Demands

The physical demands of this job require frequent standing, walking, sitting, speaking and hearing. Specific visual abilities are also required. The employee is regularly required to reach with his/her hands and arms and occasionally lift items weighing less than 40 lbs. Additionally, the employee must be able to understand vague and implicit instructions, be able to readily recall facts and details, handle conflict and make effective decisions under pressure. The employee must have the ability to effectively manage the stress of working with students, parents, and other employees representing diverse cultures, personalities, and work styles in a dynamic work environment.

The Anchorage School District is committed to providing reasonable accommodations, according to applicable state and federal laws, to all individuals with a qualified physical or mental disability.

Work Environment

Work is performed in a professional environment with a wide variety of individuals having differing functions, personalities and abilities, including working with diverse groups of people in a variety of different settings.

While performing the duties of this job the employee may be regularly exposed to a video display. The employee may be exposed to outdoor weather conditions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Additional Job Information

This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee(s) in this position. Employees will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job related duties as requested by any person authorized to give instructions or assignments.

Anchorage School District (ASD) employees must possess the ability to read and write in English. This also includes the ability to communicate in English with school staff, co-workers, and the public; as well as have the ability to comprehend and carry out oral and written directions and understand and follow English instructions and written documents.

Offers of employment are contingent upon completion of a satisfactory criminal background check. For certificated positions, this is in addition to the background check conducted through the certification process with the Alaska State Department of Education and Early Development (DEED).

This position may be required to work in ASD facilities on the military installations (JBER). Please visit the government REAL ID website for additional information.

The Anchorage School District is an equal employment opportunity employer.