Benefits Specialist

Job Type:

Benefits Specialist

The Benefits Specialist is responsible for the administration of RAND's benefit programs.

• Serves as the primary contact for RAND employees by presenting general overviews of RAND's benefit programs, along with responding to questions and resolving claim issues.
• Coordinates with benefits carriers related to enrollment, coverage, claim discrepancies, and invoicing matters. Responsible for benefit approvals and tasks in RAND's HCM system (Workday) and processing related changes.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

May perform any or all of the following duties:

• Provide Benefit information, counseling and assistance to new hires, existing, departing and retiring staff, those preparing to go on various leaves, and all qualified status-related changes.
  • Multiple methods are used to communicate benefits information to include orientations, one-on-one meetings, written correspondence and phone conversations.
• Respond to inquiries from RAND staff and retirees about benefits to include enrollment, coverage, claim discrepancies, and billing issues.
  • Carefully research answers and provide accurate information and assistance in a customer-service focused and fast-paced environment.
• Administer benefits programs, such as COBRA and tuition reimbursement, handle employment verification requests, support open enrollment activity, handle administrative and/or benefit-related aspects of medical and paid time off absences, including disability and FMLA.
• Approve a wide variety of tasks and changes into Workday, RAND's HCM system and reference data in PeopleSoft, RAND's legacy system.
  • Additionally, process administrative requests in Workday, including new hires, location and office moves, and staff reclassifications.
• Coordinate with carriers on issues related to enrollment, coverage, claim discrepancies, and invoicing.
  • This also includes coordinating the scheduling and arrangements for benefit educational programs and activities, such as 1:1 retirement plan counseling, flu shot clinics, biometric screenings, etc.
• Perform other duties as assigned in support of Benefits and/or the HR organization to include audits and investigations used to monitor various aspects of human resources and benefit programs.

Qualifications

• HRIS experience required, with Workday preferred.
• Must be proficient with Excel.
• Requires top-notch communication skills (both verbal and written), excellent judgment, a strong customer service orientation, and the ability to handle confidential material and information with the utmost discretion.
• Attention to detail is a must; commitment to high-quality and accurate work is required.
• Possesses excellent organizational and follow-up skills, and functions well in a collaborative, team-oriented environment.
• Must be capable of working independently in a fast-paced environment, managing tasks to completion within timeframes/deadlines, and effectively balancing multiple priorities and assignments.

Education Requirements

• High School Diploma or GED required
• BS/BA degree preferred.
• Benefits/HR certifications (e.g., CEBS, GBA or RPA) are a strong plus.

Experience

• Three to five years of benefits experience is required; six to eight years is preferred, ideally at a medium or large organization.

Location

• Pittsburgh

Salary Range: $64,400 - $96,100

RAND considers a variety of factors when formulating an offer, including but not limited to, the specific role and associated responsibilities; a candidate's work experience, education/training, skills, expertise; and internal equity.The salary range includes base pay plus RAND's sabbatic pay (which provides additional compensation above base pay when vacation is taken). In addition, RAND provides strong benefits including health insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, savings plan, paid time-off and more.

Equal Opportunity Employer