Job Posting Title:

Benefits Specialist I

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Hiring Department:

Office of the Vice President of People and Talent

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Position Open To:

All Applicants

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Weekly Scheduled Hours:

40

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FLSA Status:

Exempt

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Earliest Start Date:

Immediately

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Position Duration:

Expected to Continue

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Location:

UT MAIN CAMPUS

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Job Details:

General Notes

Security sensitive; criminal background checks conducted on selected candidate. Hiring decision is contingent upon applicant clearing checks.

Your skills will make a difference.

You’ll be working for a university that is internationally recognized for our academic programs and research. Your work will make a difference in the lives of UT staff, thereby enhancing the student experience. If you’re the type of person that wants to know your work has meaning and impact, you’ll like working in our department and for UT Austin. UT Austin provides an outstanding benefits package including but not limited to:

Competitive health benefits (employee premiums covered at 100%, family premiums at 50%)Voluntary Vision, Dental, Life, and Disability insurance optionsGenerous paid vacation, sick time, and holidaysTeachers Retirement System of Texas, a defined benefit retirement plan, with employer matching fundsAdditional Voluntary Retirement Programs: Tax Sheltered Annuity 403(b) and a Deferred Compensation program 457(b)Flexible spending account options for medical and childcare expensesRobust free training access through LinkedIn Learning plus professional conference opportunitiesTuition assistanceExpansive employee discount program including athletic ticketsFree access to UT Austin's libraries and museums with staff ID cardFree rides on all UT Shuttle and Austin CapMetro buses with staff ID cardFor more details, please see: https://hr.utexas.edu/prospective/benefits and https://hr.utexas.edu/current/services/my-total-rewards .

Must be authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis for any employer without sponsorship.

Purpose

To efficiently manage insurance, retirement, leave, and workers’ compensation insurance programs, ensuring compliance with state and federal laws and UT policies, while delivering exceptional service to employees and retirees.

ResponsibilitiesEnsure compliance to state reporting requirements by providing comprehensive workers compensation consulting services including providing information on state laws and interpreting policies, procedures, and practices.Assessing injured employee needs related to WCI issues including coaching on available treatment options and the coverage thereof, referral to approved WCI providers, explaining disability income benefits, as applicable and serving as a liaison with the UT System Office of Risk Management, lawyers and medical personnel.Ensure compliance with the federal Family and Medical Leave Act and the state Sick Leave Pool program by interpreting and applying statues and policies, reviewing applications, completing required documentation, and preparing all relevant correspondence to employees and department managers or their designee. Make effective decisions for complex and sensitive leave related issues and offer creative and alternative leave solutions, as applicable, with diplomacy under tight deadlines.Responsible for the administration of the campus Return to Work program by promoting appropriate return-to-work strategies to department managers and their delegates and incorporating case management methodologies with the employee. Partner with the employee, HR contacts and department managers to prepare all relevant correspondence including but not limited to bonafide job offer for modified duty letters, supplemental reports of injury, and FMLA notices, as appropriate.Responsible for the administration of health and welfare benefits, retirement plans and the Staff educational Benefit. Serve as a liaison with the UT System Office of Employee Benefits, insurance companies, retirement providers, benefits related vendors and the Provost Office involving faculty issues and Payroll Services. Advise employees and eligible fellows on eligibility, coverage and other benefit matters including benefit distribution and post-employment coverage such as COBRA.Contribute to projects, such as an open enrollment, benefit fairs, communications plans and website enhancements. Participate in campus and system-wide committees that improve benefits, leave and workers compensation business processes. Prepare and maintain reports related to benefits, leave and workers compensation providing these HR analytics with interpretation and recommendations to the HRS management team to continuously improve programs and services.Develop and conduct training and new hire orientation sessions regarding benefits, leave and workers compensation services develop and conduct customized training as requested.Utilize functional systems to query, input and approve customer information, such as, but not limited to, a customer tracking system, Workday, benefits administration system, retirement programs enrollment system, leave administration system, and worker compensation system.Other related functions as assigned. .

Required Qualifications

Demonstration of the following competencies, typically acquired through a Bachelor degree and two to four years of experience in human resources administration, customer focus, timely decision making, interpersonal savvy, problem solving, effective written and oral communication. Ability to work in a positive, team-oriented environment. Demonstrated professional demeanor. Demonstrated ability to multi-task, organize priorities, and work with deadlines in a fast-paced, changing environment. High degree of accuracy and demonstrated attention to detail. Relies on experience and judgment to plan and accomplish goals without direct supervision. Excellent computer skills in a Microsoft Windows environment. Evidence of the practice of a high level of confidentiality. Ability to learn new skills quickly.

Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience dealing directly with benefits, leave and workers' compensation related matters. Certifications or specialized training in benefits, employment law, employee relations, workers compensation or other human resources related functions such as the Professional in Human Resources certification. Bilingual in English and Spanish. Previous human resource experience in higher education environment or public sector.

Salary Range

$55,000

Working ConditionsMay work around standard office conditionsRepetitive use of keyboard at a workstation

Required MaterialsResume/CV3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisorLetter of interest

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume in the first step of the online job application process. Then, any additional Required Materials will be uploaded in the My Experience section; you can multi-select the additional files or click the Upload button for each file. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded.  Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above.

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Employment Eligibility:

Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.

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Retirement Plan Eligibility:

The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

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Background Checks:

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

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Equal Opportunity Employer:

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

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Pay Transparency:

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.

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Employment Eligibility Verification:

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form.  You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States.  Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment.  Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

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E-Verify:

The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university’s company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:

E-Verify Poster (English) [PDF]E-Verify Poster (Spanish) [PDF]Right To Work Poster (English) [PDF]Right To Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF]

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Compliance:

Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031.

The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.