Total Rewards Specialist, Benefits and Compensation

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Job Summary

Reporting to the Total Rewards Benefits Supervisor, the Total Rewards Specialist will assist with efforts to explore innovative benefits and compensation programs that support the recruitment and retention of top talent. The individual in this position will participate in the development of initiatives that further a Total Rewards philosophy and will play a key role in providing broad technical support and customer service in the areas of benefits and compensation.

Job Duties

Benefits:

• Provides expert customer service and advice to faculty, postdoctoral scholars, staff, and students on policies and procedures specific to Caltech’s active and student benefit programs and federal and state regulations affecting employee benefit programs.
• Similarly, consults and advises retirees enrolled in Caltech’s retiree benefit program regarding Caltech policies and procedures specific to their benefit program and applicable federal and state regulations.
• Responds promptly to calls and inquires on the benefits hotline, benefits emails, and to walk-in customers. Logs all inquiries and ensures that issues are escalated as needed to carriers and to systems administrator and provides status updates to customers until issues are resolved.
• Plays an active role in the retirement preparation process for active employees, meeting with them to review their options and costs and facilitate their enrollment in the retiree benefit program should they opt to enroll. In addition, addresses inquiries from retirees.
• Leads bi-weekly benefit orientation meetings and provides guidance to benefit eligible employees regarding Caltech’s active benefit program.
• Ensures benefit enrollment process is completed properly and in compliance with deadlines for all new hires and for life event changes. Notifies carries of special enrollments (outside of the weekly enrollment file) in a timely fashion as needed. 
• Monitors ACA eligibility system to identify and ensure timely offers of benefit coverage are extended to those eligible in compliance with federal guidelines.
• Primarily responsible for daily maintenance of the online benefits eligibility and enrollment system, including approving new hire enrollment, ACA enrollment, life event tasks, and troubleshooting system issues that arise with the online benefits system administrator.
• Works in partnership with third party COBRA administrator to ensure compliance requirements are met and inquiries from COBRA participants are addressed.
• Ensures that weekly eligibility and enrollment reports sent to health and welfare benefit vendors are accurate and all discrepancies are resolved in a timely fashion.
• Reviews and verifies documents provided for dependent certification meet the established guidelines and are submitted within the required timeframe. Ensures dependents who have not been properly certified are removed from pending certification status and not enrolled in Caltech plans.
• Manages life insurance evidence of insurability process for all new hires and for all employees who choose to increase life insurance above guarantee issue amounts, including ensuring that the payroll deductions properly reflect the amount of insurance that is approved by the insurer.
• Manages the death benefit claim process, communicating with family members, payroll, benefit and retirement plan vendors and, if applicable, the Leave and Disability unit, to obtain necessary information and documentation.  Acts as a liaison with the insurance carrier to ensure claims are processed in a timely manner.
• Supports the student benefit program by responding to student health inquiries, providing guidance to students, parents, and/or dependents regarding enrollment, coverage, cancellation of coverage, provider networks and other related matters.
• Investigates and resolve coverage discrepancies, acting as a liaison between the plan participant and the insurance carrier to ensure discrepancies are resolved. Escalates exceptions for review and approval.
• Supports both ongoing and special benefit projects, including open enrollment, benefit communications, updates to the SPDs and plan documents, annual ACA reporting, and wellness initiatives.
• Analyze data to develop reports, create statistics on benefit enrollment trends and patterns, and prepare presentations for management review.
• Plays a key role in the open enrollment process, including the review and validation of content and enrollment information in the online benefits administration system, plan participant communication, related systems testing, and keying of enrollment information for plan participants who do not have access to the online benefits administration system.
• Participates in and/or leads special projects to support Total Rewards initiatives, including, but not limited to, systems software testing and implementation, testing and communication of benefit plan changes, rewards and recognition, compensation and/or benefits related training and communications, and system and service enhancements.  

Compensation:

• Works with the Total Rewards Compensation Manager and Total Rewards Compensation Specialists to support compensation program administration.
• Provides consultation to supervisors and managers regarding job classifications, pay ranges, and pay administration. Identifies and evaluates pay equity issues.
• Conducts job reviews to determine appropriate job classification within Caltech's compensation structure.
• Participates in a variety of compensation surveys to collect and analyze information on the institution's competitive position.
• Supports the Annual Salary Increase (ASI) program. Administers set-up, testing, maintenance, and close-out of salary planning tool (Compensation Workbench) (to be performed on alternating years).
• Supports the executive compensation review. Gathers compensation and benefits data for executives; drafts presentation materials; ensures meeting materials are accurate and complete (to be performed on alternating years).
• Supports the development and maintenance of student pay ranges.
• Analyzes results of salary increase trend surveys.
• Leads annual review of minimum wage increases.
• Leads process for alternative work schedule arrangements, communications, and documentation. Ensures implementation plans are consistent with Caltech policy and in compliance with state wage and hour laws.
• Applies Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) regulations to determine exempt/non-exempt designation of a job. Provide consultation to supervisors and managers regarding overtime pay and other FLSA regulations. Leads annual review of FLSA threshold analysis.
• Other duties as assigned.

Compensation and Benefits:

• Participates in and/or leads special projects to support Total Rewards initiatives, including, but not limited to, systems or software enhancements or implementations including, project management, testing, stakeholder communications, and training.
• Works in a fast paced environment in cooperation with other members of Human Resources, the Total Rewards team, and Campus staff and faculty.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent.
• 3 years’ experience working in Human Resources.
• 2 year of related work experience in benefits and/or compensation.
• Knowledge of compliance with federal and state labor law, such as ERISA, COBRA, Section 125, Medicare, Social Security and the Patient Protection Affordable Care Act.
• Must be detail-oriented and able to multi-task in a deadline driven environment with minimal supervision.
• Excellent communication skills (verbal and written); proven ability to provide exceptional customer service.
• Demonstrated problem solving skills and ability to work in a team.
• Effective organizational skills, mathematical, and statistical skills.
• Strong computer skills including Microsoft Office and Benefit Administration systems.

Preferred Qualifications

• Knowledge of federal and state regulations affecting compensation programs.
• Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS), Certified Benefits Professional (CBP) designations a plus.
• Proficiency in the use of Oracle systems, BenefitFocus system, Equifax ACA system, and Payfactors system.
• Demonstrated project management skills.
• Fluent in Spanish (oral and written).
• Work experience at a higher education institute.

Required Documents

• Resume