Benefits Clerk jobs in Rochester, MN

WORK DAY/SCHEDULE: 8 hours per day; Monday - Friday; 8:00 a.m.- 4:45 p.m.; Hybrid schedule of both in-person and remote work.

WORK CALENDAR: 260 working days per year.
See attached work calendar at the bottom right corner of this job posting.

CLASSIFICATION: B-2-3

MINIMUM SALARY: $19.23 per hour

BENEFITS: Benefits available.
Contact the Insurance office @ 507-328-4226 for detailed insurance information. Make sure to reference the exact job posting.

If you have questions regarding a job posting, contact the Office of Human Resources @ 507-328-4253 or email tabarrett@rochesterschools.org.

Job Summary:
The Benefits Specialist works with all of the District’s benefits programs including health insurance, dental insurance, long-term disability insurance, life insurance, and vision insurance. The Benefits Specialist works with enrolling employees into plans based on the employee’s eligibility for benefits as well as transitioning employees out of plans due to resignation, retirement, termination, and sometimes death. The Benefits Specialist needs to be highly accurate in their data entry into multiple payroll and benefits systems. The Benefits Specialist must be customer-service oriented and excited in helping new employees get the most out of the options that are available to them. In the opposite way, the Benefits Specialist must show empathy and compassion while explaining options to departing employees or survivors of deceased employees. The Benefits Specialist needs to be well-versed in the regulations and rules that are in place and be able to explain complex information about plans to employees who are stopping by the office in-person, calling the office by phone, emailing, or by attending a special event like new hire orientation or a retiree workshop. The Benefits Specialist is usually busiest during the late fall for the annual open enrollment process (October-November) and then in the spring as the school year ends (April-May); sometimes some overtime may be required to meet employees’ needs during these periods.

Duties Include:

• Distributes, receives, interprets, and processes documents for benefits enrollment or dis-enrollment.
• May work primarily with new District employees enrolling for benefits or may work primarily with employees departing from their employment.
• Processes data in multiple systems like the human resources information system, the payroll system, and the benefits providers system.
• Provides dedicated customer service to employees either in-person at the insurance office, on the phone, through email, and at special sessions like new hire orientation and retiree information sessions.
• Uses good judgment and follows established procedures related to eligibility (or non-eligibility) for the various plans the District offers to employees.
• Understands the differences between active employees and retirees; union contracts and non-union work agreements;
• Federal and State regulations; District policies, practices, and procedures.
• Completes tasks in certain systems by defined deadlines so payroll can process on-time or so insurance can process claims timely.
• Gives dedicated attention to being accurate with data across multiple human resources, payroll, and insurance systems.
• Reconciles systems to make sure data matches in the various systems.
• Works with the annual open enrollment process to meet deadlines for signing up employees who are eligible and working with employees who are no longer eligible.
• Provides support and assistance to Claims Examiners or the Payroll & Benefits Analyst in following-up with employees as needed for additional information.
• Performs other duties as assigned in conjunction with the Payroll or Insurance departments.

Qualifications:

• One to two years of applicable experience, preferably in human resources, payroll, employee benefits, or insurance
• Customer service experience
• Intermediate computer skills including experience with Google and/or Microsoft products ?

Knowledge of:

• Federal and MN State Statutes impacting employee benefits
• Employee benefit plans; adding benefits for new hires and during the open enrollment season; what circumstances allow for changing benefits mid-year; and removing benefits for departing employees and during the open enrollment season
• Insurance and claims processes, including HIPAA, ACA, and COBRA

Skilled in:

• Providing customer services to internal employees and retirees, primarily during the office open hours with some variation required from time to time depending on the season or circumstance
• Working well with co-workers across the organization through in-person visits, phone calls, emails, orientation trainings, open enrollment sessions, or retiree workshops
• Making decisions that are sound and based on established policies, procedures, laws, or Statutes
• Communicating well both verbally and in writing
• Paying attention to detail related to the data processing
• Working with payroll and/or employee benefits plans
• Prioritizing work based on the deadlines for payroll processing or benefits’ plans
• Applying mathematical calculations as it relates to premium amounts or payroll costs
• Maintaining confidentiality and sensitivity with private data

Required Dispositions:
In addition, the specific skills/educational qualifications for this include:
Functions as an effective member of the educational/school team.
Utilizes effective interpersonal skills.
Has a proven track record of success.
Works with great integrity.

Commitment to Equity:
Rochester Public Schools is committed to diversifying its workforce to better reflect the community we serve. We believe the practices used in recruiting, interviewing, hiring, supporting, and promoting staff must include and honor, at every level, those who represent the diverse identities of our schools and community.
https://www.rochesterschools.org/equity-statement

Common and Shared Accountabilities for All Positions
Employees of the Rochester Public School District #535 are expected to support the goals, model and promote an environment that is respectful for all, and work collaboratively with other staff to focus on the needs of the learner. A quality, customer focus that conveys a welcome attitude, an adaptability to change, and a desire for continuous improvement is also expected of all employees. In addition, staff are to respect confidential matters, encourage a safe and secure environment throughout the schools, and be dependable and accountable employees.