General Manager, Employee Benefits

Description

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is looking for a General Manager to its benefits function! In this role, you'll have responsibility for the agency's overall benefits strategy, including but not limited to health, dental, wellness, and pension programs. You'll lead a team that is responsible for organizing, managing, and planning all projects that support the ability to offer a competitive benefits package, while providing a superior customer experience.

Through your three direct reports, you will have oversight and responsibility for the performance and success of three key functional areas. Specific responsibilities include but are not limited to:

1. Benefits Customer Care & Solutions - oversight and management of benefits call volumes and general benefit inquiries that include resolution with vendors, Wellness Program, Long Term Disability, Open Enrollment coordination, vendor liaison for Wellness program.
2. Benefits On-Boarding and Off-Boarding Programs - oversight and management from hire to exit for the following key employee programs - new hire orientation and retirement - this includes educational content/program improvements, liaison for pension plans (PA and PATH) and associated programs like Medicare. Ensure accuracy of intranet content and act as vendor liaison for Medicare/retirement programs.
3. Benefits Plan Compliance & Eligibility - oversight and management of benefits eligibility, enrollment, and compliance; entry and update of benefits election data via PeopleSoft for our entire eligible population, coordination with key agency programs from hire to exit, direct billing and COBRA program vendor management, auditing and compliance liaison, distribution of agency 1095Cs, Open Enrollment system coordination.

• Responsible for all aspects of benefits programs from strategy, design, implementation, cost, and administration of programs, ensuing programs meet regulatory compliance and governance/audit requirements.
• Manage, mentor, and foster high performance of entire team and direct reports with a focus on staff development and excellent customer service. Supervise three key function areas, while assigning and overseeing work. Establishes systems and methods for training and orienting employees, completes performance appraisals, provides coaching, and takes appropriate corrective action as needed.
• Manages vendor work effort and relationships; Reviews and executes vendor agreements, contracts, amendments, service levels and performance guarantees; Approving of vendor invoices; Oversees routine vendor claims and participant in annual audits.
• Budget responsibilities include monitoring self-insured benefit plan trends in collaboration with HR Finance, with a view toward planning and benefit design changes to manage costs and approving funding and claims invoicing.
• HR liaison to internal stakeholders such as Labor Relations, Law, Management & Budget, Financial Planning, Payroll, Technology, and others, providing subject-matter knowledge on benefits matters.
• Work cohesively with Labor Relations to develop a workforce planning strategy in support of full negotiations when contracts come up for renewal and resolve grievances about benefits-related matters.
• Ensures ongoing competitiveness of benefits package by understanding and addressing needs of current and future employees in collaboration with other HR divisions, such as Talent Management and Talent Acquisition.
• Stays informed of new employee benefits-related laws, regulations, and trends. Performs research and analysis related to benefit plans to assist in Union negotiations, plan maintenance and improvement and health benefits policy development.
• Drive continuous improvement in delivering benefit programs that support our employees.
• Ensures appropriate and timely communications for all inquiries, while developing educational campaigns with the goal of lower call volumes and inquiries.
• Support supervisors in resolution of escalated employee questions and problems by interpreting benefit policies and procedures and coordinating with vendors where needed.
• Prepare special reports by collecting, analyzing, and summarizing information and trends, specifically as it pertains to employee inquiries and key programs.
• Responsible for ensuring plan eligibility meets and maintains data integrity in PeopleSoft at all times through timely and accurate processing of various benefits events including but not limited to On-Demand Event Maintenance, Promotions, Transfers, Miscellaneous events, benefits deductions and employer contributions, etc.
• Handle or closely monitor responses to escalated inquiries referred by executives in the agency and senior human capital staff.

• Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university in human resources, business administration, public administration, finance or another related field
• 8 - 10 years of progressively responsible related experience with supervision of benefits teams and 5+ years' demonstrated experience in project management
• Demonstrated experience in delivering complex projects using excellent project management skills

• Experience with managing a call center or high-volume customer inquiry environment
• Experience with managing Benefits programs
• Strong transactional, analytical and decision-making skills
• Strong communication and public speaking skills
• Ability to handle confidential matters expeditiously
• Proficient with Salesforce and PeopleSoft or other HR Systems with the ability to use these tools to develop solutions.
• Experience in public sector human resources
• Industry certification (PHR, CCI, CEBS) strongly preferred