Employee Benefits Specialist III - #25-004822-0002

The State of Maryland; Baltimore (MD); On-site; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

The State of Maryland is seeking an Employee Benefits Specialist III for the Baltimore office. This position involves managing health benefits inquiries, processing enrollments, and providing expert counseling to participants. The ideal candidate will have extensive HR experience and familiarity with benefits administration, ensuring high-quality support for state employees and retirees.

Benefits

State benefits package

Training and development opportunities

Qualifications

• Min 3 years experience in health benefits, customer service or HR.
• Bachelor’s degree substitutes for 2 years of experience.
• Preferred: 4 years of Employee Benefits experience.

Responsibilities

• Handle claims issues and enrollment processing.
• Counsel participants regarding health benefits.
• Conduct training sessions and presentations.

Skills

Customer Service

Data Analysis

Benefits Counseling

Education

Bachelor's Degree in related field

Master's Degree in Business Management or HR

Tools

HRIS Software (Workday, Peoplesoft)

Microsoft Office

Google Mail Services

Job description

GRADE

15

LOCATION OF POSITION

301 W. Preston Street, Baltimore, MD 21201

POSITION DUTIES

An Employee Benefits Specialist III is the intermediate level of professional HR work in the Employee Benefits Division. This position resides within the Participant Services Unit. The incumbent will perform specialized enrollment work and handle claims issue resolution, as well as counsel participants in the State’s Employee and Retiree Health and Welfare Benefits Program (the Program) on benefits-related matters. Employees in this classification are proficient in the handling of enrollment-related matters and customer service inquiries. This position falls under the Participant Services Unit within EBD. Duties will be tailored specifically towards a customer services role for helping participants within the Program. Reviews and approves events in the Statewide Personnel System (Workday)in accordance with benefits policy; rejects enrollment events that do notcontain required information and returns to agencies or individuals forcorrections and modifications. Reviews and/or processes COBRA andSatellite enrollments. Investigates and prepares refunds for submission toManagement for approval in connection with corrections and modifications.This would be for active as well as retiree populations. Resolves Help Desk tickets, as assigned, by reviewing pertinent informationgathered through Workday and other databases. Assigns tickets to otherpersonnel as needed. Works tickets and closes tickets within assigned timeframes. Exercising tact and diplomacy, handles inquiries by telephone and emailsfrom the various EBD mailboxes, to address requests for assistance fromparticipants, retirees, and Agency Benefits Coordinators. Answers andadvises program participants of available health benefits options to aid withmaking informed health benefits decisions. Performs a variety of report-related tasks, including, but not limited toworking vendor error reports, aging reports, retiree reports, evidence ofinsurability reports, etc. Is able to prepare and make presentations and hold training sessions forgroups of employees, employee representatives, and Agency BenefitsCoordinators to explain health benefits procedures, restrictions andrequirements; conducts pre-retirement seminars for participants usingvarious methods including virtual and in-person. Performs all other duties as assigned and maintains a regular and reliablerate of attendance.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Experience: Three years of experience responding to inquiries, calculating program eligibility, counseling, and advising persons concerning health benefits. Notes: 1. Candidates may substitute the possession of a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college and university and two years of experiences responding to inquiries, calculating program eligibility, counseling and advising persons concerning health benefits for the required experience. 2. Candidates may substitute the possession of a Master’s degree from an accredited college or university in Business Management, Business Administration, Human Resources or Public Administration for the required experience. 3. Candidates may substitute U.S. Armed Forces military service experience as a commissioned officer in Human Resources classifications or Human Resources specialty codes if the work includes benefits-related experience on a year-for-year basis for the required experience.

DESIRED OR PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

Strong preference will be given to the following: One year experience analyzing report data relevant to a Health and Welfare Benefits program, writing summaries and synthesizing data from various sources into documents that can be used for higher level decision making. 4 years of Employee Benefits experience Previous HR Generalist experience or certification Benefit administration experience Working knowledge of HRIS software. Examples would include Workday, Peoplesoft, or Oracle. Previous experience with a help desk ticketing system Experience with applications like MS Office and Google Mail Services Prior customer service experience with a high volume of calls or call center experience within a benefits-oriented organization.

LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS

1. Employees in this classification are required to obtain certification in StatePersonnel Management System policies and procedures and in the functionality of the Statewide Personnel System from the Office of Personnel Services andBenefits, DBM within six months from the time of the appointment to the position. Employees also are required to obtain recertification every six months thereafter. 2. Employees in this classification may be assigned duties which require the operation of a motor vehicle. Employees assigned such duties may be required to possess a motor vehicle operator’s license valid in the State of Maryland.

SELECTION PROCESS

Please make sure that you provide sufficient information on your application to show that you meet the qualifications for this recruitment. All information concerning your qualifications must be submitted by the closing date.We will not consider information submitted after this date.Successful candidates will be ranked as Best Qualified, Better Qualified, or Qualified and placed on theeligible (employment) list for at least one year.

EXAMINATION PROCESS

The assessment may consist of a rating of your education, training, and experience related to the requirements of the position.It is important that you provide complete and accurate information on your application.Please report all experience and education that is related to this position.

BENEFITS

STATE OF MARYLAND BENEFITS

FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS

Online applications are highly recommended. However, if you are unable to apply online,the paper application and supplemental questionnaire may be submitted to:Department of Budget and Management, Recruitment andExamination Division, 301 W. Preston St., Baltimore, MD 21201.Paper application materials must be received in our officeby theclosing date for the recruitment. No postmarks will be accepted. For questions regarding this recruitment, please contact theDBM Recruitment andExamination Division at [e-mail] 410-767-4850,MD TTY Relay Service 1-800-735-2258. We thank our Veterans for their service to our country. People with disabilities and bilingual candidates are encouraged to apply. As an equal opportunity employer, Maryland is committed to recruitment, retaining and promoting employees who are reflective of the State's diversity.