Teachers' Retirement Examiner 1 (NYHELPS)

Austin Community College; New York (NY); On-site; USD 54,655 - 71,314; Full time

Job summary

A public educational institution in New York seeks a Teachers’ Retirement Examiner 1 to manage member services, benefit calculations, and eligibility determinations. The ideal candidate will have at least two years of relevant experience, ideally reconciling accounts, calculating payments, and explaining policies. Responsibilities include providing customer service, processing retirement applications, and ensuring compliance with educational laws. The salary range for this position is between $54,655 and $71,314, and a hybrid work modality may be applicable.

Qualifications

• Two years of experience in reconciling accounts or calculating payments.
• Ability to explain policy or benefit information to the public.

Responsibilities

• Provide positive customer service.
• Review membership applications and determine eligibility.
• Process retirement data and maintain correct documentation.

Education

Associate degree or higher

Job description

Apply by: All applications must be submitted by 5:00 pm on Sunday, March 1, 2026. Applications received after 5:00 pm will not be considered.

Note: Sponsorship is not available for this position. Applicants must hold unrestricted work authorization. NYSTRS is unable to sponsor or assume sponsorship of an employment visa for this position now or in the future.

Position Summary

The Teachers’ Retirement Examiner 1 position is responsible for working with active members, retirees, employers and other retirement systems to process various services, issues and maintain loans; work with System employers on the reporting of service and salary information, as well as process retirement data. Additionally, they are responsible for communication with members and retirees and for the accuracy of the data used to calculate benefits in accordance with Education Law and the System’s rules and regulations.

The Member Relations Division is seeking to fill a total of 13 vacancies. These positions will be in the following areas:

• Death and Disability Unit - 1 Position
• Service Retirement Unit - 2 Positions
• Retired Death Benefits - 1 Position
• Estimates, Refunds and Retiree Services - 1 Position
• Resource Unit - 2 Positions
• Document & Office Services Support Unit - 1 Position
• Employer Reporting/Terminating Employees Unit - 2 Positions
• Quality Assurance - 1 Position

NY HELPS Program Information

• This title is part of the New York Hiring for Emergency Limited Placement Statewide Program (NY HELPS).
• For the duration of the NY HELPS Program, this title may be filled via a non-competitive appointment, which means no examination is required but all candidates must meet the minimum qualifications, and any specialized requirements, of the title for which they apply.
• At a future date (within one year of permanent appointment), it is expected employees hired under NY HELPS will have their non-competitive employment status converted to competitive status, without having to compete in an examination.

Minimum Qualifications

EITHER 1) Reachable on the Civil Service eligible list; OR 2) Eligible for reassignment by virtue of having permanent competitive service as a Teachers’ Retirement Examiner 1 (SG-12); OR 3) Eligible for transfer under the provisions of the Civil Service Law by virtue of having one year of permanent competitive service in an appropriate title.

To be appointed via the NY HELPS program, you must meet the following requirements:

Two years of experience performing at least one of the following tasks: reconciling accounts, calculating payments, collecting and analyzing statistics and information, or explaining policy or benefit information to the public.

Substitutions: An associate degree or higher can substitute for two years of specialized experience

Preferred Qualifications

• Ability to work collaboratively as part of a team
• Organizational skills with the ability to prioritize tasks and meet deadlines
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills
• The ability to work well under pressure and manage difficult conversations

Work Modality

• Currently we have a hybrid work schedule which may be subject to change in the future

Job Duties

• Strong understanding of the Education laws that dictate our process, as well as the Rules and Regulations
• Provide positive customer service
• Adhere to policy and all legal requirements for benefit processing
• Review of membership applications, enrollment into our system and determining membership eligibility
• A significant amount of customer contact is required, both via phone and written communication with members, employers, other retirement systems and internal staff
• Evaluate monthly employer reports
• Processing loan applications and payments from members and employers
• Perform calculations of service and salary
• Review of employers Collective Bargaining agreements for reportability
• Adjustments to members service/salary/contributions
• Maintaining proper documentation in member and employer files
• Evaluate members' service and salary at the time of retirement for accuracy
• Process service request for prior and military service including evaluating historic payroll records
• Process both transfer in and transfer out requests including corresponding with other retirement systems
• Determine eligibility for service retirement benefits, disability benefits and/or post-retirement death benefits
• Perform benefits calculations and research activity required to determine proper service credit
• Processing manual calculations for special types of retirement files
• Processing of domestic relations orders in conjunction with retirement processing
• Contact beneficiaries for overpayment of benefits upon deathAcquire and document appropriate detail for all transactions
• Review imaged records of members and employers
• Accurate payment of death benefits for both active members as well as retired members
• Attending training
• Supervision of Office Assistants 1 & 2 in reviewing their calculations and assist them on procedure
• May be deployed to other units within the Member Relations division, based on business need
• May perform other duties as described in the Civil Service classification standards for this title

Salary Grade

This position is a Grade 12

Salary Range

$54,655 to $71,314

Job Type

EEO STATEMENT

At NYSTRS, diversity, equity, and inclusion are integral to our mission of providing our members with a secure pension and exceptional customer service. We are committed to fostering an inclusive and equitable culture where all diversity is valued and recognized as a source of strength and enrichment across all operations.

NYSTRS is proud to provide equal opportunities to all employees and qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, gender expression or identity, national origin, age, ability and disability status, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy status, sexual orientation, citizenship, or any other legally protected class. We are committed to being a workplace that attracts, supports, and retains talented individuals from diverse backgrounds and experiences while championing equal opportunity across recruitment, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

All applications to NYSTRS should be done via our website. NYSTRS will never ask you to submit private information via email or direct you to submit private information to another site as part of our recruitment process.