Benefits Manager bei American University

American University is a student-centered research institution located in Washington, DC, with highly-ranked schools and colleges, internationally-renowned faculty, and a reputation for creating meaningful change in the world. Learn more about American University

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Summary:
 

The Benefits Manager is responsible for the strategic development and management of comprehensive benefits programs for the university. The Manager will be responsible for providing competitive benefits program and support for 2,900 faculty, staff and retirees. The Manager will participate in the development of the Annual Open Enrollment, Digital Transformation of the Total Rewards Department, Retirement Portal and effective management and communication of Health & Welfare, Life and Disability, Retirement and Educational benefit programs.

The Benefits Manager, in collaboration with the Director of Employee Benefits and Retirement, provides overall leadership and administration for benefits planning and administration for university faculty, staff and retirees. They recommend policy, oversee the benefits operations, and directly manage benefits and retirement administration. The Manager plans, negotiates and administers all University benefits programs and initiatives; develops long range and current planning proposals for budget; serves as contract liaison between benefits carriers, mutual fund companies, and consulting firms and university offices of procurement and finance; prepares and presents critical research and trend data and analyses on benefits and retirement programs; reviews and evaluates new and existing laws and regulations for retirement compliance; and designs and implements ongoing initiatives to enhance the effectiveness of the retirement programs and costs at American University.

Essential Functions:
 

1.) Health and Welfare

• Manage the day-to-day operational activities of AU’s health and welfare programs to ensure compliance with AU policies and applicable laws. Ensure high standards of customer service. Develop and implement initiatives to ensure high quality of service for the university, faculty, staff, and retirees.  Interface with vendors on behalf of participants and HR staff to clarify vendor and AU policies and procedures, resolve claims, and provide direction to vendors. In consultation with Director of Employee Benefits and Retirement, make decisions on policy exceptions and special requests. Counsel faculty and staff members on benefits programs.

2.) Education

• Administers the university’s educational benefits to include tuition remission, Tuition Exchange Scholarship, and cash grant programs in accordance with university policies and processes, and in compliance with federal tax code. Responds to faculty and staff member questions and works closely with Financial Aid and Student Accounts to ensure tuition remission is posted in a timely manner. Maintain the applicant/participant databases for each of the educational benefits programs. Maintains and updates educational benefits information in benefit manuals and online.

3.) Retirement

• Manage administration and support systems of the University’s competitive retirement programs and support systems for faculty, staff, and retirees. Provide support and oversight for all university retirement planning and administration. Recommend policy changes and modernization. Plan, participate in negotiations, and administer all University retirement programs and initiatives. Develop current planning proposals, including budget impact. Serve as a liaison between retirement vendors and university offices of procurement and finance on contracts and coverage with insurance carriers, mutual fund companies, compensation vendors, and consulting firms. Prepare and present critical research and trend data and analyses on retirement. Review, evaluate and ensure programs remain in compliance with new and existing laws and regulations and align with university policies. Design and implement ongoing initiatives to enhance retirement offerings, ensure equity, and effectively manage costs.

4.) Programs and Engagement

• Develop content and present benefits information, updates and proposals for leadership, Benefits Advisory Project Team, events and stakeholders. Manage New Hire Enrollment processes. Process, investigate, and collaborate with vendors to resolve customer benefit issues.
   

5.) Leaves

• Support the day-to-day operational activities of the benefits team by investigating and resolving routine customer benefits issues relating to AU’s benefit programs and educating the HR Support / Employee Relations / HR Operations teams in a way that enhances their collective knowledge so they can better support their clients and customers. Benefit programs include health plans, dental plans, vision plans, Rx plans, flexible spending accounts, group legal plans, group pet insurance, group auto and home insurance plans, and others. Identify trends and issues with potential broad customer impact and report findings to leadership. Process corrections to coverage information and ensure prompt notification to vendors of errors. Answer plan issues inquiries, qualifying events, COBRA, and benefits for staff and faculty members on Leave of Absence or Long-Term Disability.
   

6.) Compliance

• Manage the annual audits, data and regulatory filings with the different agencies, committees, and institutions. Monitors and stays current on changes to state and federal laws. Partner with key stakeholders, including Finance, IT, and Legal, to support effective implementation and compliance.
   

7.) Supervision

• Serve as part of the Total Rewards team. Provide direction, supervision and mentorship to Benefit Analyst roles.
   

8.) Other Duties as Assigned

Supervisory Responsibility:

• This position will supervise two Benefits Analyst positions.
   

Competencies:

• Prioritizing and Organizing.

• Acquiring and Analyzing Information.

• Evaluating and Implementing Ideas.

• Developing Plans.

• Making Accurate Judgments and Decisions.

• Building and Supporting Teams.

• Building a Customer Focused Organization.

• Driving Continuous Improvement.

• Collaborative Leadership.

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work:

• Full-Time.

• 35 hours per week.

• Hybrid 1 work modality (on campus 3 - 4 days per week).

Salary Range:

• $90,000 - $100,000 annually.

Required Education and Experience:

• A Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.

• At least 5 years progressively responsible experience in benefits and retirement or equivalent in education, training and experience.

• Proficiency in consultation skills, executive coaching, customer service skills, strategic communications, collaboration, interpersonal and management skills, committed to supporting a diverse and inclusive community.

• Knowledge, understanding and application of Federal and State employment laws.

• Proficiency in financial analysis, modeling and budgeting. 

• Proficiency in data analytics and use of Excel.

Preferred Education and Experience:

• Master’s degree, or Accounting, Economics or Finance Bachelor’s degree.

• 5 - 8 years of relevant experience.

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and Power Point.

Additional Eligibility Qualifications:

• CEBS certification or other benefit certification(s) or accounts / finance certification is highly desirable.

Benefits

AU offers a competitive benefits package including a 200% matching retirement plan, tuition benefits for full-time staff and their families, several leadership development certificates, and has been recognized by the American Heart Association as a fit-friendly worksite. Click here to learn about American University's unique benefit options.

Other Details

• Hiring offers for this position are contingent on successful completion of a background check.

• Employees in staff positions at American University must deliver their services to the university from either the District of Columbia, Maryland, or Virginia, or perform work on-site at the university.

• Please note this job announcement is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

• American University is an E-Verify employer.

Current American University Employees

American University current employees must apply through their employee Workday account. If you are a current employee at American University, please log into Workday and select the Find Jobs report which will take you to our internal career listings.

Contact Us

For more information or assistance with the American University careers site, email [email protected].

American University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution that operates in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. The university does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex (including pregnancy), age, sexual orientation, disability, marital status, personal appearance, gender identity and expression, family responsibilities, political affiliation, source of income, veteran status, an individual’s genetic information or any other bases under federal or local laws (collectively "Protected Bases") in its programs and activities.