Benefits Manager - City of Somerville

Statement of Duties:

The Benefits Manager is responsible for overseeing the enrollment of employees in the City’s health and welfare benefits programs and ensuring that the benefits offered are cost-effective, affordable, and meet the needs of the City and School employees, and retirees. The Benefits Division of the Human Resources Department administers employee benefits including health insurance (through the Massachusetts Group Insurance Commission), dental, vision, and life insurance, short- and long-term disability programs, and worker's compensation. The Division also oversees Family & Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and 457(b)/deferred compensation plans with assistance from third-party administrators. The Benefits Manager is a supervisory position, ensuring compliance with applicable local, state, and federal regulations.

Essential Functions:

The essential functions or duties listed below are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position.

• Oversees Division staff as well as several third-party administrators in the management of the City’s various benefits programs;
• Cross-trains staff within the Division as needed. Keeps staff apprised of key benefit changes in order to provide the best possible customer service;
• Drafts and/or reviews all internal and external benefits-related correspondence, including open enrollment and other benefit changes to employees and retirees as needed;
• Works collaboratively with the Somerville Retirement Board, City Auditor, including external auditors, Payroll staff, and school administrators on all benefits-related activities;
• Collects and/or oversees the collection, analysis, auditing, reconciliation, and reporting of benefits data;
• Manages and administers Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Health Insurance Responsibility Disclosure (HIRD) reporting;
• Assists with the preparation of GASB 45 and/or other mandated reports;
• Oversees reconciliation of benefit-related deductions and insurance billing to the City’s Financial/Payroll systems;
• Performs analytical work related to benefit plans, including research, plan design performance, claim trends cost forecasting, and projecting collective bargaining proposal costs;
• Ensures compliance with all legal, security, and privacy requirements of benefit programs;
• Reconciles administrative costs and employee deductions across multiple payrolls, appropriations to payroll systems and the General Ledger;
• Performs regular audits of employee records;
• Serves as HR’s primary contact with benefit-related third-party administrators;
• Manages open enrollment, vendor bidding and other benefit-related projects;
• Analyzes data and trends;
• Coordinates meetings between School, City and Retiree constituents to discuss concerns or outstanding items as needed;
• Complies with Departmental standard operating procedures; and
• Performs other related duties as assigned

Recommended Minimum Qualifications:

Education and Experience: Bachelor’s Degree and five (5) years’ experience administering benefits, including at least three years of supervisory experience; or any equivalent combination of education, training, and experience that provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the essential functions of the job. Experience with automated payroll systems.

Benefits experience with a large, complex public employer and/or MUNIS software experience are strongly preferred.

Knowledge, Abilities and Skill

Knowledge: Expertise in designing, communicating, and administering benefits programs.

Ability: Ability to handle problems and emergencies effectively; ability to communicate clearly, both orally and in writing; ability to operate a personal computer; ability to maintain confidential information; ability to maintain, manage, and organize records; ability to deal appropriately with City employees, City officials and members of the general public.

Skill: Strong interpersonal skills; excellent communication skills both oral and written; proficient in Microsoft Office suite programs

Work Environment:

The work environment involves everyday discomforts typical of offices, with occasional exposure to outside elements. Noise or physical surroundings may be distracting, but conditions are generally not unpleasant. Employee may be required to work beyond normal business hours in response to attend evening meetings or complete work assignments.

Physical and Mental Requirements

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the position’s essential functions.

Physical Skills

Few physical demands are required to perform the work. Work effort principally involves sitting to perform work tasks, with intermittent periods of stooping, walking, and standing. May also be some occasional lifting of objects such as office equipment and computer paper (up to 30 lbs).

Motor Skills

Duties are largely mental rather than physical, but the job may occasionally require minimal motor skills for activities such as moving objects, operating a telephone, personal computer and/or most other office equipment including word processing, filing and sorting of papers.

Visual Skills

Visual demands require constantly reading documents for general understanding and analytical purposes.

Hours: Full-time, City Hall Hours
Salary: $88,326.46 annualized benefits 
Union: Non-Union
FLSA: Exempt
Date Posted: September 19th, 2024

City of Somerville residents are especially encouraged to apply.

The City of Somerville is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, disability or any other protected category. Women, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Auxiliary aids and services, written materials in alternative formats, and reasonable modifications in policies and procedures will be provided to qualified individuals with disabilities free of charge, upon request. Persons with disabilities who need auxiliary aids and services for effective communication (i.e., CART, ASL), written materials in alternative formats, or reasonable modifications in policies and procedures in order to access the programs, activities, and meetings of the City of Somerville should please contact Adrienne Pomeroy at 617-625-6600 x 2059 or apomeroy@somervillema.gov.

Please Note: The below details do not apply to any Mayor Student Jobs programs OR youth workers with the city.

Pre-Employment Requirements for All Employees:

• MA Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) clearance
• Completion of Conflict-of-Interest Law Education training for municipal employees

Overview of Total Rewards:

• 4 weeks annual vacation (for non-union positions) union positions vary by contract
• Medical insurance through the Group Insurance Commission (GIC) - 80% of premium costs paid by City
• Dental coverage low and high plans through Cigna
• Vision care through Vision Service Plan (VSP)
• Long term disability through Sun Life
• Group and voluntary life insurance through Boston Mutual
• Health Care and Dependent Care flexible spending through Benefit Strategies
• Deferred compensation plans through a choice of three vendors
• Free, confidential services through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provided by E4Health
• Annual cancer screening & wellness release
• Somerville Retirement Pension System
• Tuition reimbursement
• MBTA pass program
• FREE Blue Bikes membership
• Eligible employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF)

Benefits listed are for benefits-eligible positions and the above information is meant to be a general overview of the benefit programs offered by the City of Somerville and not a binding contract.

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