Employee Benefits Technician I

READ THIS ENTIRE BULLETIN FOR INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO REAPPLY FOR THIS RECRUITMENT.

Alameda County's Human Resources Services Department-Employee Benefits Center, is seeking qualified individuals to serve in the position of Employee Benefits Technician I. Employee Benefits Technician I's work in a fast paced call center environment providing information to County Employees in the following areas but are not limited to the following:

• Provides customer service and explanation of comprehensive benefit plans to employees. Benefits include but are not limited to Medical, Dental, Vision, Basic & Supplemental Life & AD& D Insurance plans, FMLA and other related leave plans, Disability Insurance Plans, Health and Dependent Flexible Spending Accounts, Critical Illness, Accident, Hospital Indemnity, Group Legal, Group Auto & Home and Vacation Purchase/Sellback. 
• Conducts New Employee Orientations. Discusses and provides forms to employees and follows-up within established timeframes to ensure that payroll deductions begin.
• Processes enrollment forms for various benefit programs by checking for accuracy and completeness, verifying employee eligibility, and transmitting forms to appropriate departments, agencies, or plan administrators.
• Inputs, verifies and retrieves employee benefit related data from the HRMS computer system and other related duties as assigned.

For information about the HRSD Employee Benefits Center, visit their website at: www.acgov.org/hrs/divisions/ebc/

Employee Benefits Technician I's, are under close supervision to enroll and provide on-going assistance to Alameda County employees with benefits that include Medical, Dental, Life Insurance, Disability Insurance, Flexible Spending Accounts, FMLA and other related leave plans, Commuter Benefit Plan; and perform other related duties as assigned.

EMPLOYEE BENEFITS TECHNICIAN I
Employee Benefits Technician I is the entry-level class. Incumbents work in a customer service based call center environment under close supervision and may be assigned all duties. After the equivalent of one year full-time service, incumbents hired at the first level may be promoted to the II level if satisfactory job performance is demonstrated.

PROMOTIONAL OPPORTUNITIES: Employee Benefits Technician I is a flexibly staffed position and may advance to: Employee Benefits Technician II - $3,188.00 - current bi-weekly maximum

Employee Benefits Technician I

Either I
Experience:

The equivalent of one year full-time experience as a Retirement Specialist II with experience processing and explaining employee health related benefits in the Alameda County classified service. (Non-classified includes District Attorney’s Office, Hospital Authority, and the Consolidated Courts.)

Or II

The equivalent of two years full-time experience processing and explaining employee health related benefits in a benefits program or department of a private or public organization.

NOTE: The level and scope of the following knowledge and abilities are related to duties listed under the “Examples of Duties” section of this specification.

Knowledge of:

• Laws, regulations and procedures related to employee benefit programs.
• General employee benefits administration.
• General employee payroll processing.
• Current trends in employee benefit rules, regulations and practices.
• Principles and practices of effective and efficient customer service.
• Computer software applications including HRIS computer application software.
• Business mathematics.

Ability to:

• Reconcile reports in a timely manner.
• Follow and interpret administrative guidelines and procedures related to employee benefit programs.
• Gather and evaluate relevant information in researching and resolving benefit-related issues.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with County department personnel, co-workers, employees and the general public.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with outside vendors.
• Perform detailed work accurately within established timeframe.
• Explain and apply regulations, policies and procedures of various employee benefits.
• Review documents for completeness, accuracy, appropriate authorization and compliance.
• Maintain accurate records and files.
• Work with and prioritize multiple tasks.
• Communicate effectively both orally and in writing.
• Create and conduct effective oral presentations.
• Maintain confidentiality of employee benefit records and reports.
• Perform various mathematical computations, using a calculator, related to rates, premiums, refunds, deductions, and contributions.
• Maintain information system database through accurate input of data.
• Use and/or design spreadsheet applications to automate work processes.
• Function proficiently in an automated office environment.

THE EXAMINATION WILL CONSIST OF THE FOLLOWING 3 STEPS:
1) A review of candidates' applications to verify possession of minimum requirements. Those candidates who possess the minimum requirements for the class will move on to the next step in the examination process.
2) A review of candidates’ Supplemental Questionnaires to select the best qualified applicants to continue in the process.
3) An oral interview which will be weighted as 100% of the candidate's final examination score. The oral interview may contain situational exercises.

CANDIDATES MUST ATTAIN A QUALIFYING RATING ON EACH PORTION OF THIS EXAMINATION.

We reserve the right to make changes to the announced examination components. Alameda County utilizes a Civil Service Selection System founded on merit. Such a system is competitive and based on broad recruitment efforts and equal opportunity for qualified applicants to test in an examination process designed to determine the qualifications, fitness and ability of competitors to perform duties of the vacant position. Many of our recruitments are targeted and specific to the needs of a current vacant position, in which case, the eligible list may be exclusively used for that current vacant position. Other recruitments may be more broadly used for both current and future vacancies, or for other alternate jobs with comparable scopes of work.To learn more about our recruitment and selection process, please visit the “What You Need to Know” section of our website, www.acgov.org/hrs.

Applicants will be informed via email with reasonable notice in advance of any examination process which will require their attendance. The following dates are tentative and subject to change based on the needs of the Agency:

TENTATIVE SELECTION PLAN

Deadline for Filing:	Friday, January 17, 2020
Review of Applications for Minimum Qualifications:	January 24, 2020
Review of Supplemental Questionnaire for Best Qualified:	February 14, 2020
Oral Examination:	Week of February 24, 2020

*WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO MAKE CHANGES TO THE ANNOUNCED RECRUITMENT & SELECTION PLAN*

Alameda County and the Human Resource Services Department will make reasonable efforts in the examination and/or selection process to accommodate qualified individuals with disabilities and/or medical conditions in accordance/compliance with the State Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), Federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Alameda County’s Reasonable Accommodation Policy and applicable statutes. To request an accommodation due to a disability/medical condition during this or other phases of the examination/selection process, please contact the assigned Human Resources Representative listed on the job announcement before the last date of filing. Alameda County requires applicants to provide supporting documentation to substantiate a request for reasonable accommodation. In order to qualify for a reasonable accommodation, applicants must have a disability/medical condition pursuant to the ADA, FEHA and applicable statutes.

For more information regarding our Reasonable Accommodation procedures, please visit our website, www.acgov.org/hrs

Alameda County offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that affords wide-ranging health care options to meet the different needs of a diverse workforce and their families. We also sponsor many different employee discount, fitness and health screening programs focused on overall well being.  These benefits include but are not limited to*:

For your Health & Well-Being

• Medical – HMO & PPO Plans
• Dental – HMO & PPO Plans
• Vision or Vision Reimbursement
• Share the Savings
• Basic Life Insurance 
• Supplemental Life Insurance (with optional dependent coverage for eligible employees)
• Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance 
• County Allowance Credit
• Flexible Spending Accounts - Health FSA, Dependent Care and Adoption Assistance
• Short-Term Disability Insurance
• Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Voluntary Benefits - Accident Insurance, Critical Illness, Hospital Indemnity and Legal Services
• Employee Assistance Program

For your Financial Future

• Retirement Plan - (Defined Benefit Pension Plan)
• Deferred Compensation Plan (457 Plan or Roth Plan)

For your Work/Life Balance

• 11 paid holidays
• Floating Holidays
• Vacation and sick leave accrual
• Vacation purchase program
• Management Paid Leave**
• Catastrophic Sick Leave
• Employee Mortgage Loan Program
• Pet Insurance
• Commuter Benefits Program
• Guaranteed Ride Home
• Employee Wellness Program (e.g. At Work Fitness, Incentive Based Programs, Gym Membership Discounts)
• Employee Discount Program (e.g. theme parks, cell phone, etc.)
• Child Care Resources
• 1^st United Services Credit Union 

*Eligibility is determined by Alameda County and offerings may vary by collective bargaining agreement.  This provides a brief summary of the benefits offered and can be subject to change.

** Non-exempt management employees are entitled to up to three days of management paid leave. Exempt management employees are entitled to up to seven days of management paid leave.

All notices related to County recruitments for which you have applied will be sent/delivered via email. Please add @acgov.org and alamedacountyHR@acgov.org as accepted addresses to any email blocking or spam filtering program you may use. If you do not do this, your email blocking or spam filtering program may block receipt of the notices regarding your application for recruitments. You are also strongly advised to regularly log into your County of Alameda online application account to check for notices that may have been sent to you. All email notices that will be sent to you will also be kept in your personal online application account. You will be able to view all of your notices in your online application account by clicking on the "My applications" button on the Current Job Openings page.

 

Please take the steps recommended above to ensure you do not miss any notices about recruitments for which you have applied. The County of Alameda is not responsible for notices that are not read, received or accessed by any applicant for a County recruitment.

 

NOTE: All notices are generated through an automated email notification system. Replies to the email box alamedacountyHR@acgov.org are routed to an unmonitored mailbox. If you have questions please go to our website at www.acgov.org/hrs. You may also contact the Human Resources Analyst listed on the job announcement for the recruitment for which you have applied.

 

 

Monique Hill, Personnel Services Manager

Human Resource Services, County of Alameda

(510) 208-4841 or email Monique.hill@acgov.org

www.acgov.org/hrs

 

 

 

 

Alameda County has a diverse workforce, that is representative of the communities we serve, and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.  All aspects of employment are based on merit, competence, performance and business need. Alameda County does not discriminate in employment on the basis of, race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factors protected under federal, state and local law. Alameda County celebrates diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive, and welcoming workplace environment.