Employee Relations & Benefits Specialist

Reports To: Director of Employee Relations

Purpose: Under the direction of the Director of Employee Relations, this position is responsible for providing guidance and direction to district leadership and staff in the areas of retirement and leave administration, employee relations, policy and procedure administration, performance management and district volunteer coordination.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Retirement & Leave Administration:

• Coordinates the administration of benefits offered by RSS, including but not limited, to retirement, FMLA, leave of absence, and disability.
• Manages and facilitates the retirement process through ORBIT for eligible employees.
• Organizes and facilitates district-wide retirement information sessions.
• Meets individually with potential retirees to discuss their needs and options.
• Facilitates the short-term and long-term disability programs.
• Monitors benefit processes for legal compliance.
• Provides employees with information on offerings available to them for counseling, benefits and other services.
• Works with employees to navigate through FMLA.
• Stays up-to-date on ever-changing state benefits and leave programs.

Staffing/New Employee Onboarding:

• Actively participates in weekly onboarding sessions.
• Ensures that new staff receive training and knowledge related to RSS, HR policies, procedures, time off benefits, leaves, etc. and educates new staff on district policy and procedures, benefits, retirement, etc.
• Supports staffing team during periods of highest volume by managing job postings and onboarding of staff.

Volunteer Management:

• Recruits volunteers for RSS.
• Coordinates training topics and schedules for the entire district, as well as facilitates all training sessions.
• Processes volunteer applications, including background checks and principal approvals.
• Acts as a liaison between principals, community members and Communities in Schools.
• Maintains, monitors, and manages volunteer database on both the district and school level.
• Performs evaluations, needs assessments, and strategizes improvement of volunteer program, as needed. Creates content and maintains social media and website page.

Employee Relations (Classified) & Employee Recognition:

• Investigates workplace employee relations situations.
• Receives and resolves issues raised by staff. Serves as an initial contact for employee relations and investigations for classified staff. May also engage in employee relations issues with certified staff as requested.
• Provides day-to-day support on a broad range of topics, including performance management, leaves of absence, grievances, departures, and change management.
• Develops and maintains tools to help standardize processes and scale the employee relations function.
• Remains current in state and federal program guidelines, procedures, rules and laws.

Performance Management (Classified):

• Administers the annual performance evaluation process for classified staff including timeline, communication, and data tracking and analysis.
• Schedules and coordinates professional development opportunities for classified staff several times throughout the year.

Miscellaneous:

• Works on special projects as requested.
• Verifies and completes correspondence regarding unemployment insurance benefits.
• Coordinates and may conduct training to enhance skills of staff at all levels.
• Participates in local professional associations, conferences and professional development opportunities for improved job performance.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in human resources, Business Administration or related field and three years leave and retirement administration HR experience preferred; or any like combination of education and experience.
• K-12 education experience preferred.
• Possesses a solid understanding of HR policies, practices, and procedures.
• Demonstrated experience in conducting and resolving employee issues and investigations strongly preferred.
• Working knowledge of the Family Medical Leave Act.
• Ability to excel individually and as part of a team.
• Professional written and verbal communication skills
• Strong initiative and ability to anticipate issues proactively.
• Ability to succeed in a fast-paced environment.
• Proven track record of reliability and responsibility.
• Detail oriented with strong organizational and administrative skills.
• Discreet, able to handle confidential and proprietary information appropriately.

TERM OF EMPLOYMENT: 12 months