Benefits Analyst

THIS IS A NEW ASSEMBLED EXAMINATION. The eligible list resulting from this examination will cancel any existing list and will last approximately one year, but may be extended.

A properly completed application must be submitted. Applications must be in the possession of the Human Resource Services Department by 5:00 p.m. on the Last Day for Filing. Postmarks and faxes are not accepted.  Failure to complete the application will result in disqualification. Applications will only be accepted on-line.

About The Human Resource Services Department:

Department Mission
Deliver high quality and timely human resource services in partnership with County agencies, departments and special districts to enable our customers to reach their organizational goals.

Vision
To be the employer of choice and a great place to work.

Values
In a spirit of partnership, HRS strives for: Excellence in everything we do. Responsiveness to our customers and their needs. Fairness in our policies and practices. Innovation in developing and implementing new programs. Diversity in recognizing everyone’s unique contribution. Development of every employee’s full potential. Anticipate and meet the changing needs of employees and candidates to ensure the recruitment and retention of a talented and committed workforce.  Support the County’s organizational culture that values customer service, performance excellence, diversity, and fiscal stewardship. Redesign and transform the recruitment function for improved customer service and satisfaction. Champion workforce planning and development to ensure that employees have every opportunity to assume leadership positions as baby boomers retire. Improve the efficiency and effectiveness of services through the increased use of technology.

The Position
Under the general direction of the Manager, Employee Benefits and Service Center, assists in the planning, organizing and coordination of the County's Employee Group Benefit Programs.  The Benefits Analyst is a single position class in the Employee Benefits Center of the Department of Human Resource Services. The incumbent performs analytical work on employee group benefit programs, provides recommendations on existing and proposed employee group benefit programs, and is the County’s liaison to the Retirement Association. The Benefits Analyst will manage a variety of special projects, handle the more complex benefits issues and ensure on-going collaborative relationships with vendors.

The Ideal Candidate:
In addition to meeting the established minimum qualifications, the ideal candidate for the Benefits Analyst position will have proven experience analyzing benefits, evaluating usage, service, coverage, effectiveness, cost, plan experience and competitive trends in employee benefit programs.  Successful candidates will possess the following critical attributes:

• Experience in benefits program design and administration principles, practices and methods
• Knowledge of employee benefits laws and regulations
• Strong Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PPT etc.), and HRIS skills
• Consistently meets deadlines and requirements
• Demonstrates excellent analytical skills, and applies functional benefits knowledge to solve problems and identify opportunities for improvement
• Looks for process efficiencies and streamlines processes from beginning to end with little oversight
• Communicates clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing
• Ability to manage and prioritize multiple projects, and stays focused on achieving goals
• Establishes and maintains cooperative working relationships with others
• Self-starter with adaptive work ethic
• Demonstrates good judgment and professionalism in all areas of work
•Ability to bring a strategic and tactical approach to benefit design and implementation ensuring proper plan funding, cost sharing as well as competitive benchmarking.

Incumbents are tasked with:
1. Assists with planning, organizing, and coordinating the County's Employee Group Benefit Programs; coordinates benefit implementation with various County Agency/Departments.

2. Negotiates with various Health and Welfare providers for annual rate and benefit changes.

3. Assists with design, revisions and updating of an ongoing employee benefits strategy/plan for the County.

4. Provides benefit program counseling services to employee benefit center staff or other administrators, who are responsible for providing direct benefit program counseling services to new and existing employees as an ongoing service; and responds to and advocates for employees in resolving benefit-related problems.

5. Works with consultants employed for group services related to new and existing programs, program costs, financial reports, and accounts; meets and works with consultants to develop and implement new benefit programs as needed.

6. Prepares and disseminates bulletins, handbooks, information circulars, and descriptive literature to County staff and employees.

7. Manages projects and timelines

8. Works with medical plan providers on wellness initiatives and programs.

9. Writes and prepares employee benefit newsletters, announcements and descriptive literature to County staff and employees

10. Other related duties as assigned

Experience:

The equivalent of five years of full-time experience administering, analyzing or managing employee benefit programs for a public agency or private business.

Education:

A college degree from and accredited college or university in Business, Personnel Administration or Management is desirable.

NOTE: The Civil Service Commission may modify the above Minimum Qualifications in the announcement of an examination.

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:

• Practices of large public agency or private business employee group benefit programs.
• Federal and State laws and regulations governing employee benefits.
• Statistical and analytic techniques and processes.
• Fiscal and budgetary practices.

Ability to:

• Coordinate and manage employee benefit programs.
• Communicate effectively orally and in writing.
• Make decisions.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships.
• Analyze and problem solve.
• Plan and organize.
• Work effectively with others.
• Cost benefit proposals.
• Represent County benefit programs to County management and labor organizations.
• Deal with benefit providers and actuaries.
• Write requests for proposals and various benefit communications

THE EXAMINATION WILL CONSIST OF the following 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 many 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 e-mail 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: Review of Minimum Qualifications: Screening of Supplemental Questionnaire for best qualified Oral Interviews:	5:00 pm, Monday, March 16, 2015 March 23, 2015 March 27, 2015 April 15, 2015

*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 statues. 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 statues.

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 & Welfare Benefits

• Medical – HMO & PPO Insurance
• Dental – PPO & DHMO Insurance  
• Vision
• Basic Life Insurance 
• Supplemental Life Insurance (with optional dependent coverage) 
• County Allowance (Employer Credit)
• Health Flexible Spending Account
• Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account
• Accident, Critical Illness & Hospital Indemnity
• Long Term Care Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program

For your Financial Future

• Short-term Disability Insurance
• Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Retirement Plan – (Defined Benefit Pension Plan)
• Deferred Compensation Plan

For your Work/Life Balance

• 11 paid holidays
• Vacation and sick leave accrual
• Vacation purchase program
• Management Paid Leave**
• Group Auto/Home Insurance
• Commuter Benefits Program
• Group Legal
• 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 insure you do not miss any notices about a recruitment 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 bulletin for the recruitment for which you have applied.

Sam Gee

Personnel Services Manager

Human Resource Services Division-County of Alameda

510-267-9492www.acgov.org