Leave and Benefit Specialist - Remote

Leave and Benefits Specialist - Remote

Summary:

The Leave and Benefits Specialist position is responsible for directing and planning the day-to-day operations of benefits and wellness programs (group health, dental, vision, short-term and long-term disability, life insurance, travel, flexible spending plan, retirement plans, etc.). They will act as the main point of contact, subject matter expert and serve as the point of escalation for issues and challenges related to state and federal leaves of absences and employee accommodation requests.

This position is the point of contact for all benefit related questions/inquiries and provides excellent customer service to our employees across the US. You will be successful in this role if you are adaptable, can stay calm; flexible, work in a fast-paced environment and MUST have a passion and deep understanding of the leave and benefit administration process.

Location: fully remote, must live in the continental US. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide visa sponsorships.

Major Responsibilities:

Leave Administration: (50%)

• Manages the entire leave administration functions and process, which includes FMLA, personal leave, paid parental leave, short-term/long-term disability, military, workers compensation, any applicable state required leaves, as well as ADA.
• Partners with the managers to complete ADA accommodation requests.
• Generates appropriate internal leave notifications, required state and federal forms, approval/denial letters and tracks all leaves in Workday.
• Assists employees with filing disability claims and the return-to-work process.
• Support the DOT compliance team to notify them of leave start and end dates.
• Assists with monitoring benefit premium payments for employees on unpaid leaves for premium collections and correspondence.
• Collaborate with payroll team for paid parental leave pay, military pay, outstanding benefit premium balances, and other LOA tasks as needed.
• Investigates, analyzes, and provides recommendations to improve company leave policies.
• Develops LOA/Benefit training presentations and facilitates periodic training for managers.
• Act as the Payroll backup and ensure knowledge of how the two areas collide.

Benefits Administration: (30%)

• Benefits Administration point of contact for employees
• Serve as primary contact for benefit carriers and the benefit broker.
• Partner with the HRIS team for troubleshooting systems issues. Coordinate transfer of HRIS data to carriers and resolving file feed errors timely.
• Document and maintain administrative procedures for assigned benefits processes.
• Ensure compliance with applicable government regulations and timeliness/accuracy of required reporting and associated fees.
• Create internal audit protocols to ensure plan participant accuracy, compliance, and overall success of the plan.
• Assists to facilitate successful planning and execution of annual open enrollment including creation and revision of all communications and systems to reflect new benefits/benefit changes.
• Assists the Total Rewards team with ACA, other compliance tasks and 401k audits.
• Keeps Benefits leader informed of important developments, potential problems, and related information necessary for effective management. Coordinates and communicates plans and activities with others, as appropriate, to ensure a coordinated work effort and team approach.

Projects: (10%)

• Performs related work and/or projects as apparent or assigned.

Growth/Innovation: (10%)

• Stays abreast of industry trends and seeks out opportunities to apply innovative solutions to assigned programs. Makes recommendations focused on delivering high-quality, cost-effective programs to address the benefit needs of our employees.

• Proactively evaluates internal processes and makes recommendations to ensure for greater employee experience.

Required Qualifications:

• Expertise working with COBRA, FMLA, ADA, ERISA, HIPAA, and ACA regulations
• At least 3-5 years of experience in Benefits and Leave Administration
• Deep knowledge of the leave regulations and requirements in multiple states across the US.
• Strong analytical skills and attention to detail as well as the need for accuracy when calculating leave pay; arrears benefit calculations, etc.
• Demonstrates proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Experience working with Benefits Administration System or HRIS as a user and an administrator (Workday preferred)
• Strong customer service orientation. Demonstrated ability to interact effectively with all employee levels.
• Demonstrated ability to handle multiple and varied projects.
• Handles confidential information with the utmost judgement and discretion.
• Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with a wide variety of customers, company personnel, and others.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Benefits or other related field.

Inclusive Employer

At Restaurant Technologies, we celebrate diversity, believe in equity, and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees; we're proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer. All aspects of employment including the decision to hire, promote, discipline, or discharge, will be based on merit, competence, performance, and business needs. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, marital status, age, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy, genetic information, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or any other status protected under federal, state, or local law."

If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please contact us by email at [email protected] or call 1-888-796-4997.

Culture & Benefits

Our employees are the foundation of our success and we take care of them! Our comprehensive benefits include professional development, competitive health care coverage, incentives and a healthy work and life balance. We've cultivated an award-winning workplace for driven team members who enjoy a fast pace and rapid growth balanced by a flexible and supportive environment. We've earned recognition as a "Best Place to Work," by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal along with The Minnesota Work Life Champions Award while consistently earning a spot on Minnesota's Fastest Growing Companies list. In addition, we've earned numerous awards from our customer base who consider Restaurant Technologies a valued strategic partner.

Who We Are

Restaurant Technologies is the leading provider of highly innovative and value-enhancing bulk cooking oil management services to the food service industry. Our solution is environmentally sound, highly efficient and creates a safer, more productive work environment for restaurant personnel. With over 35,000 existing customers we are an established, profitable mid-sized company poised for double-digit growth in the coming year. We are headquartered in suburban Minneapolis, Minnesota with a growing number of sites strategically located across the U.S. serving over 41 metropolitan markets.