The Office of Human Resources, Montgomery County Government is looking for a qualified and motivated individual to serve as a Human Resources Specialist III in the Health Insurance Team. The incumbent in this position will perform complex benefits administration work in group insurance plans which include health, dental, vision, prescription, flexible spending accounts, life, and long-term disability programs.

This position may be underfilled at the Human Resources Specialist I (grade N18) level or the Human Resources Specialist II (grade N22) level with future opportunity to non-competitively advance to the Human Resources Specialist III (grade N25) based on performance and qualifications.

The incumbent will be responsible for delivering excellent customer service and serving as an information resource for employees and retirees regarding health and life insurance eligibility, enrollments, premiums, claims processing, plan changes, status changes and other general inquiries; working with carriers to assist employees and retirees to resolve issues pertaining to claims processing, enrollment etc.; inputting enrollments in advanced benefits administration system ensuring accuracy; processing death claims including advising beneficiaries of death benefits, preparing letters and submitting claims to carrier; conducting new-hire orientation and retirement presentations; educating employees about benefit programs and changes by developing and revising communication materials; preparation of retiree group insurance packets that includes auditing of individuals accounts and developing personalized worksheets, and perform other related duties as assigned by the Health Insurance Manager.

This position requires excellent customer service and communication skills; ability to handle sensitive and confidential maters and balance empathy for employees with plan rules and limitations as well as the ability to research and analyze information to reach a sound decision.

A successful candidate will have:

• Ability to work projects from inception to completion
• Self-driven, ability to work independently and facilitate change
• Detail oriented
• Excellent time management and prioritization skills in order to meet multiple deadlines; comfortable working in a high-paced / high production area
• Partner closely with HRIS, Payroll, and IT
• Uses knowledge of employee benefits along with attention to detail to identify submission errors, outliers and other aberrations in data
• Strong Excel skills to include the ability to utilize the Vlookup function and pivot tables
• Perform quality assurance during testing and on-going programs and plans
• Analyze and compare RFP proposals from vendors and recommend best choice of employee benefit plans based on several factors including total rewards strategy, health drivers to decrease cost of overall benefits, assessment of current benefits, employees value proposition, etc.

• Human Resources Specialist III, Grade N25 $75,368 (minimum) - $98,158 (maximum)
• Human Resources Specialist II, Grade N22 $66,359 (minimum) - $86,061 (maximum)
• Human Resources Specialist I, Grade N18 $56,220 (minimum) - $72,453 (maximum)

OHR reviews the minimum qualifications of all applicants, irrespective of whether the candidate has previously been found to have met the minimum requirements for the job or been temporarily promoted to the same position. This evaluation is based solely on the information contained in the application/resume submitted for this specific position/IRC.

Montgomery County Government is an equal opportunity employer, committed to workforce diversity. Accordingly, as it relates to employment opportunities, the County will provide reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, in accordance with the law. Applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the Office of Human Resources via email to OHR@montgomerycountymd.gov. Individual determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made in accordance with all applicable laws.

Montgomery County Government also provides hiring preference to certain categories of veterans and veterans/persons with a disability. For more information and to claim employment preference, please refer to the Careers webpage on Hiring Preference.

All applicants will respond to a series of questions related to their education, relevant experience, knowledge, skills and abilities required to minimally perform the job. The applicant's responses in conjunction with their resume and all other information provided in the employment application process will be evaluated to determine the minimum qualifications and preferred criteria status. Based on the results, the highest qualified applicants will be placed on an Eligible List and may be considered for an interview. Employees meeting minimum qualifications who are the same grade will be placed on Eligible List as a "Lateral Transfer" candidate and may be considered for interview.

If selected for consideration for this position, you may be required to provide evidence that you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities indicated on your resume.

Montgomery County Ethics Law: Except as provided by law or regulation, the County's "Public Employees" (which does not include employees of the Sheriff's office) are subject to the County's ethics law including the requirements to obtain advanced approval of any outside employment and the prohibitions on certain outside employment. The outside employment requirements of the ethics law can be found at 19A-12 of the County Code. Additional information about outside employment can be obtained from the Ethics Commission website.

If filled at the HR Specialist III level:

Experience: Considerable three (3) years applicable professional experience in benefits administration.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in business, finance, human resources or related field.

Equivalency: An equivalent combination of education and experience may be substituted.

If filled at the HR Specialist II level:

Experience: Two (2 years) applicable professional experience in personnel administration.

Education: Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in Business or Public Administration or related field.

Equivalency: An equivalent combination of education and experience may be substituted.

If filled at the HR Specialist I level:

Experience: One (1 year) of applicable professional experience in personnel administration.

Education: Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in Business or Public Administration or related field.

Equivalency: An equivalent combination of education and experience may be substituted.

No Preferred Criteria. Candidates meeting the minimum qualifications will be placed on the eligible list with a rating of qualified.

Preference for interview will be based on candidate experience in the following areas:

• Experience working with advanced benefits administration system.
• Experience ensuring effective delivery of benefit offerings.
• Demonstrated presentation skills including preparation and execution.
• Strong analytical, research and problem-solving skills.
• Experience in the management of open enrollment activities, including HRIS program changes, updating communications, testing and ensuring rates are updated in system.
• Experience working with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) team to manage day-to-day operational system issues and have oversight of HRIS maintenance and data integrity.
• CEBS/CPB certification or CEBS/ CBP coursework preferred