Retirement And Benefits Officer

This position is located at 55 Elm Street, Hartford, CT; 40 hours per week, Monday - Friday.

Duties and responsibilities include: research retirement and financial records of members/municipalities participating in the Municipal Employees Retirement System to ensure accuracy of contributions, municipal amortization payments, administrative assessment payments, and eligibility for benefits; use Core-CT to reconcile and approve deposits and update employee information; facilitate resolutions with members and municipalities concerning record discrepancies, and contribution deficiencies; enter, validate and post monthly payroll reports from over 200 municipal entities in a timely manner; work directly with the municipalities regarding under and over payments of employee/employer contributions; conduct learning labs, answer questions, and troubleshoot; verify actuarial reports and employee contribution and interest statements; issue and/or correct 1099Rs for current and past years in Access database.

State employees currently holding the above title may apply for a lateral transfer.  Those who have previously attained permanent status in the class may also apply for this vacancy.

Applicants are required to upload a cover letter and a resume with their submission. (NOTE: in order to upload documents you must ensure that your internet browser’s ‘pop-up’ blocker is off.  Failure to do so may prevent you from being able to upload documentation into JobAps.). Questions about these required documents should be directed to Bonnie Schlechtweg, OSC HR, (860) 702-3323 or  Bonnie.Schlechtweg@ct.gov.

In order to be considered for this job opening, you must be a current employee of the Office of the State Comptroller, who has permanent state status, and meet the Minimum Qualifications as listed on the job opening.  You must specify your qualifications on your application. 

In the Office of the State Comptroller, Retirement Services Division and Healthcare Policy and Benefit Services Division and in the Teachers' Retirement Board Benefits Division, this class is accountable for independently performing a full range of tasks in public employee retirement and benefit administration.

Performs a variety of financial and administrative functions in field of retirement and benefits management; works on special projects as required; conducts or participates in examination of employee records; researches and analyzes employees retirement records and prepares individualized estimates of entitlement in accordance with retirement laws, collective bargaining and/or court actions relative to State Employees Retirement Systems; utilizes various databases for reports and analysis; examines and reconciles employment records with supporting data such as payroll records, calendars, etc.; responds to inquiries from a wide variety of individuals regarding all aspects of retirement plans and/or employee benefit plans; conducts training seminars and develops training materials and manuals on state and municipal retirement systems and/or employee benefit plans; researches impact of legislation, regulations and collective bargaining provisions on retirement system; examines retirement calculations and procedures to ensure compliance with laws and regulations and state or federal requirements; prepares unit reports; interprets and applies relevant Connecticut General Statutes and federal regulations pertaining to retirement and/or employee benefits; analyzes and prepares benefit, accounting, financial and administrative statements; acts as a liaison with agency human resources employees with respect to difficult retirements; performs related duties as required.

Knowledge of and ability to apply relevant agency policies and procedures; knowledge of relevant state and federal laws, statutes and regulations; knowledge of principles and practices of public employee retirement and benefit administration; knowledge of human resources and payroll practices and procedures; knowledge of basic examining and researching principles and practices; knowledge of governmental accounting as applied to retirement and benefit administration; interpersonal skills; oral and written communication skills; ability to prepare, analyze and evaluate employee benefits statements, other employee records and reports, and benefit claims and cost data; ability to utilize various databases systems for retirement and benefits management; ability to read and interpret written materials; ability to lead other employees; ability to utilize computer software.

Six (6) years of experience in employee benefit and/or retirement administration.

Two (2) years of the General Experience must have been at the paraprofessional level in the fields of accounts examining, human resources, payroll or related administrative function.

Note: For State Employees the Special Experience is interpreted at the level of Associate Retirement Examiner, Payroll System Coordinator, Payroll Officer 1, Assistant Accountant, Human Resources Assistant or Fiscal/Administrative Assistant.

1. College training may be substituted for the General Experience on the basis of fifteen (15) semester hours equalling one-half (1/2) year of experience to a maximum of four (4) years for a Bachelor’s degree.
2. A Master’s degree in business administration, accounting or a closely related field may be substituted for one (1) year of the General Experience.

Knowledge of the statutes that govern the Municipal Employees Retirement System (MERS); experience working directly with local municipalities to include personnel relations and payroll reporting; experience and proficiency training small and large groups of people; proficiency examining, analyzing, and balancing reports; familiarity with actuarial reports, plan valuations, and varying contribution rates; proficiency in Oracle/PeopleSoft Core-CT HRMS systems, Microsoft Word, Access, and Excel; organizational skills; excellent verbal and written communication skills.

AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.

If you are requesting special accommodations under the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) please contact Bonnie Schlechtweg at 860.702.3323 or Bonnie.Schlechtweg@ct.gov