Retirement Benefits Specialist (Promotional)

YOU MUST BE AN ALAMEDA COUNTY EMPLOYEE TO APPLY

THIS IS A NEW PROMOTIONAL ASSEMBLED EXAMINATION. The eligible list resulting from this examination will cancel any existing list and may last approximately one year but can be extended. Qualified applicants must be current county employees and have completed, by the last day for filing, the equivalent of six months of continuous service following a regular appointment in the Alameda County classified service. A regular appointment does not include provisional, TAP (Temporary Assignment Pool), or STEP-UP appointments.

Applications must be in the possession of the Human Resource Services Department by 5:00 p.m. on the Last Day for Filing. 

Applications will only be accepted on-line.

THE AGENCY

The Alameda County Employees’ Retirement Association (ACERA) is the retirement pension plan for public employees in Alameda County, California who work for Alameda County and other agencies. ACERA was established in 1948 by the Alameda County Board of Supervisors to provide retirement, disability, and death benefits to Alameda County and member district employees.

The ACERA retirement plan provides lifetime benefits to members of the retirement system who meet the minimum age and length-of-service requirements or are eligible for disability retirement. The plan is a significant and fundamental part of the comprehensive benefits package that participating employers offer to eligible employees, allowing employees to collectively invest their deferred wages to receive a secure income after retirement. ACERA also administers retiree health care and supplemental cost-of-living benefits.

MISSION

To provide ACERA members and employers with flexible, cost-effective, participant-oriented benefits through prudent investment management and superior member services.

For more detailed information about the agency, visit: Alameda County Employees’ Retirement Association (ACERA).

THE POSITION

Under general supervision, to oversee and lead a team of employees who will provide retirement benefits information; handle the more complex and challenging retirement benefits administration assignments and/or projects; assist the Supervisor with administering  ACERA’s retirement benefits program; and perform other related duties as assigned. 

For more information about the job classification, visit: Retirement Benefits Specialist (#1361). 

EITHER I:

Experience:

The equivalent of two-years full-time experience in the class of Senior Retirement Technician, or in the class of Employee Benefits Technician II in Alameda County classified service.  

OR II:  

Experience:

The equivalent of four years full-time experience processing employee pension or health benefits and handling complex benefits issues in a benefits department of a large private or public organization, one full-time year of which must have included serving as a lead to a small group of employees.  

A Bachelor's degree with major course work in Business or Public Administration, Accounting, Economics, Human Services or related field or possession of the Certified Employee Benefits Specialist certificate may be substituted for two years of the required experience.  

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

Knowledge of: 

• Basic elements of benefits administration. 
• Computer and software application. 
• Research and statistical applications. 

Ability to: 

• Make sound and effective decisions. 
• Plan, assign, direct and review the work of others on a project or day-to-day basis. 
• Organize and prioritize work and meet deadlines. 
• Exercise sound judgment within established policies and procedures. 
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with employees and departments. 
• Read and interpret benefits guidelines. 
• Read documents for completeness, accuracy, appropriateness and compliance with procedures. 
• Write and communicate effectively. 
• Operate a personal computer. 

The examination will consist of the following steps:

1. A review of the applicants’ application 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. An oral examination which will be weighted as 100% of the candidate’s final examination score. The oral examination 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.

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 may 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, https://hrs.alamedacountyca.gov/.

The 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 employee discount, fitness and health screening programs focused on overall wellbeing.  These benefits include but are not limited to*:

For your Health & Well-Being

• Medical – HMO & PPO Plans
• Dental – HMO & PPO Plans
• Vision or Vision Reimbursement
• Share the Savings
• Basic Life Insurance
• Supplemental Life Insurance (with optional dependent coverage for eligible employees)
• Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance
• County Allowance Credit
• Flexible Spending Accounts - Health FSA, Dependent Care and Adoption Assistance
• Short-Term Disability Insurance
• Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Voluntary Benefits - Accident Insurance, Critical Illness, Long-Term Care, Hospital Indemnity and Legal Services
• Employee Assistance Program

For your Financial Future

• Retirement Plan - (Defined Benefit Pension Plan)
• Deferred Compensation Plan (457 Plan or Roth Plan)

For your Work/Life Balance

• 12 paid holidays
• Floating Holidays
• Vacation and sick leave accrual
• Vacation purchase program
• Catastrophic Sick Leave
• Pet Insurance
• Commuter Benefits Program
• 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
• 1st United Services Credit Union

*Eligibility is determined by Alameda County and offerings may vary by collective bargaining agreement.  This provides a summary of the benefits offered and can be subject to change.

All notices related to County recruitments for which you have applied will be sent/delivered via email. Please add @acgov.org, @jobaps.com, NoReply@jobaps.com, and NoReplyAlamedaCountyHR@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 ensure 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 boxes Noreply@acgov.org and NoReplyAlamedaCountyHR@acgov.org are routed to unmonitored mailboxes. All notices are generated through an automated email notification system. Replies to the email box are routed to an unmonitored mailbox. If you have questions, please go to our website at https://hrs.alamedacountyca.gov/. You may also contact the Human Resources Analyst listed on the job announcement for the recruitment for which you have applied.

DISASTER SERVICE WORKER

All Alameda County employees are designated Disaster Service Workers through state and local law.  Employment with the County requires the affirmation of a loyalty oath to this effect.  Employees are required to report to work as ordered in the event of an emergency.