Human Resource Benefits and Leave Specialist

The Burlington School District in Burlington, Vermont is seeking an on-site Human Resource Benefits and Leave Specialist to administer employee benefit programs and manage leave-of-absence processes. This role serves as the primary HR liaison for staff navigating health insurance, retirement plans, and regulatory leave compliance, collaborating with payroll, carriers, and district leaders to ensure precise benefit administration and timely communications.

Responsibilities

• Manage enrollments, changes, and cancellations for newly hired and newly eligible employees, those experiencing qualifying events, and at time of separation.
• Review benefits eligibility, plan information, plan costs, and enrollment forms with employees, ensuring timely completion in accordance with law, plan documents, and district procedures.
• Coordinate enrollment or cancellation of coverage with benefit carriers, ensuring timely notification of coverage changes.
• Update the Payroll system with benefit elections and ensure paperwork is filed in employee files promptly.
• Enter, or collaborate with the payroll team to enter, benefit deduction amounts, ensuring timely sharing of information for accurate payroll deductions and reporting.
• Manage cash-in-lieu benefits.
• Oversee eligibility, annual election, and termination of elections, maintaining complete and accurate documentation on file for benefits recipients.
• Maintain lists of elections and benefit amounts, prorate where necessary for separations or changes in eligibility, and provide information to payroll for processing and timely payment.
• Manage the annual open enrollment process.
• Serve as the primary contact with insurance carriers and vendors.
• Collaborate to develop and distribute communications informing staff about benefits.
• Work with vendors to create and share information related to benefit offerings, including required notices.
• Coordinate employee informational meetings with benefit carriers or vendors as needed.
• Reconcile monthly enrollments and carrier charges for all plans, follow up on inconsistencies, and correct errors or discrepancies.
• Process, balance, create, and maintain purchase orders to pay carrier invoices.
• Employment separations and COBRA: manage and track COBRA participants through the Benealliance partnership.
• Benefit compliance: distribute required notices (Medicare Part D, Special Enrollment, Open Enrollment, etc.) as required by law and district practices.
• Healthcare Declarations (VT Form HC-2).
• Manage collection of forms at hire, during enrollment changes, and annually for all employees; update the HR system accordingly and adjust forms as changes occur.
• Create or update forms and instructions as necessary.
• Maintain all Section 125 and Cafeteria Plan Documents and SPDs; collaborate with carriers to create or update plan documents for each plan (cash-in-lieu, premium conversion, HRA, FSA, HSA) and keep documents current.
• Review the Summary Plan Description for accuracy and maintain the most recent SPD on the website, distributing as required.
• Establish practices and systems to ensure compliance with Plan Documents.
• Leave of Absence Requests: administer FMLA and VTPFL in compliance with federal/state law, master agreements, and BSD practices.
• Update standard medical leave notices and forms in coordination with the Director of HR; request and process medical certifications and fitness-for-duty documentation as needed.
• Determine appropriate paid and unpaid leave for the duration of an approved leave in line with applicable agreements and laws.
• Serve as the primary liaison with employees, school office staff, supervisors, and payroll regarding medical leaves, ensuring timely communication and high service levels.
• Communicate leave status with supervisors to maintain proper coverage; ensure information is shared promptly with payroll and HR teammates to maintain accurate pay and benefits.
• Develop processes and provide training to ensure proper and timely notification and implementation of medical leaves.
• ADA accommodations: distribute and collect requests and medical certifications; coordinate with supervisors to assess reasonableness and essential functions.
• Schedule meetings with employees and supervisors as needed to clarify accommodation requests; maintain ADA files and status updates.
• Workers' compensation: manage the program, acting as the primary liaison with the WC carrier, injured employees, administrative staff, and supervisors.
• Submit First Reports of Injury to the WC carrier; monitor status changes (lost time, medical treatment, return to work); send notices to employees as appropriate; request supplemental reports as needed.
• Obtain fitness-for-duty and medical certifications to support leave or return-to-work needs; maintain OSHA log and conduct related trainings.

Experience

• Minimum of two years in benefits, leave, or human resources roles with a strong knowledge of benefit-related compliance and regulatory requirements; school setting experience is desirable but not required.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or at least 3 years of experience in Human Resources, benefits, or leave administration.
• Certification preferred: SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP.

Benefits

• Health insurance
• Retirement plans
• Cash-in-lieu benefit

Supervision Received

• Reports to, is supervised and evaluated by the Director of Human Resources; may receive assignments outside the scope of this position.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Responsible for training and assisting coworkers to ensure smooth transitions of duties and effective backup coverage.