Manager, Benefits and Disability Management

Minimum Pay Rate: $142,188.80 

Maximum Pay Rate: $188,323.20 

Civil Service Status: Non-Civil Service 

Posting Type: Open 

 

This position is a non-Civil Service (at-will) position.

 

SMUD’s People Services and Strategies team is seeking a highly engaged, innovative, and experienced Human Resources Professional to oversee our benefits and disability management systems and programs. The Manager of Benefits and Disability Management provides technical direction, strategic leadership, and day-to-day supervision to plan, develop, implement, administer programs in two areas: 

• Benefits programs, services, systems, policies and procedures 

• Disability management programs, services, systems, policies and procedures 

 

This high-touch position engages with internal customers at all levels and across all functions of SMUD. The Manager of Benefits and Disability Management reports to the Director of People Services & Strategies and leads two teams, one responsible for benefits administration and the other responsible for disability management administration. As a key member of the customer-centric People Services & Strategies leadership team, this position helps to ensure delivery of the department’s vision: “We create an environment where people thrive and do their best. As a trusted business partner, together, we make SMUD the best place to work.”  

 

The successful candidate will possess: 

• Extensive expertise in employee benefits (medical insurance, life insurance, pension plans, voluntary 401(k) and 403(b) retirement plans, and disability insurance) and be able to manage multiple high-volume functional areas including demonstrated strong financial acumen. 

• Experience facilitating discussions with Executives and other senior leaders pertaining to strategic decisions and investments related to employee benefits. 

• Experience designing and managing benefits administration, open enrollment, and disability management processes. 

• Experience using systems and technologies pertaining to employee benefits and disability management. 

• Experience with Disability Management including Workers Compensation.

Purpose

To provide technical direction, leadership, and staff supervision involved in the planning, development, implementation, administration, and ongoing evaluation of SMUD’s employee benefits and disability management programs, to ensure SMUD can attract, retain and motivate a highly talented, diverse and qualified workforce. This job class will collaborate with the Director of People Services & Strategies in the development and implementation of tailored, highly effective and efficient human resources (HR) processes that produce a skilled and engaged workforce that supports achievement of desired business operations and outcomes. 

Nature and Scope

This position is a second-line unit working manager under limited supervision within a broad framework of policies and procedures. It assists and reports to the Director of People Services & Strategies in the development, implementation, evaluation and management of department goals, objectives, budgets, projects, policies and procedures related to employee and retiree benefits and disability management. This job proactively oversees, directs, and supervises programs, services and staff working in the employee benefits and disability management areas. It is accountable to hire, train, coach, guide, mentor, discipline staff, and complete formal evaluations. This position may utilize staff supervisors and experienced lead employees to assist in directing, training, evaluating and developing staff and to ensure staff safety. 

Duties and Responsibilities

• Plans, organizes, and directs HR operations staff in development and delivery of benefits and disability management services and programs; schedules and allocates resources to HR projects, teams, and functions; provides ongoing evaluation and audits of programs and services implementing changes to increase process efficiency and effectiveness; interprets and executes HR and SMUD policies and procedures ensuring their compliance to SMUD and governmental policies, procedures, and laws; ensures SMUD compliance by interpreting and acting on regulatory updates. 
• Develops and administers the benefits and disability management budgets; justifies budget items as needed; authorizes and approves budget expenditures; monitors actual expenditures against plan; identifies and reconciles budget anomalies; monitors and revises schedules, expenditures and assignments as warranted; reviews quarterly and end-of- year budget results; develops budget recommendations for the upcoming fiscal year.

 

• Benefits Administration: