Overview

The Assistant Director of Employee Benefits and Compensation is responsible for planning, directing, and administering the City's Employee Benefits and Classification and Compensation programs.  Provides highly complex assistance to the Human Resources Director and Executive Leadership on employee benefits issues, classification and compensation processes and financial analysis.  Will be responsible for advising and consulting with city staff at all levels within the organization on actions relating to employee health benefits and compensation.

Duties related to Benefits Administration: 

·         Oversee the development of Employee Benefits Programs, budgets, cost containment procedures, and program improvement measures. Takes part in the negotiations and administration of contracts with health and other benefits procedures. Exercises direct supervision over assigned staff.

·         Evaluate unusual and difficult issues and challenges concerning employee benefit programs and processes; develop, recommend, and/or implement solutions, especially in unique situations, requiring the interpretation of policy intent.

·         Review and analyze employee benefit and insurance programs, contact/policy provisions, usage and trends and recommend changes to improve or restructure employee benefit programs, including contract administration and to resolve complex and difficult challenges.

·         Review and revise bid specifications, conduct analysis of bids and proposals and make recommendations for contract awards.

·         Negotiate contracts for various employee benefits with private organizations.

·         Develop benefit plan improvements to optimize their effectiveness, efficiency, and incorporate managerial policy direction and employee feedback; in conjunction with actuaries, evaluate and recommend appropriate funding needs for the retirement and health plans.

·         Oversee the preparation of the annual benefits budget, Requests for Proposals and purchasing contracts.

·         Represent the City with outside vendors and consultants.

·         Manage professional benefits staff in administering and monitoring benefits plans.

·         Prepare policies governing insurance plans.

·         Serve as the Subject Matter Expert (SME) by providing oversight to employee benefits and compensation programs while ensuring compliance and resolving issues and questions.

·         Make presentations to employees, departmental management, executive leadership and City Council concerning Employee Benefits.

·         Evaluate adequacy of current programs and recommends plan design changes or the additions of new plans.

·         Supervises and participates in legal, fiscal, and procedural monitoring activities.

·         Confers with consultants concerning various benefit programs to design and implement employee benefits.

Duties related to Compensation Administration:

·         Assist the Director of Human Resources by managing and participating in the development and implementation of goals, objectives, policies, and priorities for assigned programs for City-wide compensation and classification projects.

·         Responsible for recommending pay plans, salary structures and market adjustments that affect the major source of expenditures for the city.

·         Administer the job evaluation and classification process; research, analyze, and compile internal and external market data using compensation best practices and presenting recommendations to City and/or HR management, based on trend analysis and point factor job evaluation.

·         Maintain and update City’s official pay plan(s); make recommendations for changes.

·         Direct the development of management studies, surveys, and analysis, including internal and external surveys.

·         In conjunction with the annual budget process, estimate the cost of proposed reclassifications with respect to salary and fringe; load annual merit/step increases for all City employees into HRIS.

·         Perform research to develop policy and procedure recommendations to director; review current policies and practices for compliance with federal and state laws and regulations.

·         Interpret and apply policies and procedures to ensure coordination between written policy and actual practice; audit data repositories / HRIS to assure compensation data is accurate.

·         Act as a liaison with directors, managers, and/or supervisors regarding compensation procedures.

·         In collaboration with Talent Management, maintain City Job Analysis Questionnaires (JAQs) and job descriptions and work with department managers and supervisors when revisions are needed.

Other Duties and Responsibilities: 

·         Oversees annual budget preparation for the Human Resources Department (HR, benefits and learning and development budgets) with Director for final approval

·         Identifies and develops new budget initiatives to help move the department forward

·         Manage the day-to-day operations of assigned divisions; help plan, facilitate, and oversee the administration of assigned human resources projects and programs.

·         Serve as liaison to Budget Division on report generation, cost analysis and/or cost estimation as related to benefits and compensation for the City.

·         Collect, compile, review, analyze, and evaluate multiple types of data related to functional area; research information and prepare a variety of reports for department and City staff.

·         Interpret and apply policies and procedures to ensure coordination between written policy and actual practice; Compose and review policies and make recommendations for procedure changes and policy revisions.

·         Monitor the budget, track associated costs, approve payments and make recommendations for budget requests pertaining to assigned functional area.

·         Assess prevailing/best practices and trends through the exchange and analysis of information from other agencies and professional organizations.

·         Evaluates job performance of human resources supervisory staff and counsels regarding areas requiring improvement.

·         Prepares statistical and narrative reports analyzing programs effectiveness and ensures compliance with legal requirements.

·         May be asked to perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications 

·         Requires Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Finance, or closely related field

·         Minimum of seven (7) years of increasingly responsible experience in employee benefits and compensation

·         A valid driver's license is required. Successful out of state candidates must be able to obtain a valid Texas driver's license within 90 days of hire