Manager Employee Benefits

The Manager Employee Benefits position is responsible for the functional and operational aspects of the assigned employee benefits program(s) including paid time off, short term disability, long term disability, leave of absence, workers compensation and life insurance.  This position engages in planning, monitoring performance management and reviewing contributions of assigned staff related to productivity, quality and customer service.  The Manager Employee Benefits position designs systems and resources to meet these strategies, to resolve problems and implement change.  This position upholds or adheres to Human Resource (HR) policies and compliance standards according to Houston Methodist (HM) and regulatory requirements.

The manager position responsibilities include managing the daily work activities of the work unit/department staff, ensuring quality, productivity, functional excellence and efficiency while assisting management in accomplishing strategic and operational objectives.  In addition, this position provides guidance to staff and is responsible for staffing, budget compliance, contributing to staffing decisions such as hiring and terminating employment, coaching and counseling employees on work related performance, and assisting in the development and implementation of policies and procedures to ensure a safe and effective work environment.  This position also implements training, monitoring and operations initiatives that secure compliance with ethical and legal business practices and accreditation/regulatory/ government regulations.  They work collaboratively with the other benefit managers to ensure that our programs are communicated effectively across all communication channels. 

PEOPLE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Performs management responsibilities of selection, scheduling, supervision, retention, and evaluation of employees in the department. Provides development and mentoring of staff. Meets or exceeds threshold goal for department turnover. Develops direct reports to perform these same functions.

• Provides fair and consistent leadership and communication to maintain a competent and engaged employee group by conducting regular department meetings to review policies and procedures and operational matters, rounding on all employees, completing performance appraisals, conducting new hire feedback sessions, coaching/corrective counseling, and providing recognition/commendations to achieve desired outcomes. Provides timely guidance and feedback to help others strengthen specific knowledge/skill areas needed to accomplish a task or solve a problem.

• Facilitates and promotes effective team dynamics and teambuilding strategies within and between departments; participates and/or leads and facilitates department process improvements as needed.

• Meets or exceeds threshold goal for department and/or system metrics on employee engagement indicators.

• Manages the relationship with external vendors to ensure excellence of service to HM.

SERVICE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Plans and organizes day-to-day department operations, schedule and activities. Sets priorities and functional standards, giving direction to staff as necessary to ensure the best possible delivery of service and high customer/patient satisfaction.

• Drives department service standards and activities to impact department and/or system score for patient/customer-based satisfaction, through role modeling and fostering accountability. Serves and actively participates on various entity committees as a voice for the department.

• Partners with vendors to establish processes that will result in prompt and quality service to plan members. Monitors vendors to ensure that they fulfill service objectives and performance guarantees.

• Provides resources to employees to enhance their understanding of benefits programs, such as onsite or virtual education events. This includes review of employee communications both online and print.

QUALITY/SAFETY ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Ensures a safe and effective working environment; monitors and/or revises the department safety plan and/or any specific accreditation/regulatory required safety guidelines, including infection control principles. Monitors and confirms staff maintain their required credentials that demonstrate competency per accrediting agency or department guidelines as applicable.

• Uses and optimizes information systems to enhance operations; supports entity-specific performance improvement and data management/analysis functions.

• Employs a proactive approach in the optimization of safe outcomes by monitoring and improving the department workflow, using peer-to-peer accountability, reporting accidents, near misses, and/or adverse events immediately per department protocol and identifying solutions via collaboration. Adopts lean principles in driving process improvements. Role models situational awareness, using teachable moments to improve safety.

• Monitors self and employee compliance with policies, procedures, and System HR Standards of Practice and performs associated actions upon non-compliance (i.e., focal point review requirements, disaster plan, inservices, influenza immunization, wage and hour, standard hours, timely termination submission, timely timecard approval, etc.).

• Ensures that all written and verbal communications, plan documents and summary plan description (SPDs), and department forms convey plan information accurately and comply with benefit regulations.

• Ensures that decisions are applied consistently, equitably and according to benefit regulations and policies.

• Ensures compliance with all applicable laws regarding the benefit programs.

FINANCE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Assists in the development of department budget and ensures that the department operates in a cost effective manner. Manages/audits department expenses within approved budget parameters, ensuring that the department meets the budgeted/flex revenue and/or expense targets on a monthly and annual basis. Develops staffing plans and schedules to meet department/patient needs that reflect understanding of the importance of cost-effectiveness.

• Implements department strategies to achieve financial target and staffing needs, developing others to do the same, through optimizing productivity, supply/resource efficiency, minimizing incidental overtime and overtime percentage, and other areas according to department specifications.

• Provides financial data to Finance accurately and timely.

GROWTH/INNOVATION ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Identifies and implements innovative solutions for practice or workflow changes to improve department operations or other department-specific measures by leading unit projects and/or other department/system directed/shared governance activities. Supports change initiatives, maintaining effectiveness when experiencing major changes in work responsibilities or environment; adjusts effectively to work within new work structures, processes, requirements or cultures.

• Proactively evaluates processes; recommends and implements action plan(s) for change; follows through to ensure effective, sustainable change. Participates in the development and implementation of new procedures and the review and revision of existing procedures.

• Identifies opportunities and takes action to build strategic relationships between one's area and other areas, teams, departments, and units to achieve business goals.

• Seeks opportunities to identify developmental needs of self and staff and takes appropriate action. Ensures own career discussions occur with appropriate management. Completes and updates My Development Plan (MDP) on an on-going basis. Conducts conversations with staff on their development.

• Stays up- to- date on current benefits laws, best practices, and new system functionality to ensure that we are always practicing best practice benefits.

• Gathers new ideas to gain efficiencies and develop enhancements to increase employees understanding, efficiency or cost savings of benefits.

• Develops ways to automate processes to increase efficiency and accuracy within the department.

This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive; the employee will also perform other reasonably related business/job duties as assigned. Houston Methodist reserves the right to revise job duties and responsibilities as the need arises.

EDUCATION

• Bachelor's degree

WORK EXPERIENCE

• Five years of experience in benefits administration or HR call center, of which one year must have been in a people management role; for internal employees four years of experience in benefits administration or HR call center with HM performance that demonstrates leadership responsibility