Schools Processing: Retirement Specialist I
State of Nebraska

The work we do matters!

Hiring Agency:
Retirement Systems - Agency 85

Location:
Lincoln, NE

Hiring Rate:
$17.327

Job Posting:
JR2024-00010726 Schools Processing: Retirement Specialist I (Open)

Applications No Longer Accepted On (If no date is displayed, job is posted as open until closed):

Job Description:
On the NPERS Schools Team, we thrive by combining the vision of our new hires who offer fresh perspectives and innovative thinking with the foundational support of our long-term employees' experience and expertise. If you are passionate about finding long-term success on a diverse team, YOU could be our next great collaborator!

NPERS values our employees and a supportive environment which strives to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. We recruit, hire, train, and promote in all job classifications and at all levels without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, marital status, or genetics.

Under general supervision, the NPERS Schools Team Retirement Specialist I position processes annuity distributions, including calculating and auditing annuity benefits; functions collaboratively to problem-solve with their teammates and manager; investigates and reconciles member accounts by reviewing documents, records, contributions, and payment history; prepares written correspondence to members and reporting agents; and performs related work as assigned. Please note, this Retirement Specialist I position is in the NPERS Benefits Department, not the NPERS Member Services (call center) Department.

We want you to feel valued at NPERS and we offer our employees great benefits! During your first year here at NPERS, you'll receive:

• 13 paid holidays
• Vacation and sick leave which starts accruing immediately
• Retirement contributions matched at 156% (WOW!)
• Tuition Reimbursement (also, WOW!)
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Employer health insurance plans paid at 79%
• Student loans? We are a qualifying employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF).
• Dental and vision insurance plans
• A wide variety and availability of career advancement as the largest and most diverse employer in Nebraska
• Training and development based on your career aspirations
• A safe and secure environment

Please see the Benefits link for more information on benefits offered to State of Nebraska employees.

To learn more about NPERS, please visit our website at npers.ne.gov.

Work Location: This position works in the office located at 1526 K Street, Suite 400, Lincoln, NE 68508.

Examples of Work

We are excited to have you join us as a team member in processing NPERS School plan annuities by utilizing financial reconciliation operations, account data entry, and records research. This includes:

• Evaluating, processing, and maintaining regular retirements in the School plan.
• Preparing benefit estimates, validating applications, preparing extractions of service credit, wages, and contributions, calculating preliminary and final benefit calculations, and auditing calculations of your teammates.
• Requesting information and responding to questions from plan employers and members, when necessary, via written and verbal communication.
• Researching, evaluating, and identifying data needed for the consistent application of retirement benefits, including, but not limited to, verifying contractual data, verifying service credit and salary information utilizing computer applications, reviewing employer reports, and identifying additional materials needed to process a benefit.

Other duties may include:

• Calculating purchase of service and Military service.
• Finalizing QDRO (court ordered) judgements, by calculating estimates and splitting accounts for the parties involved.
• Processing Disability retirements and handling sensitive medical information.
• Responding to employers and/or member inquiries regarding plan laws, rules and regulations, agency policies and procedures, and pending legislation via written correspondence, email, phone, and fax.
• Additional duties related to retirement processes may be assigned, including processing for our Judges and Patrol Plans.

Requirements/ Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications: At least one year of coursework, training, AND/OR experience in office support functions, including providing customer service, AND/OR experience providing service to recipients about benefit plan guidelines.

Preferred Qualifications: Graduation from high school or its equivalent and two years of clerical office service, customer service, accounting, insurance, retirement, or closely related experience. Experience processing retirement plan annuities, refunds, and/or other financial distribution processing is a plus. Experience composing and/or proofing-reading business correspondence, or other related written material.

Other: Top candidates may be required to complete a basic writing, and math skills assessment.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Desire and curiosity to learn as an individual and as part of a team.
• Possess effective oral and written communication skills.
• Willingness to help create or update procedures during training.
• Maintain and ensure the confidentiality and security of sensitive information.
• Strong ability to accurately research, analyze, and draw logical conclusions from written and numerical data.
• Ability to operate office equipment, understand and apply instructions, and file and retrieve records.
• Knowledge and experience with Excel and Word (Microsoft Office Suite products).
• Ability to learn and apply new technical knowledge as required.
• Knowledge of office procedures; basic math calculations; English grammar, spelling, punctuation, and composition for purposes of recognizing and correcting errors in correspondence.
• Ability to have regular and punctual attendance to support deadline driven processing.
• Fosters and facilitates communication through cooperation, empathy, trust building, and respect when communicating with members, employers, and teammates.
• Ability to interact, communicate, and engage with diverse people and create positive and productive internal and external relationships.
• Remain adaptive and flexible to changing work priorities.
• Displays a high level of initiative, effort, attention to detail, and commitment by completing assignments efficiently with general supervision.

Our success is driven by talented people JUST LIKE YOU! We understand potential candidates may not apply for an opportunity in which they do not meet each stated qualification or requirement. While success in our role can certainly be supported by the qualifications listed, each candidate may have unique strengths, experiences, or skills which could be pertinent or applicable to becoming successful in this role. If you believe you could be our next great teammate, we encourage you to apply!


Benefits

We offer a comprehensive package of pay, benefits, paid time off, retirement and professional development opportunities to help you get the most out of your career and life. Your paycheck is just part of your total compensation.

Check out all that the State of Nebraska has to offer! Benefit eligibility may vary by position, agency and employment status. For more information on benefits, please visit: https://statejobs.nebraska.gov/index.html#benefits

Equal Opportunity Statement

The State of Nebraska values our teammates as well as a supportive environment that strives to promote diversity, inclusion, and belonging. We recruit, hire, train, and promote in all job classifications and at all levels without regard to race, color, religion, sex. age, national origin, disability, marital status or genetics.

Current employees of the State of Nebraska should NOT apply on this external career. Instead go to Workday and access the Jobs Hub - Internal Apply app from your home landing page.

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