Personnel Specialist

Springfield, IL
Full Time
Personnel
Experienced
Office of the Illinois Secretary of State
Alexi Giannoulias

Job Title:    Personnel Specialist
Division:     Employment Services/Benefits
Union:         IFT
Location:    501 S Second St, Springfield, IL – Sangamon County
Salary:        Range $4,469 to $7,904 monthly – commensurate with experience
Benefits:     https://cms.illinois.gov/benefits/stateemployee.html       
          
Overview: 
Performs professional personnel work as a Group Insurance Representative for the State of Illinois Group Insurance program for employees of the Office of the Secretary of State; handles new employee sign-ups and serves as liaison for the Flexible Spending Program.

Duties and Responsibilities:
  • Reviews and researches discrepancies related to payroll deductions and insurance coverage to determine the nature of the discrepancy and the method of correction such as coding errors, incorrect social security numbers, incorrect date of birth, etc.; resolves discrepancies by initiating the proper payroll transaction or correcting records on the Central Management Services Group Insurance Financial Control System.
  • Explains program policies and procedures and advises employees on State of Illinois Group Insurance benefits including choices of coverage, cost of dependent coverage, effect of leaves of absence on coverage, direct billing, beneficiaries, “Medicare” information, and other matters relative to health, dental and vision insurance coverage.  Troubleshoots problems identified by program participants relative to billing, non-payment, disability, retirement or leaves of absence as related to State of Illinois Group Insurance coverage. Calculates dock employees, check pay period to calculate correct coding, sending coding messages to CMS and Payroll.
  • Participates in the sign-up process for new employees; prepares appropriate payroll and insurance transactions to reflect employee insurance choices; calculates life insurance premiums; verifies that appropriate documentation has been received for dependents; prepares new employee insurance files; explains documents and forms presented to the employee at sign-up and obtains appropriate signatures.
  • Serves as a liaison with the State of Illinois Group Insurance life insurance carrier; forwards appropriate information and forms to the carrier and employees upon retirement, change of beneficiary, termination of employment, etc.; receives and processes claims resulting from the death of an employee or an employee’s dependent by forwarding appropriate information to the life insurance carrier; calculates and authorizes payroll adjustments resulting from the death of an employee.
  • Services Group Insurance computerized records for name changes, social security number corrections, choice of coverage, change in status, etc.
  • Participates in the annual open enrollment for the State of Illinois Group Insurance program including attending informational seminars, contacting insurance company liaisons for published materials, coordinating the set-up of “Insurance Fairs”, distributing forms and printed materials, and responding to inquiries from employees.
  • Completes Department of Children and Family Services forms to establish whether employees have dependent insurance coverage if ordered by the court to do so; forwards documentation to the Department of Central Management Services, Group Insurance Division for those not covering such dependents; authorizes payroll deductions for dependent coverage by notifying the Payroll Section.
  • Conducts an annual audit of all SOS employees enrolled in the Group Insurance Plan to determine if they would be considered part-time based on hours worked during the previous 12 months per the Illinois Group Insurance Act.  Reviews information for accuracy and submits to completed report to Department of Central Management Services, Group Insurance Division.
  • Performs other duties as required or assigned.
Specific Skills:
  • Requires extensive knowledge of office procedures, practices, equipment and personal computers.
  • Requires extensive knowledge of personnel/human resources practices and techniques.
  • Requires extensive knowledge of composition, grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
  • Requires extensive knowledge of the principles of organizational administration and structure.
  • Requires working knowledge of arithmetic computations.     
  • Requires working knowledge of the Secretary of State merit Employment Code, rules, and regulations or equivalent knowledge gained in other merit or civil service settings.
  • Requires ability to effectively interact with employees, management personnel, the public, applicants and other personnel professionals.
  • Requires ability to follow detailed oral and written instructions.      
  • Requires ability present technical ideas clearly and effectively both orally and in writing.
  • Requires ability to read and comprehend laws, rules, regulations, policies and procedures.
  • Requires ability to analyze facts and information and draw logical conclusions.
  • Requires possession of a valid Illinois driver’s license and may require some travel.
  • Requires ability to lift and carry up to 25 lbs.
Education and Work Experience:

Requires knowledge, skill and mental development equivalent to the completion of four (4) years college AND two (2) years of professional personnel or human resources experience in a public or private organization.

Application Process: 
  • Please visit https://ilsos.applytojob.gov/apply to apply by completing the online application; you may also upload a resume, or other attachments as needed.
  • Preference will be given to Illinois residents in the hiring and selection process, in accordance with the Illinois Secretary of State Merit Employment Code.
  • Questions regarding this posting or Illinois Secretary of State employment practices may be directed to Job Counselors at our Personnel offices in Chicago (312-793-5515) or Springfield (217-782-4783).  
 
Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. Applicants must be lawfully authorized to work in the United States.
Applicants are considered for all positions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital or veteran status, or the presence of a non-job-related medical condition or disability.
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