Lead Benefits Specialist

Maryland Transit Administration (MTA), an agency within the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT), is seeking a highly skilled and motivated Lead Benefits Specialist (HR Administrator II) to join our Human Resources team. This position plays a critical role in the administration of employee benefits programs for retirees and a diverse unionized and non‑unionized workforce serving Maryland’s transit system. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in benefits administration, including self‑funded health and wellness plans, and will provide technical and operational leadership to a team of Benefits Analysts/Specialists while ensuring compliance, accuracy, and superior customer service.

• Administer and oversee MTA’s employee benefit programs including medical, dental, vision, prescription, life insurance, and wellness related benefits.
• Perform and review complex benefit transactions, calculations, and reconciliations in Infor Global HR and other HR systems.
• Ensure compliance with plan documents, collective bargaining agreements, and federal/state laws.
• Coordinate with Payroll, Finance, and external vendors to maintain data integrity and timely processing of benefits transactions.
• Support administration of self‑funded health plans, including audits, reporting, and actuarial requests.

• Provide day‑to‑day guidance and technical direction to Benefits Analysts/Specialists.
• Review and approve complex cases, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and excellent customer service.
• Assist the Benefits Manager with workflow management, training, and process improvement initiatives.
• Lead or participate in projects to streamline benefits administration or enhance employee communication.

• Ensure adherence to COBRA, HIPAA, ACA, ERISA, FMLA, and state regulations.
• Conduct internal audits and prepare reports to monitor benefits activity, utilization, and costs.
• Maintain detailed documentation and assist with audit and compliance reviews.
• Recommend policy or procedural changes to improve operational efficiency and compliance.

• Serve as an escalation point for complex employee and retiree benefit inquiries.
• Conduct retirement counseling sessions, new hire orientations, and open enrollment briefings.
• Develop employee-friendly materials to communicate benefit programs and changes.
• Collaborate with Leave and Payroll staff to ensure coordinated employee support.

• Bachelor’s degree in human resources, Business Administration, or related field.
• Two (2) years of experience in a lead, supervisory, or quality assurance capacity.
• Experience with HRIS systems such as Infor Global HR, Workday, or People Soft.
• Comprehensive knowledge of FMLA, ACA, HIPAA, ERISA, COBRA, and applicable state laws.
• Experience managing or supporting self‑funded benefits or wellness plans.
• Experience working in a public‑sector or unionized environment.
• Professional certifications such as CEBS, PHR, SPHR, or SHRM-CP/SCP.
• Strong analytical skills with experience conducting benefit audits and cost analyses.

Location: Baltimore City

• Possession of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
• Four years of professional HR work in the areas of either job analysis, job evaluation, salary administration, employee recruitment and selection, employment services and benefits, employer‑employee relations, HR program evaluation, or HR policy formulation.
• Three (3) years of experience administering or supporting employee health and wellness benefit programs, including self‑funded plans, in accordance with federal or state regulations.
• Selective Qualification recruitments are utilized when the position requires specific or additional bona fide occupational qualifications (knowledge, skill, or ability). No substitution is allowed for a selective qualification.

• Thirty graduate semester credits from a college or university in the fields of HR administration, business administration, public administration, statistics, tests and measurements, or psychology may be substituted for one year of experience.
• Paraprofessional HR…