Leave & Retirement Specialist

University of Delaware

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

The University of Delaware is an Equal Opportunity Employer whichencourages applications from Minority Group Members, Women,Individuals with Disabilities and Veterans. The University's Noticeof Non-Discrimination can be found at http://(Use the "Apply for this Job" box below)..html

Job No: 503114

Work Type: Staff

Location: Newark, DE/Hybrid

Categories: Human Resources, Full Time

Pay Grade: 30E

Context of Job:

The Leave and Retirement Specialist is responsible for the day-to-day management and administration of the University’s retirement and leave of absence programs. This position serves as a key resource for employees, retirees, and departmental HR staff, providing expert guidance on retirement benefits, paid and unpaid leaves, and compliance with federal, state, and University policies.

Working under the direction of the Director of Benefits, the Specialist exercises a high level of independent judgment, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and exceptional customer service in all aspects of benefits administration.

• Administer all University leave programs, including Family Medical Leave (FMLA), Paid Family Medical Leave (PFML), Short-Term Disability (STD), Long-Term Disability (LTD), Parental Leave, and Workers’ Compensation (WC).
• Serve as the point of contact for employees and supervisors regarding leave eligibility, documentation, and timelines.
• Review medical certifications, return-to-work documentation, and other required paperwork.
• Monitor leave balances, generate reports, and analyze trends to inform HR strategies and improve leave processes.
• Assist with providing training, guidance, and policy interpretation to HR staff and managers.
• Process S-contracts and Job Employee Data (JED) forms for payroll processing, employee status changes, and funding source changes related to disability claims.
• Process Journal Vouchers (JVs) and Cash Transmittals to transfer funds between disability funding lines and department funding lines, and to generate transmittals for accounts receivable.
• Calculate, reconcile, and generate billing statements to the State of Delaware for Disability Insurance Program and employees on leave of absence.
• Serve as liaison to departments, the State of Delaware, and other external offices related to responsibilities.
• Serve as a point of contact for COBRA administration, including data transmission to the third-party administrator (TPA), processing manual enrollments, and reviewing discrepancy reports for medical, dental, and vision plans.
• Ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations, such as FMLA, COBRA, ADA, HIPAA, and federal and state-specific leave laws. Administer surviving dependent benefits.
• Perform other job-related duties as assigned.

• Provide counseling and support to employees considering retirement, explaining eligibility, options, and post-retirement benefits. Guide employees through all retiree benefit options, assist with selecting individual benefit plans, and support the completion of all required documentation.
• Prepare and process retirement-related documentation, including separation payments, faculty agreements, and payroll forms.
• Review and manage the processing of pre-retirement documentation to ensure accurate and timely benefits enrollment. Perform service calculations to determine eligibility and ensure that all benefits records are complete, accurate, and compliant with applicable regulations, University policies and procedures, and provider requirements.
• Interact with the State Pension Office and other State agencies regarding creditable service and payroll history for current and former University employees.
• Coordinate retiree Open Enrollment activities, including development and distribution of communications materials and the facilitation of information sessions.
• Coordinate the day-to-day administration and implementation of employee and retiree benefits programs, including medical, dental, vision, life, and disability coverage. Oversee the processing of retiree benefits in the HRIS system, vendor enrollments, ACH payments and…