Leave & Benefits Specialist

Leave & Benefits Specialist

Director of Benefits

Under the supervision of the Director of Benefits, the candidate will demonstrate detail-oriented and customer-focused skills as the Leave & Benefits Specialist in the Department of Human Resources & Institutional Access. The employee will serve as a primary subject matter expert administering employee leave programs, statutory leave benefits, health and voluntary benefits, and state retirement plans. This role ensures strict compliance with federal and state regulations, including FMLA and NJFLA-while delivering onboarding benefits orientations and compassionate support to NJIT faculty and staff throughout their employment lifecycle.

To learn more about the comprehensive benefits NJIT offers for this position, please visit our benefits page: (Use the "Apply for this Job" box below)..

• FMLA & NJFLA Management: End-to-end administration of Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), New Jersey Family Leave Act (NJFLA), New Jersey Family Leave Insurance (NJFLI), and NJ Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI).
• Interactive Process: Coordinate medical leaves, and return-to-work protocols in collaboration with employees, supervisors, and payroll.
• Tracking & Documentation: Maintain confidential leave tracking systems, issue required eligibility notices and designations within statutory deadlines, and monitor leave duration limits and intermittent usage.
• Workers' Compensation Liaison: Serve as a point of contact for employee Workers' Compensation claims and restricted duty assignments.
• Health, Retirement & Voluntary Benefits: Assist in answering employee questions about health, dental, prescription, vision, New Jersey Division of Pensions & Benefits (NJDPB) retirement systems, including the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS), Police and Firemen's Retirement System (PFRS), Alternate Benefit Program (ABP), and supplemental 403(b)/457(b) plans, flexible spending accounts (FSA), life insurance, and voluntary benefit plans offered to NJIT staff and faculty.
• Enrollment Changes: Process life events, open enrollment changes, terminations, and retirement applications accurately in state and university HRIS systems.
• Benefits Orientation: Design and conduct comprehensive benefits orientation sessions for all newly hired faculty, administrative staff, and union-represented employees.
• Employee Support: Act as the first point of contact for benefit inquiries, claims assistance, plan details, and retirement counseling with a high standard of customer service.
• Open Enrollment: Assist in organizing, communicating, and executing annual open enrollment periods and health fairs.
• Data Management: Input and reconcile leave and benefit data across NJIT's HRIS platform (e.g., Workday) and state portal systems (MBOS, EPIC).
• Reconciliations: Perform regular audits of benefit vendor invoices and state retirement reporting to ensure data integrity and accurate payroll deductions.
• Policy Maintenance: Stay current on evolving federal/state benefit legislation and recommend updates to university leaves and benefits practices.

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Public Administration, or a closely related field (or equivalent combination of education and experience).
• Experience: 1 to 2 years of dedicated professional experience administering employee benefits and leave programs.
• Leave Expertise: Demonstrated working knowledge of federal FMLA and New Jersey Family Leave Act (NJFLA) regulations and administration workflows.
• Technical
  
  Skills:
  
  Proficiency with HRIS databases (e.g., Workday, Banner) and standard office productivity suites (Microsoft Office, Excel).

• Pri…