Description
Who We Are:
Lowenstein Sandler is one of the most sophisticated law firms in the United States, with over 300 lawyers and 300 business services professionals serving clients from offices in New York, Palo Alto, New Jersey, Utah, and Washington, D.C. We recruit candidates who seek a collaborative, entrepreneurial culture that prioritizes our clients, our colleagues, and the communities where we work and live. Committed to career development and to a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace, the firm offers many programs and opportunities for personal and professional growth. We seek professionals for our business services group who share these values.
What You Will Do:
The Manager of Benefits and Wellness is responsible for directing and planning the day-to-day administration of employee benefits and wellness offerings and opportunities across the firm, including but not limited to the following:
Essential Job Requirements:
- Lead the coordination, maintenance and administration of all firm-wide employee benefit programs including medical, dental, vision, life, STD, LTD, reimbursement accounts, commuter, back-up care, EAP, etc.
- Provide guidance and assistance to employees in all firm locations on various employee benefit plans.
- Serve as point of contact for all employees on retirement plans, including 401(k).
- Develop training opportunities for participants in conjunction with outside investment advisors.
- Assist plan participants as needed, including communication with both active and terminated plan participants.
- Manage the work of the Benefits team members, delegating as appropriate and supervising all tasks assigned.
- Keep abreast of industry and/or community trends to determine firm’s competitive position in employee benefits and wellness.
- Participate in the design and implementation of benefits programs, researching and suggesting changes to existing programs and/or additional benefit offerings.
- Develop and manage the Firm’s Wellness Program, including creation of a Firm Wellness Committee, conducting an organizational assessment to determine content of Program, and developing events and initiatives to engage with Firm employees on wellness issues.
- Manage partner Executive Medical plan, including overseeing claims submission, payment distribution, troubleshooting billing issues, responding to partner inquiries, and reconciling year-end capital charges.
- Responsible for all government-related forms and filings of benefits and ensuring HRIS is configured to capture information accurately (including 1094-C/1095-C, Schedule A and Form 5500, Form 720 for PCORI fee, Disclosure to CMS, etc.).
- Review and coordinate with internal counsel on new and existing vendor contracts, MSA, BAA, and other agreement documents for benefits and wellness related services.
- Participate in annual budget process by providing cost estimates for all benefits, wellness initiatives, etc.; track expenses over the year and adjust budget as necessary.
- Document and maintain administrative procedures for all benefits processes.
- Manage the design and distribution of materials for benefits orientations, open enrollment, and summary plan descriptions; develop additional strategies for communicating benefits information/updates/announcements to employees.
- Ensure compliance with HIPAA requirements; coordinate annual HIPAA training and CMS reporting.
- Interface with insurance brokers and individual carriers to arrange enrollment meetings and to escalate issues when they arise.
- Manage relationship with COBRA Administrator to ensure timely issuance of all COBRA compliance notices.
- Conduct benefit orientations for new employees; respond to employee questions and concerns and provide information to clarify benefits, including referral to broker help desk where appropriate.
- Manage the open enrollment process by establishing back-end process in HRIS, creating materials to be distributed, coordinate and present for open enrollment information sessions, assisting employees throughout the process and conducting audits of benefits selected and payroll deductions.
- Serve as lead on automated file feed exports and eligibility file transmission processes.
- Assist employees with transitioning to Medicare coverage; manage early retiree benefits program.
- Perform year-end processes including but not limited to Exec Med annual reconciliation, partner deduction audit, etc.
- Responsible for Ceridian Dayforce benefits administration, including updating forms and information and assisting employees with questions or problems.
- Ensure timely monthly reconciliation of all carriers’ invoices; perform other analytical work related to benefit billings and reports.
- Coordinate directly with Payroll and other HR functions on any benefits changes that may affect employee’s pay; establish and maintain appropriate method of tracking information in Dayforce.
- Ensure that all incident reporting related to employee illness or injuries is completed timely and accurately; coordinate the reporting process to the company’s worker’s compensation insurance carrier as well as property managers (when necessary) and maintain information regarding employee job-related injuries for worker’s compensation and OSHA; responsible to work with the carrier’s case managers for appropriate follow-through and disposition of all worker’s compensation cases; comply with all required Federal reporting statistics and reports concerning Equal Employment Opportunity, OSHA, and other areas.
- Maintain the firm’s LS Hub Benefits Page and Wellness Page, ensuring all information and materials are up to date.
- Perform other duties and projects, as assigned.
Leave Management:
- Oversee the Human Resources Coordinator as it relates to the following Leave Management responsibilities:
- Monitor and track FMLA and other available leave usage, ensuring compliance with leave entitlements and applicable state or federal requirements.
- Develop an understanding of state and federal leave guidelines generally, including those in NY, NJ, CA, DC and UT, as well as other states to include remote employee locations.
- Complete, process and track disability forms, FMLA and State leave correspondence; maintain complete and accurate records of leave requests in accordance with legal and firm requirements.
- Track dates for all leaves, including disability, workers’ comp, parental leave, bar study leave, etc.
- Maintain complete and accurate records of accommodation requests, including tracking start and end dates, where appropriate.
Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities:
- Associates/Bachelor’s Degree preferred;
- 10+ years related employee benefits administration experience. SHRM certification and CEBS designation a plus.
- Strong analytical skills and a thorough knowledge of plan designs.
- Knowledge of all pertinent federal and state regulations, filing and compliance requirements, including ERISA, COBRA, ADA, Section 125, etc.
- Knowledge regarding administering leaves of absence including FMLA and all state-specific leave requirements as they relate to firm locations.
- Knowledge of employee benefit programs and ability to be the point of contact.
- Must be able to comport oneself professionally as a representative of the firm in an array of situations, interacting with all levels of the organization and various external resources.
- Highly proficient computer skills to include database management, reporting, and user assistance.
- Excellent organizational and time management skills.
- Excellent follow up skills and ability to prioritize work.
- Ability to work independently and maintain confidentiality as appropriate.
- Demonstrate attention to detail and accuracy.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Must be able to multitask and meet deadlines in a fast-paced and changing environment.
- Excellent client service skills and ability to work effectively and build relationships with all levels within organization including senior management.
- Strong knowledge of Microsoft Office, including Excel, and Firm’s HRIS systems.
Preferred, but not required:
- Working knowledge of Dayforce or other similar benefits system.
- Experience working with Aetna and other providers.
- Experience working with complex and targeted plans.
Office Location: Roseland, NJ
Schedule: Full-time, Monday – Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Travel Required: Generally minimal travel required.
Disclaimers:
This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of all activities, duties or responsibilities required by employee.
Lowenstein Sandler is not accepting resumes from search firms for this position. Regardless of past practice, all resumes submitted by search firms are to be deemed the sole property of Lowenstein Sandler, and no fee will be paid in the event the candidate is hired by Lowenstein Sandler as a result of the referral.
Lowenstein Sandler LLP is committed to equal employment opportunity and providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with physical and/or mental disabilities. We value and encourage diversity and solicit applications from all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, gender, sex, age, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, marital status, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, medical condition, veteran status, gender identity, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.