Payroll & Insurance Analyst I

It is inspiring to work in an organization where individuals are deeply committed to the mission and values that drive our success.

We are dedicated to delivering expert pension service to Illinois public educators as they earn their promised retirement security.

Under the supervision of the Payroll and Insurance Supervisor, the Payroll and Insurance Analyst I
is responsible for basic accounting and administrative support functions. This position requires timely processing of payroll and insurance forms into multiple systems including but not limited to the TRS system, the CMS Membership system, and the CMS third-party administrator’s system. This position is responsible for functions pertaining to mid-month and monthly annuitant payroll. In addition, this position is required to respond to member inquiries, draft written correspondence, seek corrective action to resolve payroll and insurance discrepancies, and update membership records based on various payroll and insurance reports.

The incumbent performs various data entry tasks associated with annuitant and beneficiary insurance enrollment and payroll. The incumbent is responsible for responding to phone calls, emails, and written correspondence. The incumbent prepares individualized member statements and updates membership records based on payroll and insurance reports.

The incumbent must be familiar with the statutory benefits structure of TRS, the statutes governing the Teachers' Retirement Insurance Program and the State Employees Group Insurance Program. The incumbent must have basic accounting skills, the ability to pay attention to detail, possess excellent written and oral communication skills, and the ability to prioritize work to meet assigned deadlines. In addition, the individual must be able to analyze relative data, make logical decisions, and act upon them.

Essential Functions:

• Provide basic accounting and administrative support to the Payroll and Insurance Department.
• Review Participation Election forms for the Teachers’ Retirement Insurance Program (TRIP) and the State Employees Group Insurance Program (SEGIP).  Input form data into multiple systems including employer payment information.  Confirm the data transmitted from the CMS Membership system to the CMS third-party administrator accurately the following business day.  Seek corrective action on inaccurate data transmittals.
• Review payroll forms including but not limited to Direct Deposit (EFT) forms, Federal tax withholding forms, and State tax withholding forms.  Input data into the TRS system. 
• Generate letters requesting additional information when incomplete payroll and insurance forms are received. 
• Research and respond to telephone calls, emails, faxes, internal inquires, returned mail, and written correspondence.  
• Counsel annuitants and beneficiaries on payroll and insurance items including, but not limited to insurance benefits, plan options, insurance enrollment, insurance premiums, monthly pension payments, post-retirement increases, tax withholding amounts, address changes, returned mail, EFT, and payroll adjustments.  
• Responsible for reviewing system generated Daily Action Reports and correcting inaccurate data in the TRS system, CMS Membership system, and the CMS third party system.  Assist with CMS generated CMS MOBIUS reports as needed.  
• Research dependent deaths and obtain required documentation.  Input member and dependent death data into the CMS Membership system and upload dependent death documentation into the CMS third party administrators’ system.  
• Prepare stop payment requests on uncashed warrants through the Office of the Illinois Comptroller. 
• Assist with inputting miscellaneous deduction forms and Power of Attorney (POA) information into the TRS system.
• Assist with requests for duplicate Earnings Statements and 1099R’s generated by the Office of the Illinois Comptroller.
• Assist with direct pay of insurance premium bills for those whose annuity benefit is insufficient to cover the cost of the insurance and for school districts who have agreed to pay the cost of the annuitant's insurance premiums.  May be required to send employer pay contracts to school districts.
• Assist with reconciling payroll discrepancy reports between the Teachers' Retirement System and the Office of the Illinois Comptroller.
• Assist with COBRA enrollment. Send COBRA enrollment forms upon request.   
• Perform other duties as required or assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

• Ability to analyze and interpret data                                                                                                       
• Demonstrate a high commitment to quality                                                                                                         
• Demonstrate problem solving skills                                                                                                         
• Ability to work in multiple systems simultaneously
• Possess excellent organizational skills

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, education, communications, or a related degree. Candidates without a degree must possess 2 years of progressive responsibility in a related business or education field.
• Excellent analytical and organizational skills and the ability to communicate effectively in verbal and written correspondence.
• Preferred experience with pensions, benefits and or employee relations

If you thrive in a dynamic environment and enjoy collaborating with driven, enthusiastic professionals, you will find a rewarding career with us.

For Illinois job seekers:

Pay Range

$49,942.05 - $77,910.00

Compensation will be determined based on the qualifications and experience of each candidate.

Benefits
TRS is an agency of the State of Illinois. As such, full and part-time employees are eligible for the State of Illinois comprehensive benefits program which includes medical, dental and vision coverage. All employees participate in the TRS retirement pension plan and have the option to contribute to additional State of Illinois deferred compensation plans. The TRS pension plan is a reciprocal system to other state and local pension plans (SERS, SURS, IMRF, etc.)