The Country Employee Benefit Specialist is a skilled and detail-oriented Specialist, who plays a pivotal role in the South African Total Reward team. The incumbent will be the go-to person for all Employee Benefit (Medical Scheme’s, Risk Insurance and Retirement Funds) related matters, in one of the largest markets in CCBA. The incumbent has expert knowledge and keep up to date with external market trends and changes and raise potential risks to the business and propose alternatives to derisk the business. The role is accountable to provide Employee Benefit guidance, support and implement employee benefit processes and procedures, across CCBSA, Eswatini and Lesotho, to drive alignment and standardised application of employee benefit principles.
The Country Employee Benefit Specialist will engage extensively with external stakeholders, internal stakeholders, including People and Culture business partners and department leads, to understand and deliver support which improve the employee experience. The incumbent must exhibit strong attention to detail, resilience, flexibility and the ability to pivot quickly, which is essential at this job level.
Key Duties & ResponsibilitiesKey Outputs and Accountabilities:
Resolve complex queries relating to employee benefits to address any employee, pensioner or business concerns. Develop and maintain Employee Benefit guidelines and process documents to support capability building of Regional P&C Teams, Talent Teams and Genpact support teams to ensure improved employee experience and compliance. Review and maintain employee onboarding documentation to improve the employee experience during the take- on process. Implement and maintain all Employee Benefit Policies to ensure they remain relevant and aligned to legislative changes. Perform periodic Employee Benefit audits to limit risk to the employer and employee and ensure there is no additional cost to the employer. Coordinate with Medical Aid Administrators to provide required data to support the annual actuarial valuations of Employee Benefits. Draft communication intended for employees to ensure important legislative changes and changes in benefit funds / schemes are effectively communicated. Serve as a trustee or employer representative on the Benefit Fund Boards and sub-committees to ensure adequate representation of members and CCBSA, Eswatini and Lesotho and to ensure any decisions are in the best interest of employees and the business. Document and provide feedback to business stakeholders on board discussions and decisions to ensure alignment between stakeholders. Manage the relationships with the various retirement fund, insurance and medical scheme administrators to ensure delivery as agreed in the Service Level Agreements and continuously improve the employee experience. Coordinate Employee Benefit roadshows to ensure administrators communicate any new products or changes to existing products to employees and are available to answer employees’ questions. Identify employees nearing retirement and coordinate retirement planning sessions to educate employees to make informed decisions regarding their retirement. Manage the ex-gratia, gratuity and post-retirement benefit process when retirees exit the business. Drive and manage project plan activities and budget to ensure the successful closure of all legacy entity retirement funds. Manage and maintain central repository of documentation to ensure relevant and updated information is accessible to employees, P&C Teams and Line Managers. Lead annual audits on medical aid contributions and dependants to ensure the financial risk to the business is minimised and compliance to policy and subsidy guidelines. Ensure the annual renewal of the various insurance cover and the related payroll system updates. Drive and track the completion of beneficiary nomination forms to ensure employees are not at risk when payment is required. Skills, Experience & Education Bachelor's degree in human resources or equivalent business-related degree. Professional certification in retirement funding, benefits consulting or equivalent would be advantageous. 5 - 7 years’ experience in a benefit consulting environment. GeneralCustomer Focus
Is dedicated to meeting the expectations and requirements of internal and external customers; gets first-hand customer information and uses it for improvements in products and services; acts with customers in mind; establishes and maintains effective relationships with customers and gains their trust and respect.
Informing
Provides the information people need to know to do their jobs and to feel good about being a member of the team, unit, and/or the organization; provides individuals information so that they can make accurate decisions; is timely with information.
Negotiating
Can negotiate skilfully in tough situations with both internal and external groups; can settle differences with minimum noise; can win concessions without damaging relationships; can be both direct and forceful as well as diplomatic; gains trust quickly of other parties to the negotiations; has a good sense of timing.
Planning
Accurately scopes out length and difficulty of tasks and projects; sets objectives and goals; breaks down work into the process steps; develops schedules and task/people assignments; anticipates and adjusts for problems and roadblocks; measures performance against goals; evaluates results.
Ethics and Values
Adheres to an appropriate (for the setting) and effective set of core values and beliefs during both good and bad times; acts in line with those values; rewards the right values and disapproves of others; practices what he/she preaches.
Drive For Results
Can be counted on to exceed goals successfully; is constantly and consistently one of the top performers; very bottom-line oriented; steadfastly pushes self and others.
Written Communications
Can write clearly and succinctly in a variety of communication settings and styles; can get messages across that have the desired effect.
Organizing
Can marshal resources (people, funding, material, support) to get things done; can orchestrate multiple activities at once to accomplish a goal; uses resources effectively and efficiently arranges information and files in a useful manner.
Knowledge
Understand South African, Lesotho and Eswatini Legislation relating to: Pension Funds Act Medical Schemes Act Employment Equity Act Basic Conditions of Employment Act Labour Relations Act