Job Description
Title: Assistant Chief HR Officer for Benefits & Onboarding
Pay Grade: Senior Management 2
Starting Pay: $115,943.04 - $171,381.87
Departmental Mission Statement: The Human Resources Department partners with management to create and maintain a talented, qualified workforce by recruiting a diverse applicant pool, by facilitating the fair merit-based selection for appointment of the most qualified candidates, by developing appropriate workforce training, by fostering positive management-employee relations, by promptly addressing workplace issues, and by developing performance-based measures to ensure the continued excellence of the workforce. The Human Resources Department will use best practices to ensure that this collaborative effort advances the mission of the Trial Court.
ORGANIZATIONAL PROFILE: https://www.mass.gov/orgs/executive-office-of-the-trial-court
Notes:
This position is designated as management and is covered by the Trial Court Personnel Policies and Procedures Manual.
Salary will be commensurate with experience.
Position Summary:Working within the Human Resources Department of the Office of Court Management (OCM), the Assistant CHRO for Benefits and Onboarding serves as a senior manager and the HR Department's liaison overseeing the Trial Court's day-to-day administration of benefits, leaves, and new hire onboarding. The Assistant CHRO is responsible for driving continuous improvement of all new hire onboarding, and lead for the delivery of onboarding resources and supports. The Assistant CHRO oversees processing and management of workers' compensation claims, leave administration, and reasonable accommodation requests, ensuring compliance with union collective bargaining agreements, Federal and State laws, rules, and regulations, and Trial Court policies. Leads ongoing efforts to expand and administer a comprehensive Wellness Initiative and informs on health and safety protocols and other workplace guidance related to illness and injury. The Assistant CHRO will be responsible for developing a consistent and inclusive offboarding program which will serve to support employees and court departments through the transition as a term of employment is ended. The program will provide resources to employees around benefits impact, and well as procedural instruction around returning equipment, completing an exit interview, and completion of necessary documentation in consideration of all Trial Court and partnering State Agency policies (such as Group Insurance Commission and MA State Retirement Board). The delivery of this program will allow the department to provide continuity of support from the start of employment through an employee’s life cycle with the Trial Court. The Assistant CHRO also provides excellent customer service and quality benefit services, explores new benefits programs, improves existing programs, and supervises all required reporting, using data to monitor and track the delivery of all benefit programs.
Supervision Received:Reports to the Chief Human Resources Officer or their designee and receives general supervision in performing duties which require a high degree of independent judgment and initiative.
Duties: Ensures the organization's commitment to compliance with Trial Court HR policies, procedures, collective bargaining agreements, and applicable statutes in matters pertaining to Benefits and Leave Administration;
Embraces the most effective new HR standards and best practices, ensuring optimal performance of the Benefits and Onboarding staff, which in turn influences the performance of the various departments and Trial Court operations at large;
Leads special projects and serves on various leadership committees of the Trial Court as requested; Explores and analyzes benefit options for the workforce to continuously support our employees and enhancing efficiency;
Annually reviews and makes recommendations to the CHRO on improving operational policies, procedures, and practices on personnel matters;
Benefits Administration:
Effectively communicates with all levels of employees and managers about Trial Court benefit programs; Communicates any changes in benefits to all employees and managers as appropriate;
Manages required reports on benefits packages;
Updates brochures, information sheets, web content, and other materials about benefits as needed; Performs as business owner for major initiatives for benefit programs;
Supervises the maintenance of all benefits records;
Participates in the selection of vendors for benefits as necessary; May serve on union-negotiated dental and vision trusts;
Creates and manages training programs on benefits, in collaboration with the Judicial Institute;
Establishes and maintains effective working relationships with benefit providers;
Develop Requests for Proposals (RFPs) as necessary and establishes criteria and evaluations for the selection of benefits vendors;
Explores and recommends new benefit programs or changes to existing programs;
Supervises or conducts inquiries involving individual or group complex benefits issues or concerns;
Leave Administration, Accommodations, and Workers' Compensation:
Manages and ensures the monitoring of Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) requests, Paid Family Medical Leave (PFML) requests, and Workers' Compensation (WC) claims; ensures compliance with collective bargaining agreements, Federal and State laws, rules, and regulations as well as Trial Court policies.
Works with Department Heads and Managers on complex employee cases to ensure they are informed, aware of operational impact to the business and what to expect in terms of benchmarks and updates. When appropriate, liaise with Labor Relations, Legal, or OWRC.
Works with the workers' compensation unit of the Commonwealth's Human Resources Department to manage workers compensation claims to provide better outcomes for our injured employees and effectively manage costs;
Oversees employee requests for accommodation which fall under the ADA, and in collaboration with the Manager of Leaves & ADA Compliance, to ensure there is a clear and consistent process for employees seeking accommodation, requests are responded to timely, and proposed accommodations are tracked and discussed with both employees and managers prior to implementation.
Handles escalated issues related to Paid Leave Administration Programs for both court employees and the Judicial Paid Leave Bank;
Leads HR's compliance efforts with leave laws and the distribution of required notices, physician certifications and fitness for duty forms;
Ensures that leave usage is tracked; responds to questions regarding leave usage and compliance requirements;
Coordinates reports about the use of leave benefits and makes suggestions for improvement in administration or policy;
Onboarding, Offboarding & Related Services:
Provides strategic direction on onboarding and offboarding initiatives and consults with key business line stakeholders to ensure an enterprise-wide and seamless onboarding strategy and successful new hire access to Trial Court benefits and programs; •
Partners with other HR senior managers to understand all necessary work stream impacts and needs as well as to ensure clear communication of program purpose, objectives, and achievements;
Manages the Trial Court's role in educating employees on all steps required in the preparation for retirement or any other voluntary separation of employment with the Trial Court.
Promotes the strategic value and ensures the delivery of the smooth on-boarding and transitional off boarding of employees within the Trial Court;
Defines metrics to measure and monitor programs effectiveness;
Manages activities regarding customer (manager/new employee) care and function as a proactive point of contact;
Coordinates processes with all stakeholders to ensure compliance in the field with onboarding and offboarding process standards;
Manages scopes and mitigates risks to support onboarding/offboarding deliverables and program initiatives;
Ensures that problems with job actions are addressed by prompt contact with local court personnel to obtain information to determine the corrective action to be taken;
Employee Wellness and Workplace Safety:
Leads the Trial Court's ongoing efforts to expand and administer a comprehensive Wellness Initiative, including employer support for a confidential employee assistance program Mass4You, which is available at no additional cost to all active employees and their immediate family members who are eligible for GIC coverage; also partners with Optum, GIC's EAP vendor;
Supervises the receipt, investigation, and formal response and/or action to address all inquiries and
claims related to employee workplace hazards or risks; working in collaboration with the Facilities Management Department;
Participates in the Trial Court Trauma Response Taskforce to represent the mission and goals of Human Resources; and
Performs all other related duties as required.
Job Competencies: All applicants must be able, through the interview process, to prove efficiency in the following areas:
Ethics and Values Communicates and demonstrates the ethics and values of the Human Resources Department and the Trial Court.
Mission Understands, upholds, and communicates the Trial Court and Human Resources Department missions.
Applied Knowledge Demonstrates a full understanding of benefits administration, including workers’ Compensation, leave administration, and workplace accommodations
Problem Solving Accurately assesses operational problems in the recommends and facilitates appropriate solutions.
Collaboration Works with others cooperatively, demonstrating a willingness to be a team player, and contributing to a work environment that focuses on shared departmental goals.
Customer Service Conducts oneself in a courteous and professional manner towards both Trial Court employees and the public.
Commitment to Diversity Promotes an environment of diversity and inclusion through understanding, respect, and positive communication with persons of varied racial, ethnic, economic, and cultural backgrounds.
Continuous Learning Demonstrates a commitment to continuously improving himself or herself through professional development.
Minimum Requirements: These are the minimum requirements necessary to apply for the position of Assistant CHRO for Benefits and Onboarding:
Education: A bachelor's degree from an accredited educational institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation is required and Seven (7) years of practical management level experience in the field of human resources including supervisory experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Professional Background: An employment background that demonstrates a record of initiating HR best practices administrative processes related to benefits, onboarding, offboarding, employee leaves and all accommodations, workers' compensation, workplace safety, and wellness. Experience administering state and/or municipal group insurance and other group benefit plans that demonstrate the efficient and effective use of benefits is strongly preferred. The successful candidate will be expected to have significant experience with leave administration and a thorough understanding of the accommodation process, and a strong commitment to the employee experience and equally providing transparency to managers so they understand the intersection benefits may present on the operational needs of the department. Work history should also demonstrate the consistent application of policies, project management experience, and innovative approaches to human resources management; a graduate degree and/or certifications such as SPHR or Lean/Six Sigma are desirable.
OTHER REQUIRED SKILLS AND ABILITIES:
Strong interpersonal communication skills, including writing ability commensurate with the senior manager level and the ability to work professionally with persons at all levels, including judges, and to maintain effective working relationships;
Demonstrated ability to perform human resources related activities of the most complex and non-routine nature, including providing feasible innovative solutions;
Ability to comfortably and effectively present at training seminars and public speaking engagements as necessary;
Ability to adapt quickly to changing circumstances and develop workarounds for issues that require a timely resolution;
Knowledge of and ability to use personal computers, including HR and business-related software;
Knowledge of current trends and developments in human resources;
Knowledge of Federal and State labor and employment laws and regulations; Ability to direct and evaluate a large and professionally diverse staff;
Ability to multi-task and manage a variety of assignments at once;
Ability to communicate clearly and effectively in oral and written form; and Ability to travel within the Commonwealth as necessary based upon job assignment.
Closing Date/Time: 2024-12-26
