PORTABILITY MANAGER (BENEFITS & RETIREMENT)

Job Summary: Responsible for enterprise-wide administration and management of NEXCOM's Portability of Benefits Program for associates moving between the Department of Defense DoD Nonappropriated Fund NAF and civil service employment systems. Owns all portability components encompassing eligibility determinations regarding leave and service credit continuity of employment and retirement coverage elections; retained retirement coverage administration of defined benefit and defined contribution plans, ensuring contributions are established promptly for payroll deductions and collection of premium payments for enrollment in the Federal Employment Benefit Program FEBP benefits upon retirement. Reconciles records and closes cases upon retirement, FEBP enrollment, and payments upon employment transfer. 

Duties and Responsibilities: 

-  Administers NEXCOM's Portability of Benefits Program. Establishes program priorities, processing standards, workflows, internal controls, and service expectations to ensure portability actions are completed accurately, consistently, and within applicable requirements and deadlines.  Develops SOPs to capture the steps and actions needed to standardize the management and execution of the portability program.

-  Provides direct supervision and technical oversight to staff responsible for researching, reviewing, and finalizing retirement documentation for current and former NEXCOM associates retiring under portability provisions. Directs work assignments, ensures retirement documentation is accurate and complete, and maintains accountability for timely, compliant processing needed to initiate retirement benefits.

-  Provides functional leadership across internal and external organizations, coordinating with agency Human Resources or Payroll, government agencies, retirement systems, and plan administrators. Ensures portability actions are accurate, timely, fully documented, and compliant with applicable laws, regulations, DoD policy, plan provisions, and NEXCOM procedures. Work is accomplished through coordination with benefits staff and benefits manager as applicable.  

-  Manages portability cases from initial identification through eligibility determination, employee notification, election, implementation, verification, reconciliation, documentation, and closure. Establishes complete case files, tracks actions and deadlines, obtains required documentation, follows up with responsible parties, and maintains current case status.

-  Serves as NEXCOM's primary point of contact for incoming and outgoing portability cases. Coordinates with Talent Acquisition, HR Processing, Benefits, Payroll, HRIS, field Human Resources representatives, employees, and other internal partners to identify potentially eligible employees as early as possible in the appointment or separation process.

-  Provides eligible employees accurate portability information, required notices, and retirement coverage election documents. Explains available options, employee responsibilities, documentation requirements, and applicable deadlines without directing or influencing an employee's election. Ensures elections are received, documented, and transmitted for timely implementation.

-  Builds and maintains effective working relationships with gaining and losing Human Resources Offices, other DoD NAF employers, Federal civil service agencies, DCPAS, OPM, retirement plan administrators, and other governmental and external partners. Coordinates the exchange and validation of information required to complete portability actions and resolve outstanding issues.

-  Reviews personnel actions, employment service date histories, employment and separation dates, prior retirement participation and elections, personnel and benefits records, and other supporting documentation to determine eligibility for applicable retirement and non-retirement portability benefits, including leave, service credit, pay-setting considerations, and basic benefit protections.

-  Coordinates the transfer and verification of applicable annual, sick, and home leave balances; service computation information; retirement service credit; and supporting personnel records. Ensures timely coordination with HR and Payroll to prevent improper lump-sum annual leave payments, duplicate leave credits, or inaccurate service credit.

-  Administers all retirement and pension responsibilities associated with the Portability of Benefits Program, including NEXCOM and Coast Guard NAF Defined Benefit Retirement Plan coverage, FERS, CSRS, TSP, and applicable NAF 401(k) coverage. Coordinates and verifies retirement coverage, service credit, elections, employee deductions, employer contributions, defined benefit contributions, and related personnel, payroll, and plan-administration actions.

-  Researches, calculates, reviews, or coordinates portability-related retirement and pension transactions, including retirement estimates, final annuity calculations, past service credit, reinstatements, terminations, survivor and beneficiary entitlements, cash-outs, contribution adjustments, and other actions affecting portability participants. Ensures proper application of governing plan documents, Federal requirements, and portability provisions.

-  Monitors post-implementation personnel, payroll, and retirement-plan activity to confirm that elections, retirement coverage, service dates, leave balances, deductions, and contributions were implemented correctly. Reconciles portability-related deductions, contributions, annuity activity, and other financial transactions; researches discrepancies; and coordinates timely prospective or retroactive corrections.

-  Coordinates with Benefits, Payroll, Accounting, HR Processing, HRIS, financial institutions, third-party administrators, actuaries, attorneys, the Retirement Trust, OPM, DCPAS, and other responsible parties to resolve portability-related benefit-payment, recordkeeping, financial, contribution, and participant-service issues.

-  Maintains a centralized portability tracking and reporting system that captures active and completed cases, eligibility determinations, elections, effective dates, gaining and losing organizations, outstanding documentation, deadlines, payroll implementation, contribution activity, unresolved issues, and closure. Produces program metrics and status reports for HR leadership.

-  Researches and resolves complex, unusual, or conflicting portability cases involving prior service, breaks in service, eligibility, leave credit, pay and benefit protections, retirement elections, coverage, contributions, or benefit entitlement. Escalates policy-sensitive or precedent-setting matters and obtains authoritative guidance from appropriate NEXCOM officials, DCPAS, OPM, legal counsel, plan representatives, or other authorities.

-  Conducts periodic quality-control reviews of portability cases, records, systems, payroll, and pension activity to identify missing documentation, incorrect coverage, untimely actions, contribution discrepancies, processing errors, and control weaknesses. Supports internal and external audits involving portability participants and implements corrective measures.

-  Develops and maintains Portability Program procedures, checklists, templates, desk guides, workflow controls, internal operating instructions, training materials, communication resources, metrics, and reports. Provides technical guidance and training to HR staff, Benefits, Payroll, Talent Acquisition, managers, and other internal partners.

-  Partners with HRIS, IT, Payroll, Benefits, HR Processing, and other stakeholders to improve portability-related systems, data integrity, reporting, workflow, and internal controls. Ensures applicable portability indicators, retirement codes, service dates, and related information are properly recorded in authorized systems and employee records.

-  Maintains current knowledge of applicable Federal laws and regulations, DoD issuances, DCPAS and OPM guidance, NAF and civil service retirement provisions, Social Security and IRS requirements affecting portability, plan documents, and NEXCOM procedures. Evaluates changes for operational impact and recommends appropriate program, process, system, and training updates.

-  Represents NEXCOM, as assigned, on DoD, NAF, retirement, and Portability of Benefits working groups. Communicates NEXCOM concerns, obtains technical guidance, shares program information, and coordinates implementation of changes affecting portability administration.

-  Provides direct supervision to assigned staff responsible for supporting the functions and responsibilities of the position, and functional leadership and subject-matter expertise across internal and external organizational divisions. Coordinates portability-related work with internal partners, sets shared priorities and deadlines, helps resolve issues, and escalates unusual scenarios and matters to the Director, Benefits and Retirement, for resolution.  

Performs other related duties as assigned.

Requires a total of 7 years of experience as indicated below:

GENERAL EXPERIENCE: 3 years of responsible experience which enabled the applicant the ability to gain general knowledge of the Human Resources Generalist or Benefits Administration Specialist role; general understanding of the systems, methods, and administrative machinery for accomplishing work; the ability to analyze problems, apply sound judgment in assessing practical implications of alternative solutions and resolving the problems presented; and the ability to communicate effectively with others, both orally and in writing.

OR SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR EXPERIENCE: 1 year of academic study above the high school level may be substituted for 9 months of experience, up to a maximum of a 4-year bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Accounting, or related field for 3 years of general experience.

And SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: 4 years of progressively responsible experience administering employee benefits, retirement, pension, or portability programs within a large, complex, or multi-organizational environment. Experience applying Federal, DoD, NAF, retirement plan, and other regulatory requirements; determining eligibility; coordinating retirement transactions; researching service histories; working with HR, Payroll, HRIS, and internal and external partners; and conducting audits, compliance reviews, data reconciliation, and quality-control activities to resolve benefit and retirement discrepancies. This includes developing procedures, workflows, internal controls, and reports to ensure accurate, compliant program administration. Minimum of two years of supervisory leadership of exempt or non-exempt personnel.

Professional Certifications Preferred but not required: Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS), SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP, PHR/SPHR, or other directly related benefits or retirement certification is highly desirable.