BENEFITS SPECIALIST

BENEFITS SPECIALIST

Salary

$23.10 - $24.43 Hourly

Location

611 Walker Street

Job Type

Full Time

Job Number

39563

Department

HUMAN RESOURCES

Division

HRD-STRATEGIC BENEFITS ADMIN & OPS

Opening Date

09/11/2026

Closing Date

9/18/2026 11:59 PM Central

• Description
• Benefits
• Questions

POSITION OVERVIEW

Applications accepted from: ALL PERSONS INTERESTED

Division: STRATEGIC BENEFITS ADMINISTRATIONS & OPERATIONS

Reporting Location: 611 WALKER ST

Workdays & Hours: MONDAY - FRIDAY 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM*

• Subject to Change

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES / ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

The Benefit Specialist position provides daily operations management of Benefits for 59,000+ City of Houston employees, retirees, and their families. The Benefit Specialist is responsible for responding to questions regarding Benefits coverage, processing Benefits plan changes due to Qualified Life Events, review and verification of new dependents' supporting documentation, and processing other Benefits forms and paperwork. The Benefit Specialist is responsible for answering calls to the Benefits Call Center line and returning voicemails as needed as well as assisting any walk-ins to the Benefits Division. The Benefit Specialist also assists with oversight of processes through review of reports ranging from bi-weekly to annually to ensure accuracy and quality of benefits processes.

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities:

• Process Qualified Life Events and review and verify required supporting documentation for adding or dropping dependents from benefits plans.
• Demonstrates extensive knowledge of benefits, including the administration of health plans offered to employees (medical, dental, vision, life, and other benefits).
• Provides accurate written communication to employees, department liaisons, and City health care vendors.
• Ensures callers, walk-ins, department liaisons and vendor representatives are informed about available benefits when prompted.
• Participates as a facilitator for Open Enrollment meetings.
• Researches, analyzes, and resolves customer issues.
• Reviews weekly, monthly or quarterly Benefits Reports and makes updates in SAP or other Benefits systems as needed based upon findings.
• Utilizes programs such as SAP, OnBase, KRONOS, SharePoint, Benefit Focus etc.
• Serves as a back-up to other benefits representatives.
• Proactively support additional functions within the Human Resources Department as needed
• Performs other duties as assigned.

WORKING CONDITIONS

This position is physically comfortable; the individual has discretion about walking, standing, etc. There are no major sources of discomfort in a normal office environment.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS

Requires a Bachelors Degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Social Science, Liberal Arts or a related field.

EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

One year of para-professional or professional health benefits, customer service, administrative, or other related experience is required.

Pertinent experience at the professional level may be substituted for the education requirement on a year-for-year basis.

LICENSE REQUIREMENTS

None

PREFERENCES

Preference will be given to candidates with one (1) or more years of benefits experience; proficient in Microsoft Word and Excel; excellent communication skills for correspondence; good mathematical ability; ability to coordinate multiple tasks. Candidate should be able to communicate with all levels of management and assist with persons from diverse backgrounds. Bilingual candidates are highly encouraged to apply.

Preference shall be given to eligible veteran applicants provided such persons possess the qualifications necessary for competent discharge of the duties involved in the position applied for, such persons are among the most qualified candidates for the position, and all other factors in accordance with Executive Order 1-6.

GENERAL INFORMATION

SELECTION / SKILLS TESTS REQUIRED

Department may administer skills assessment test.

SAFETY IMPACT POSITION YES X NO

SALARY INFORMATION

Factors used in determining the salary offered include the candidate's qualifications as well as the pay rates of other employees in this classification

PAY GRADE: 17

APPLICATION PROCEDURES Only online applications will be accepted for this City of Houston job and must be received by the Human Resources Department during posting opening and closing dates shown. Applications must be submitted online at: www.houstontx.gov.

To view your detailed application status, please log-in to your online profile by visiting: http://agency.governmentjobs.com/houston/default.cfm or call (832)393-7238.

All new and rehires must pass a pre-employment drug test and are subject to a physical examination and verification of information.

Due to the high volume of applications received, the Hiring Department will contact you directly, should you be selected to advance in our recruitment process.

If you need special services or accommodations, call (832)393-7238

.

If you need login assistance or technical support call 855-524-5627

EOE Equal Employment Opportunity

The City of Houston is committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individuals sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.

The city offers a competitive benefits program, including competitively priced health coverage and a defined contribution pension plan. Benefits include:

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• Wellness
• Supplemental Insurance
• Life insurance
• Long-term disability
• Retirement pension
• 457 deferred compensation plan
• Employee Assistance Program
• 10 days of vacation each year
• 13 city holidays, plus one floating holiday
• Compensable Sick Leave
• Personal Leave
• Flexible schedules
• Hybrid-Telework for eligible positions
• Professional development opportunities
• Transportation/parking plan
• Section 125 pretax deductions
• Dependent Care Reimbursement Plan
• Paid Prenatal, Parental and Infant Wellness Leaves
• Healthcare Flexible Spending Account

For plan details, visit http://www.houstontx.gov/hr/benefits.html

01

Are you a veteran who served on active duty in the Armed Forces (United States Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard) for more than 90 consecutive days and received either an honorable or a general discharge under honorable conditions?

• Yes
• No

02

Which best describes your education and experience?

• Bachelors Degree or Beyond, in Human Resources, Business Administration, Social Science, Liberal Arts or a related field and AT LEAST one (1) year of para-professional or professional health benefits, customer service, administrative, or other related experience is required.
• Bachelors Degree or Beyond, in Human Resources, Business Administration, Social Science, Liberal Arts or a related field and LESS THAN one (1) year r of para-professional or professional health benefits, customer service, administrative, or other related experience is required.
• Associate degree Human Resources, Business Administration, Social Science, Liberal Arts or a related field and AT LEAST three (3) years of para-professional or professional health benefits, customer service, administrative, or other related experience is required.
• Associate degree Human Resources, Business Administration, Social Science, Liberal Arts or a related field and LESS THAN three (3) years of para-professional or professional health benefits, customer service, administrative, or other related experience is required.
• High School Diploma and AT LEAST five (5) years of of para-professional or professional health benefits, customer service, administrative, or other related experience is required.
• High School Diploma and LESS THAN three (5) years of para-professional or professional health benefits, customer service, administrative, or other related experience is required.
• None of the above

03

Do you have extensive experience dealing with employee benefits?

• Yes
• No

04

Please explain you experience dealing with employee benefits. (Please note, see resume will delay your application).

05

Indicate your level of work experience with administering or providing services directly related to employee benefits.

• Less than one (1) year of work experience with administering or providing services directly related to employee benefits
• More than one (1) year, but less than two (2) years of work experience with administering or providing services directly related to employee benefits.
• More than two (2) years, but less than three (3) years of work experience with administering or providing services directly related to employee benefits.
• More than three (3) years, but less than four (4) years of work experience with administering or providing services directly related to employee benefits.
• More than four (4) years, but less than five (5) years of work experience with administering or providing services directly related to employee benefits.
• None of the above

06

Please select the option which best describes your experience level of work using HR modules in the SAP system.

• Less than one (1) year of experience using HR modules in the SAP system.
• More than one (1) year, but less than two (2) years of experience using HR modules in the SAP system.
• More than two (2) years, but less than three (3) years of experience using HR modules in the SAP system.
• More than three (3) years, but less than four (4) years of experience using HR modules in the SAP system.
• More than four (4) years, but less than five (5) years of experience using HR modules in the SAP system.
• More than five (5) years of experience using HR modules in the SAP system.
• None of the above

07

Please indicate your level of proficiency in the Microsoft Office Suite.

• BASIC MICROSOFT OFFICE SUITE: Create a new document, enter text, and save it; navigate in a document and perform a search; format cells, rows, and columns; modify a database and insert data from another; application; create title and bullet slides; work with text, drawn objects, and drawing tools.
• INTERMEDIATE MICROSOFT OFFICE SUITE: Create mail merges, sort and filter them; customize toolbars; run and record Macros; filter data and manage a filtered list; create and modify some Macro commands; create, modify, and format charts; create basic Macros to automate forms and data entry; customize the appearance and functionality of reports; use hyperlinks and perform data integration.
• ADVANCED MICROSOFT OFFICE SUITE: Manage Macro commands, create dialogue boxes, and understand the notions of Visual Basic application programming; use advanced functions (Names, VLOOKUP, IF, IS); work with Pivot Tables; manage Macro commands: concepts, planning, operations, execution, modification, interruption; use Visual Basic to create a public function or event procedures, or add general procedures in a form module; plan and examine an application, develop a distributed application design.
• I have no experience working with Microsoft Office

08

Are you bilingual in Spanish (reading, writing, and speaking)?

• Yes
• No

09

Are you currently a City of Houston Human Resources employee?

• Yes
• No

Required Question

Employer City of Houston

Address 901 Bagby St

Houston, Texas, 77002

Website https://www.houstontx.gov/