Place of Business:
Teacher Retirement System of Texas

Job Location:
Austin, Texas

Position Description:
The Director of Employee Relations & Benefits is responsible for overseeing employee relations, employee benefits, and workplace accommodations programs throughout the organization. The incumbent will manage a team and provide strategic direction, technical guidance and support to managers and employees across the organization. This position will collaborate with Legal and Compliance, the Executive and leadership team, and employees to manage sensitive and confidential matters while adhering to state and federal requirements. This position reports to the Chief Organizational Excellence Officer.

This is a hybrid position that will require the applicant who is selected to report to our Austin, TX office at least three days per week.

Duties and Responsibilities:
Section Administration and Oversight
• Responsible for managing the day-to-day activities for employee relations, employee benefits, and workplace accommodations staff which includes hiring, performance management oversight, coaching and developing staff.
• Develops and implements techniques for evaluating program activities while pursuing new goals and objectives for improvement.
• Collaborates with leadership and legal staff to maintain compliance and updates to related TRS policies, practices, and procedures as needed.
• Builds and maintains relationships with employees and managers at all levels.
• Stays attuned to organizational and operational changes across the agency to identify potential risks. Advises OE leadership of the issues and develops plans to address risks proactively.

Employee Relations
• Oversees the development and delivery of employee relations training programs for agency staff on TRS policies and procedures for corrective actions, dispute resolution, and/or best practices.
• Consults with leadership on employee relations matters to provide direction on assessing root causes, determining appropriate strategies for addressing problems; coaches and supports leadership through the execution of identified actions, including corrective action, as appropriate.
• Administers the performance improvement process. Partners with managers and employees to explore and identify available options and appropriate course of action throughout the process.
• Partners with other OE staff to create and implement strategies and measures to increase employee engagement, morale, and satisfaction.
• Conducts and documents investigations. Partners to recommend resolutions.
• Conducts exit interviews, analyzes trends or opportunities for feedback or improvement, particularly in areas related to employee engagement.

Employee Benefits
• Administers employee benefit programs including health, dental, vision, life, short and long-term disability and workers' compensation insurances.
• Educates staff on the above benefits and other benefits available through employment with the State of Texas.
• Reviews and analyzes benefits procedures, makes recommendation to implement changes leading to best-practice operations.
• Oversees the annual open enrollment process. Manages benefit open enrollment meetings and ensures that all employee health enrollment elections are processed accurately.
• Employee Workplace Accommodations
• Oversees the workplace accommodation activities of TRS, which includes the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Employee Assistance Program (EAP), extended sick leave, sick leave pool and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) programs.
• Serves as a liaison on all matters involving leave and workplace accommodation programs and provides subject matter expertise on leave and accommodation administration to employees and managers.
• Identifies reasonable accommodations (including alternative reasonable accommodations) and assesses hardship, when needed.
• In collaboration with leadership and Legal and Compliance, finalizes accommodation outcomes, including alternative reasonable accommodations, approval/denial of requested accommodation(s), and follow-up in appropriate cases.
• Assesses and analyzes data to gain insights into patterns and trends concerning leave and accommodations.
• Advises leadership and employees on emerging workplace accommodation issues and takes appropriate action as required.
• Consults with and advises employees and leadership on eligibility, provisions and other matters related to leave programs.

• Performs related work as assigned.

Qualifications:
Required Education
• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in human resources or closely related field.
• High school diploma or equivalent and additional full-time experience in human resources, employee relations administration, benefit program administration, and/or workplace accommodations or related experience may be substituted on an equivalent year-for-year basis.

Required Experience
• Eight (8) years of full-time progressively responsible Human Resources experience to include direct experience in employee relations administration, benefit program administration, and/or workplace accommodations, which includes experience with FMLA, ADA and ADAAA.
• Four (4) years of experience leading, or supervising the work of others, required.
• Experience may be concurrent.