Compensation & Benefits Specialist

Legal Aid DC seeks a Compensation and Benefits Specialist to join our newly formed People & Culture team.

Since 1932, Legal Aid has provided civil legal assistance to clients in individual cases and engaged in systemic reform. Currently, we provide individual representation in consumer law, domestic violence/family law, housing, public benefits, and appellate matters. We also work on immigration matters and help individuals with the collateral consequences of their involvement with the criminal justice system. From the experiences of our clients, we identify opportunities for law reform, public policy advocacy, and systemic impact and appellate litigation.

Legal Aid believes that meaningful pursuit of our anti-poverty mission requires an unwavering commitment to racial justice and equity. We aspire both to reflect the rich racial diversity of the communities we serve and to value, respect, and empower our staff and clients to be effective agents of change. For more information about Legal Aid please visit our website, www.LegalAidDC.org.

We are looking for candidates who are interested in working closely with employees to provide great customer service and who are eager to collaborate with the rest of the People & Culture team to continue to make Legal Aid DC a great place to work. This role is an opportunity to further develop and streamline processes and have influence on how we are fulfilling our benefits and payroll functions. There is also the opportunity for cross-training in other human resources functions and expand the role as you gain tenure at the organization.

Responsibilities:

• Compensation
  • Implements, maintains, and reviews payroll processing systems to ensure timely and accurate processing of payroll transactions including salaries, benefits, garnishments, taxes, and other deductions.
  • Ensures accurate and timely processing of payroll updates including new hires, terminations, and changes to pay rates and deductions.
  • Facilitates accurate and timely delivery of employer contributions and employee payroll deductions to carriers, plan administrators, or other appropriate service providers.
  • Ensures compliance with federal, state, and local payroll, wage, and hour laws and best practices.
  
  

• Benefits Administration
  • Administers all employee benefits, including health, life, and disability insurance programs, 401(1)k plan, leave, and any additional benefits that may be added.
  • Advises and informs employees about their benefits, including working with employees to ensure correct administration of parental and FMLA leave pay.
  • Informs employees of changes and developments related to benefits including eligibility, coverage, and provisions.
  • Assists with documentation required by federal, state, and provider rules, regulations, and policies.
  • Ensures employees receive all required notifications and updates.
  • Works closely with brokers to identify and recommend carriers and plans based on quotes, available benefits, and prior experience.
  • Ensures benefit plans are compliant with all relevant laws and employer requirements.
  • Assists employees in understanding paid and unpaid leave policies.

• Assists in annual financial audits by providing records and documentation to auditors as requested.
• Facilitates annual audit of retirement plan.
• Maintains knowledge of trends, developments, and best practices in compensation and benefits administration.
• Maintains working knowledge of our HRIS and troubleshoots issues as they arise.
• Trains to backfill other Human Resources functions to ensure timely customer service to employees.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Note: Legal Aid is currently operating on a hybrid work plan. Some in-person work is required in Legal Aid’s main offices.

Qualifications:

Even if you do not have the exact experience and skills listed, we still encourage you to apply if you have equivalent or related experience:

• Prior experience administering employee benefits and payroll.
• Extensive knowledge of payroll, including preparation, balancing, internal control, and payroll taxes.
• Experience with administering full suite of organizational benefits including health insurance, employee leave, 401(K), short & long term disability, commuter benefits, and more.
• Knowledge of COBRA, HIPAA, and ERISA requirements.
• Familiarity with using an HRIS to administer benefits.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite or similar software.

If you have any of the following experience, we strongly encourage you to apply:

• Familiarity with assisting employees with FMLA and/or DC FMLA leave requests.
• Experience setting up benefits functions in an HRIS system.

• Experience working with employees to help them understand their available benefits.
• Experience analyzing benefits to identify modifications and additions to benefits that can be value added for employees.
• Experience at a nonprofit organization.
• Experience at a unionized organization.

Salary and Benefits:

The Compensation and Benefits Specialist will be paid in accordance with Legal Aid's policy based on years of full-time experience. Lateral hires will receive credit for years of relevant work experience as outlined in the policy.

Starting salaries are as follows:

• Specialist with 5 years full-time work experience: starting at $60,520
• Specialist with 10 years full-time work experience: starting at $72,788
• Specialist with 15 years full-time work experience: starting at $89,106

Legal Aid generally provides two salary increases per year, depending on funding availability: a cost-of-living increase at the beginning of the year and a step increase in July.

Legal Aid offers a generous benefits package that includes fully paid health insurance for the employee, annual discretionary retirement match, 12 paid holidays, personal leave, and generous annual and sick leave allotments starting at 15 days each per year.

To Apply:

Legal Aid values an inclusive, diverse workplace and encourages applications from interested persons from diverse backgrounds of any race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, personal appearance, family responsibilities, matriculation, political affiliation, genetic information, or any other legally protected status. We strongly encourage applications from people with personal experience with the criminal justice system and/or with lived experiences in the communities we serve. Interested persons are encouraged to apply immediately and should submit a letter of interest and resume here. Applications will be accepted until Friday, April 5, 2024.