Benefits Team Lead

Job Title

Benefits Team Lead

Job ID

Company

TransLink

Location

Greater Vancouver

Full/Part Time

Full-Time

Regular/Temporary

Regular

Marketing Statement

A career at TransLink and our family of companies means working with people with a wide range of skills and perspectives, all teaming up towards a common goal: preserving and enhancing the region's world-envied quality of life. Together, we connect the region and enhance its livability by providing a sustainable transit and transportation network, embraced by our communities and people.

At TransLink we are dedicated to building a workforce that reflects the diversity of the communities in which we live. We’re committed to fostering an inclusive, equitable and accessible workplace, recognizing the unique value and skills every individual brings.

Looking for a great place to work where your contributions are valued and you can make a difference in a vibrant city? At TransLink, one of BC’s Top Employers, you'll help make Metro Vancouver a better place to live, built on transportation excellence. Put your future in motion!

Responsibilities

PRIMARY PURPOSE

Provides day-to-day leadership and operational oversight for employee benefits, pension, disability claim administration, and employee records administration services across TransLink entities. Manages a team of Benefit Assistants, Benefit Administrators, Benefits & Recognition Specialists, and other assigned staff, ensuring services are delivered accurately, efficiently, and in accordance with plan provisions, collective agreements, policies, procedures, and legislative requirements.

Provides technical expertise, resolves complex operational issues, and ensures employee records and payroll-impacting benefit, disability leave, and employment status changes are processed accurately and within established service standards. Maintains a working understanding of employee records administration to provide backup support to the Manager, as required, and to ensure effective coordination between benefits, payroll, and employee records-related processes.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

Leads the day-to-day delivery of employee benefits, pension and disability claim administration services across TransLink entities, ensuring transactions are accurate, timely, compliant, and customer focused.

Manages reporting staff, including recruitment, onboarding, training, work assignment and reviews, scheduling, coaching, development, attendance management, performance management, and other people management practices.

Plans, prioritizes, assigns, and monitors team workloads to ensure operational objectives, processing timelines, and established service standards are achieved; provides ongoing technical guidance and support to staff.

Oversee employee benefit and pension enrolments, life events and beneficiary changes, leaves of absence, retirements, reinstatements, transfers, terminations, and other benefit transactions.

Oversee the distribution, receipt, review, and processing of disability claim forms and supporting documentation; ensure required information is submitted to the insurance carrier accurately and within established timelines.

Liaises with insurance carriers to obtain disability claim status updates, identify outstanding requirements, and coordinate timely communication with employees, managers, Payroll, and other stakeholders.

Oversee Change of Status (COS) transactions in PeopleSoft arising from disability claims, leaves of absence, returns to work, retirements, employment status changes, and terminations, etc., ensuring Payroll has accurate information to

process pay, benefit deductions, and related transactions.

Ensures required benefits, pension, disability claim, and documentation is complete, accurate, appropriately retained, and submitted to insurance carriers, pension providers, and other external service providers within required timelines.

Reviews and approves complex transactions and serves as the primary escalation point for operational issues and inquiries requiring specialized interpretation of plan rules, collective agreements, policies, procedures, or legislation.

Conducts quality assurance reviews and audits of benefits, pension, disability claim administration, and PeopleSoft transactions to support data integrity, compliance, and consistent application of business rules.

Investigates and resolves complex operational issues in collaboration with Payroll, People & Culture partners, managers, insurance carriers, pension providers, and other stakeholders; escalates significant risks, precedents, or sensitive matters to the Manager.

Develops, maintains, and improves procedures, workflows, controls, training materials, and service standards; identifies training needs and leads knowledge transfer and cross-training activities.

Monitors operational metrics, service levels, workload trends, processing volumes, and outstanding items; prepares reports and recommendations to support service delivery and continuous improvement.

Participates in process reviews, testing, and implementation activities related to benefits, pension, disability claim administration and related employee records impacts.

Supports implementation of changes arising from legislation, collective agreements, policies, plan provisions, and system requirements, ensuring operational procedures and related employee records impacts are coordinated accordingly.

Provides specialized advice and guidance to employees, retirees, managers, Payroll, People & Culture partners, and other stakeholders on benefits, pension, disability claim administration and related employee records processes.

Supports the Manager by providing operational expertise, analysis, and recommendations regarding service delivery issues, emerging risks, process improvements, and opportunities to strengthen operational effectiveness.

Qualifications

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

The requirements for this position are typically acquired through an undergraduate degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related discipline, together with five years of progressively responsible experience in benefits, pension, disability claim, or employee records administration, including experience in managing staff in a unionized environment, or an equivalent combination of education and experience. A CEBS, CBP, CPHR, or related professional designation would be an asset.

OTHER REQRUIEMENTS

Solid knowledge of employee benefit plans, pension administration, disability claim administration processes, and employee records administration.

Solid knowledge of collective agreements, plan provisions, policies, procedures, employment standards, privacy requirements, and other applicable legislation.

Solid people management and leadership skills, with the ability to set expectations, assign and review work, coach and develop staff, manage performance, and support an accountable and customer-focused team.

Experience supervising employees in a unionized environment, including the application and interpretation of collective agreements, policies, and related employment practices.

Solid knowledge of HRMS and payroll-related processes, including Change of Status transactions and their impacts on pay, deductions, benefits, and employee records.

Solid analytical and problem-solving skills to investigate and resolve complex operational issues and assess risks, impacts, and appropriate escalation requirements.

Solid interpersonal, communication, and customer service skills to provide specialized guidance and work effectively with employees, managers, internal partners, insurance carriers, and service providers.

Solid planning and organizational skills to manage competing priorities, workloads, deadlines, and service demands.

Working knowledge of reporting, quality assurance, process controls, and continuous improvement practices, as well as standard office applications.

Other Information

Recruitment Process: An applicant will be required to demonstrate