SALARY: $11/hr
OPENING DATE: 07/06/15
CLOSING DATE: 08/07/15
GENERAL DESCRIPTION:
Note: This position is a limited term assignment. The internship program dates are September through December 2015. Department placement is dependent upon the Intern’s interests, skills, and/or experience and whether a department is offering an internship.
The Student Intern performs entry (entry- to routine-level) administrative and/or technical work. Work involves supporting agency operations with a primary focus on gaining practical work experience and business skills for personal development or to satisfy educational requirements. Works under close supervision with limited latitude for initiative and independent judgment. This position reports to the manager or director of the assigned department.
ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
General Functions
Performs various administrative support and/or technical functions in support of agency operations. May assist in researching, compiling, and analyzing data; entering data into spreadsheets, databases,and other automated applications; and preparing complex queries and reports.
May review forms, correspondence, reports, and other documents for completeness and acceptability. May assist in developing and maintaining record-keeping and filing systems.
May assist in reviewing and analyzing agency policies, procedures, and forms and recommending changes to improve efficiency and effectiveness.
May provide general office administrative support, including, but not limited to: preparing, copying, and faxing correspondence and other documents; greeting and routing visitors and telephone callers; and sorting and distributing incoming and outgoing mail.
Assists in completing special projects and performs other work as assigned.
Performs other duties (general and department specific) as assigned. See below for examples of department duties.
Benefit Accounting
Supports the Installments Team:
– Reviews correspondence.
– Annotates and completes imaged items.
– Reviews rollover forms.
– Prepares installment coupons for weekly mail out.
Balance/reconciliation.
Records retention/scanning documents.
Answers department telephone and routes calls to appropriate staff.
Benefit Counseling
Assists benefits counselor(s) with providing customer service to members during benefit presentations. Assists with preparing presentation and training materials.
Ensures member files are ready and available for member appointments.
Contacts members to remind them of scheduled appointments.
Benefit Processing
Reviews unpaid claims files, and prepares and sends appropriate follow-up information to beneficiaries. Locates contact information for beneficiaries and appropriately documents work performed.
Assists in processing refunds to members who have terminated employment.
Researches unresolved death claims.
Communications
Assists with researching, writing, editing, graphic design, photography, video, and social media.
Assists with production of newsletters, brochures, handbooks, reports, and other print materials used to inform and educate agency employees, members, and the general public. Assists with webcasts and special event or project planning and execution.
General Accounting
Prepares cash, BEVO, travel, and miscellaneous reconciliations.
Prepares monthly budgetary financial statements, as assigned.
Assists with budget development and preparation of the General Accounting procedure manual. Assists with records retention, compiling and analyzing financial data, contract closure, and administrative tasks.
Governmental Relations
Assists with monitoring 2014 Texas legislative interim hearings.
Assists with researching and preparing for the 2015 legislative session relating to the Governmental
Accounting Standards Board (GASB), health care, and other items studied by the Legislature.
Health & Insurance Benefits
Assists with health and insurance enrollment, eligibility, and outreach, including health benefits exception reviews and determinations.
Assists with customer service activities and functions, including benefits communication and education. Assists with plan administration.
Assist with general administrative functions in a healthcare-related operations environment and Health and Insurance Benefits special projects.
Human Resources
Assists in coordinating the agency internship program, including developing the intern staffing and recruitment plan, preparing reports, and planning activities.
May represent the agency at job fairs and participate in other recruitment efforts.
Assists in the policy review/revision process, and may assist with documenting human resources and compensation processes and procedures.
Compiles and analyzes data for human resources dashboards and reports. Assists with compiling agency human resources data for Board of Trustee meetings, such as turnover, retirement eligibility, workforce demographics, etc.
Assists with human resources initiatives, such as organizational change management, technology improvements, and classification issues.
Information Technology – Information Systems Support
Writes Java unit tests based on provided examples.
Documents existing processes for others to utilize as reference. Performs research, analysis, or development tasks as assigned.
Information Technology – Technical Support
Assists with drafting, editing, reviewing, and updating technical documents such as user guides, installation guides, help documents, and tutorials.
Assists in monitoring ongoing computer operations, and alerts appropriate staff of inefficiencies or problems that may need corrective action. Collaborates with teammates to identify process improvement, escalating quickly when issues arise and assisting senior-level technicians as needed. Assists in performing routine maintenance and in resolving routine machine, printer, and software problems, such as cleaning equipment, mounting/dismounting tapes, replacing printer toner, fixing paper jams, and re-prioritizing production jobs.
Assists with PC deployment activities such as receiving assets, moving equipment within the agency, staging equipment for building/image activity, imaging PCs, putting PCs on the network, installing software on a PC, mapping printers and network drives, executing the replacement activity, updating the asset management system to reflect the activity, and preparing the replaced asset for disposition.
Assist with reconciliation of assets within the EasyVista software for accurate inventory. Researches and evaluates potential software(s) that can perform the asset management inventory process for the Client Services & Support group.
Under supervision, provides support for computer hardware, software, and operating systems for the agency’s end-user community. Diagnoses and resolves basic hardware and software issues.
Internal Audit
Assists with scheduling and preparing agendas for meetings with Investment Management Division or external service provider staff.
Assists with obtaining and filing information needed as part of audit engagements. Assists with reviewing and editing audit report drafts for the Audit Committee.
Assists with other duties as assigned to complete investment or financial audits.
Legal Services
Assists with responses to open records requests, including research and document preparation such as organizing, scanning, or redacting content.
Researches and analyzes issues relating to benefit programs, contracts, investment agreements, and other activities of a public retirement system; and drafts documents, memoranda, and correspondence. Assists with implementation of legislation passed by the Texas Legislature and compliance with federal laws affecting benefit programs and investments.
Assists with annual ethics compliance, including tracking ethics compliance submissions by agency employees and contracts, reviewing ethics compliance statements submitted by agency employees and contracts for completeness, and drafting related correspondence.
Works collaboratively on Legal’s records management and litigation tracking efforts, including paper and electronic file maintenance, organizing records for purging and reviewing, evaluating statistical data, and producing narrative reports of findings.
Member Data Services
Reviews stored files, including microfilm images and network drives, for proper retention periods and identifies expired records for disposition.
Creates or reconciles inventories and updates databases.
Audits data in retention database for migration from an Access database to FileNet Records Manager. Assists in drafting program documents, such as process documentation, retention schedule amendments, training presentations, and other documents as directed.
Risk Management
Assists with preparing updates to Risk Oversight Committee (ROC) and Risk Management Committee (RMC) of the Board of Trustees.
Assists in the review and procurement of insurance policies such as property insurance for the protection of Trust Fund Assets.
May assist in identifying and assessing critical risks in support of agency strategic objectives. May assist in the planning process of the Strategic Plan and Business Continuity.
Staff Services
Updates building floor plans using Computer Assisted Design (CAD) software. Assists in the review and revision of operating procedures.
Strategic Initiatives/Executive
Conducts research on public pension policy and administration matters, including defined benefit and defined compensation plan structures, financial literacy, strategic planning, and legislative preparations. Provides administrative assistance in the executive suite including but not limited to answering phones, copying documents, and calendaring meetings.
Assists Executive Director and other executive-level staff with preparation of presentations to include conducting research, creating PowerPoint presentations, and editing content.
Assists executive staff in responding to national public pension policy surveys by coordinating with relevant departments and gathering necessary data.
TRS Enterprise Application Modernization (TEAM) Program
Schedules meetings for TEAM Executive Steering Committee (ESC), TEAM Core Management Team (CMT), and on-site TEAM Program vendors. Provides agendas for ESC, CMT, and other TEAM Program meetings. Records, prepares, and posts minutes of ESC, CMT, and other TEAM Program meetings.
Prepares reports, graphs, charts, presentations, and/or other documents that may be needed for TEAM related activities and initiatives.
Provides technical support for TEAM ESC and TEAM CMT members during meetings and presentations.
Posts TEAM-related documents to appropriate sites (TEAM Repository, TEAM SharePoint). Assists in maintaining the TEAM repository and TEAM SharePoint sites.
Assists in tracking staff hours related to the TEAM Program.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS/LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS:
Education:
Applicant must be currently enrolled in and actively attending an undergraduate or graduate degree program at an accredited college or university, or have just completed the previous semester; and must have completed a minimum of 30 semester hours by the start of the internship.
Applicant will be required to submit a copy of official college transcripts.
Experience:
None.
Preferred Qualifications:
Completion of at least 60 semester hours, including coursework related to the specific program area of the internship assignment.
Experience using Microsoft Office software.
KNOWLEDGE SKILLS AND ABILITIES/PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: Knowledge, Skills and Abilities that May Be Required
Knowledge of:
General office practices and procedures.
Skill in:
Organizing and prioritizing work to manage a high-volume workload in a fast-paced environment, and completing work accurately while meeting deadlines.
Conducting data searches and evaluations of large amounts of information, performing complex analysis of the data, and preparing concise and accurate reports and written/oral recommendations.
Verbal and written communication of complex information that is accurate, timely, and based on sound judgment.
Providing quality customer service.
Reviewing documentation; properly applying complex laws, regulations, rules, and policies; and making decisions based on sound judgment.
Using a personal computer in a Windows and Microsoft Office (Word, Excel) environment, and
accurately performing data entry.
Ability to:
Establish and maintain harmonious working relationships with co-workers, agency staff, and other external contacts.
Work effectively in a professional team environment.
Physical Requirements and/or Working Conditions
Work is performed in a standard office environment and requires:
normal cognitive abilities including the ability to learn, recall, and apply certain practices and policies; marginal or corrected visual and auditory requirements;
constant use of personal computers, copiers, printers, and telephones; the ability to move about the office to access file cabinets and office machinery;
frequent sitting and/or remaining in a stationary position; and the ability to work under deadlines, as a team member, and in direct contact with others.
Workforce Expectations
Must be able to:
regularly, reliably, and punctually attend work;
work extended hours as necessary;
travel occasionally for work assignments and trainings;
show flexibility and adaptability toward changes in assignments and work schedules; adhere to the agency’s internal management policies and procedures; and
exhibit work behaviors consistent with agency core values.
TO APPLY:
Submit an online application at governmentjobs.com by 5:00 p.m. on the closing date. Applications will be screened for minimum qualifications. Skill demonstrations or work simulations may be part of the selection process. Top candidates will be contacted for further consideration. Finalists who document college/university or special coursework to meet the minimum qualifications will be required to submit copies of transcripts or diplomas at the time of interview. Only internal applicants and applicants who are interviewed will receive notification of application results. Please contact Human Resources if you require accommodation during the application process.
Please Note:
The application, resume, and any other accompanying documentation may be subject to disclosure by TRS upon receipt of a request under the Texas Public Information Act.
Due to the nature of TRS business a criminal background investigation will be conducted prior to an offer of employment.
The State of Texas requires all male candidates ages 18 to 25 to show proof of selective service registration (or exemption) upon hire.
The U.S. Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 requires new employees to present proof of identity and eligibility to work in the United States.
For detailed information about the benefits of working at TRS, view the employee benefits page. TRS is committed to the principles of equal employment opportunity and workforce diversity.
Veterans, Reservists or Guardsmen: the Teacher Retirement System of Texas recognizes the contributions and values of our veterans. Those Veterans, Reservists or Guardsmen meeting the minimum qualifications and experience are highly encouraged to apply.