Project Manager - Benefits and Communications

Working for Equity Residential (EQR), a leading multi-family real estate investment trust (REIT), means being part of a community and striving to provide the best in apartment living, speaking boldly about new ideas for innovation, and inspiring creativity in the ways we work together. Our portfolio of high-quality properties in urban growth markets – New York City, Boston, Washington DC, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles – provides homes where people most want to live, work and play. We've got the best people in the business, and our experience shows in our dedication to our residents and in how much we value each other as colleagues. That’s why our employees say they are proud to work at Equity, a company that gives our residents a place where they can Live Remarkably, and offers a culture where our employees have the opportunity to make their mark.

 

 

 

• A Strong Communicator. Your writing and speaking skills are clear, articulate, and effective, demonstrating your ability to interact with all levels and various teams within the organization and be understood.  In addition, your ability to partner with external representatives, such as vendors and system administrators, will be critical in order to be effective in this role. Drafting employee communications and driving internal benefits campaigns comes to you with ease.
• Knowledgeable. You have a broad-based familiarity with benefits and total wellbeing programs, regulations, diversity and inclusion, and best practices. Topics related to medical, dental, life, vision, HSA, FSA, and are all subjects you’re comfortable interpreting, assessing, and making recommendations. And when inquiries about employee benefit elements bubble up, you enjoy providing clarity and helping others to understand. For example, you are comfortable explaining processes such as benefits eligibility, ACA, and FSA non-discrimination testing, among other benefits specific processes.
• Proactive, Productive, and Motivated. You take initiative, manage your work efficiently, meet your deadlines, and consistently go above and beyond to contribute quality work and to assist other team members and business partners. You invest extra energy to reach your goals.
• Organized and Confident. You are flexible, composed, and able to prioritize multiple tasks and deadlines simultaneously while confidently interacting with individuals across all levels of the organization.
• Technologically Savvy. You’ve previously been exposed to HR management systems (Oracle, PeopleSoft, Ceridian, etc.) and know how to extract relevant information and build reports. You’ve got a deep knowledge of Microsoft Excel and can also operate successfully across the Google platform. And when technology doesn’t operate as you might expect, you are comfortable researching and troubleshooting issues until root cause is identified and resolved.
• A Team Player. You are known for serving as a resource and trusted business partner for internal groups.  Participating in cross-functional projects is the type of work you love.
• Passionate. Motivated. Eager to Learn. You are resourceful, ask smart questions, challenge the status quo, and regularly seek to understand. You invest extra energy to reach your goals. And when a special project arises, you volunteer.

WHAT YOU’LL DO 

• Manage overall project tracking for benefits and diversity and inclusion cyclical projects, initiatives, and campaigns across the organization.
• Function as subject matter expert on the medical, dental and vision plans as well as various lines of coverage e.g., disability insurance, group legal, life insurance, home/auto/pet insurance and voluntary life insurance plans. Ensure timely communication, reporting, billing, customer service and resolution of issues.
• Work with vendors and broker (Hub International and UHC) to ensure the Annual Benefits Compliance Calendar is created. Ensure the timely completion of reviews, reporting and distribution of documents.
• Identify and partner with leadership to address operational/process issues and to clearly define potential solutions or desired "future state" outcomes.
• Prepare PowerPoint briefings for various planning sessions including Project Kick-off Sessions, Milestone Updates as well as Project Debriefs.
• Provide executive level updates of the operations and projects on a regular basis. Foresee and mitigate risks and takes ownership of and accountability for projects’ successes.
• Manage all aspects of the project life cycle, including planning, attainment of project milestones and meeting budget and agreed upon guidelines.
• Gather project requirements, define scope, understand dependencies, identify resources and schedule deliverables as part of an effective work plan.
• Manage small to mid-size in/direct project “cross-functional” teams in a dynamic and team-oriented environment including multiple and concurrent tasks/processes/projects.
• Create and maintain a project database for tracking project details, timelines, conference calls/meeting agendas and notes, and deliverables; provide regular updates and progress reports to leadership, summarizing project statuses.
• Develop rapport and communicate regularly with benefits team to understand project requirements, communicate deadlines, and overcome obstacles.
• Provide excellent internal customer service through timely follow up and effective written communication. 
• Foster and maintain vendor relationships; objectively evaluate vendor performance.
• Utilize project management methodologies, tools, software and other resources to maximize efficiency.
• Perform other duties and participate in cross-functional projects, as assigned.

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, human resources, or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience working in an analytical role; experience working with health & welfare programs highly preferred.
• Must possess a working knowledge of HR management systems (Oracle Fusion, PeopleSoft, Ceridian) and  have considerable experience with data analytics and building reports.
• Familiarity working with Google platform and Microsoft Office suite. Advanced Microsoft Excel data analysis skills required.
• Solid understanding of regulations impacting benefits policies, practices, and plan designs.
• Proven strong work ethic, ability to make decisions, and work in a fast-paced environment under tight deadlines, without sacrificing quality of work product. Detail oriented and well-organized, with an ability to multi-task.
• Strong communication and presentation skills – able to speak and write in a clear and articulate manner.
• Demonstrated ability to work with confidential information and use discretion accordingly.
• CEBS, CBP, PHR, SPHR, CHES, CCWS or other HR certifications/designations are a plus!

We recognize everyone has different needs outside of work. That’s why, in addition to a competitive benefits package (medical, dental, vision and paid time off), we offer many unique options to employees, like adoption benefits and paid time off for community service projects. To learn more, view our Total Wellbeing page here.