Employee Benefits Specialist

JANE KOPECKY, JD

**** *. ******* ****** - *******, IL 312-***-**** ***************@*****.***

Accomplished, versatile professional available immediately. High-performance career with more than 25 years of adding value, aligning with top level businesses to optimize efficiency, maintain outstanding external partner and internal team member satisfaction, and achieve accelerated growth, recognition, and customer retention. Proven C-level executive support to innovate, implement, and administer strategies to catapult performance, capture new opportunities, and optimize administrative functions to exceed goals.

Supporting business RESOURCES, REVENUE & RETENTION

Human RESOURCES – Analysis and review of benefit programs and contribution strategies to determine organization’s competitive position, enhancing the organization’s ability to attract, retain and motivate a qualified workforce. Design and implementation of competitive, contemporary, and cost effective programs to align with business strategy and objectives, while maintaining regulatory and legislative compliance. Program installation with collection and delivery of complete requirements to vendors for swift and accurate submission, evaluation and contract issue. Highly effective communicator of benefit offerings with consultative approach achieving adequate coverage affordably with total enrollee satisfaction. Education on procedures, changes, regulation and government-mandated disclosures, and employee rights, including open enrollment. Administration of medical, dental, vision, disability, long term care, life insurance, flexible spending, health reimbursement, and health savings accounts. Self-Funded experience. Demonstrated knowledge of regulation affecting administration. Working knowledge of ACA MSP ERISA COBRA State Continuation FMLA, and leave programs such as STD, LTD and personal leaves of absence. Participant on-boarding and enrollment data management, including change management. Partner function monitoring and documenting delivery of fulfillment materials such as ID cards, certificates, and SPDs. Direct enrollee service and support including EOB explanation and claim problem resolution. Review and reconciliation of vendor billings and preparation of documents for payment of invoices. Contract negotiation with providers, vendors, administrators, and consultants for services and premiums, setting expectations for service schedules. Recommendation of plan changes reflecting workforce utilization and requests, aligning with organization’s budgeting boundaries, given the changes in the industry landscape. Creative planning relative to strategic personnel, insuring against loss of key executives and provisions for business continuation and succession. Execution with confidentiality and maintenance of trust.

REVENUE & RETENTION– Business owner and C-level executive support to improve organization’s efficiency and growth. Identify and secure new revenue sources through lead generation and follow up, need development, pipeline management, client cultivation, relationship building, association participation, networking, trade show representation, and telemarketing. Rigorous attention and collaboration to build relationships, identify needs, deliver solutions, and convert cross selling opportunities. Delivery of best-in-class service with rigorous attention to detail, achieving customer recognition of value-added to preserve customer relationship. Creative development, preparation and presentation of renewal terms, in conjunction with customer guidelines, to virtually guarantee relationship renewal.

Skill Set

Account Management

Appointment Setting

Benefits Review

Client Relations

Consulting

Communication

Customer Service

Database Management

Invoice Reconciliation

Needs Assessment

Negotiation

Organization

Office Software

Word (65 WPM)

Excel

Power Point

Quicken

CRM

Presentations

Problem Solving

Product Marketing

Public Speaking

Regulation Consulting

Relationship Building

Research (Westlaw knowledge)

Retention

Sales, Cross Selling

Technical Writing

Telemarketing

Trade Show Representation

Training/Education

Vendor Relations

Employment History and Key Accomplishments

Drove business with the following employers, functioning as an outsourced benefits analyst and human resource manager for small employers. Depth of presence in the industry via strategic relationships with independent insurance brokers providing the same “outsourcing” to their employer clients.

Resource Brokerage, LLC, Schaumburg, IL 847-***-**** (Supervisor – Blair Farwell, President) 10 years

Managing general agency for top insurance carriers in the metro Chicago market, overseeing 200+ producing brokers and 4,000+ clients with 30,000+ total enrolled members.

Astounding 97% retention rate, moving the firm to number one in retention for the entire enterprise, top medical insurance carrier in the state of Illinois. Tenacious pursuit securing new revenue channels, doubling the firm’s annual book of business growth from 1,800 to more than 4,000 contracts annually. Relationship building with external representatives on highly effective consultative selling techniques, doubling the number of carrier-recognized top producers in one year. Catapulted the firm into exponential sales growth through expert product and sales knowledge, enabling the company to quickly quadruple in support staff, and double in office space.

Independent Brokerage / Lincoln Financial Advisors, Bartlett, IL (Sole Proprietor) 4 years

Managing practice of more than 50 employer clients, with approximately 1,000 employees.

Substantial increase in growth of client base via demonstrated knowledge of product offerings and regional buying culture to exceed $145K of personal renewal revenue. Effective saturation of vertical markets through persistent networking and establishing strategic partnerships, consistently exceeding sales and retention goals year over year.

The Murphy Group, Inc., Bloomingdale, IL 630-***-**** (Supervisor – Patrick Murphy, Owner) 13 years

A leading ($500 Million Inforce Business) district office of Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company

Firm expansion with revamped marketing strategy as a comprehensive benefits leader where it had previously only been a life insurance agency, by aggressively promoting benefits product line to existing client base to maximize cross-selling opportunities, quadrupling revenue.

Education, Association Participation & Professional Developmentcation & Professional Development

BA, Psychology • North Central College, Naperville, IL

JD • Concord Law School, Los Angeles, CA

Licensed producer Illinois Life, Accident, Health, Long Term Care Insurance – Illlinois Real Estate Broker

Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS) - Retirement Plans Associate (RPA) - Group Benefits Associate (GBA) - Compensation Management Specialist (CMS) - Consumer Driven Health Care (CDHC) - Registered Health Underwriter (RHU) - Registered Employee Benefits Consultant (REBC) – Certified Senior Advisor (CSA)

National Association of Health Underwriters, DuPage AHU Chapter (Chapter President, 2002 – 2003)

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