Ramya B

Benefits Operations Manager with experience includes overseeing and wide range of plans, including US retirement pension benefits processing, people management, project management, Training and Development. Resolves participant questions and problems by interpreting benefit policies and procedures. Prepares special reports by collecting, analyzing, and summarizing information and trends. Contributes to team effort by accomplishing results as directed.

I am part of a Client Service Group (CSG) which takes care of Pension Benefits for five of the US Clients for Wipro. My profile is to Service participants with Pension Plans, process Retirement, provide estimates for future benefits and pension maintenance along with people management for my team.

• Benefits Operations Manager in Defined Benefit Services of US Retirement Pension Plan.
• Tools: TBA (GUI), ATE (Advanced Table Editor), HRO Workbench, Imaging, Bluezone Main Frame, HRX Assist, JIIRA and Lotus Notes.
• Handling Annual Projects of RMD(Required Minimum Distribution), Actval(Actuarial Valuation), AFN(Annual Funding Notice), QPSA, Key Employee Update, Lump Sum Window, Form 5500, Yearly rates update, 1099R Tax Form, Missing participant search, from Start to End
• Monthly payroll will be taken care from start to end and monitor all the monthly queries, reports related to payroll and Defined Benefits.
• Retirement kits will be mailed to the participants when they attain the eligible retirement age with the benefit calculations which includes the explanation of all the optional forms.
• Participants call to our defined benefits customer care after the reviewing the retirement kit to provide their required elections for the elected optional form, delivery and withholding then the election kit will be generated and mail to the participant as per the elections received from participant.
• Participant review their election kit and return the singed authorization form to us to start their Monthly pension benefit.
• After receiving the singed PEA Monthly ongoing pension payment will be posted on the participant account to receive the continuous monthly pension benefit
• All the new start, stop and change in monthly pension benefits will take care on the monthly pension payroll process.

• Resolve escalated grievances and queries of clients on a day-to-day basis during the transition and operation phase of the project.
• Ensure accomplishments of the set quality standards in SLAs and handling all the DB related tools and applications.
• Trained various batches of new joiners on US Defined Benefit as a part of pre-process and process trainings
• Performing system testing for Operations.
• Project Management
• Team Management
• SLA Management
• Performance Management
• Reporting
• Training & Development
• Process Excellence
• Client Satisfaction

Project Handling:

• Planning: Work with leader/Client Managers to understand the project’s needs and requirements.
• Assignee: Based on the project requirement and individual team member’s strength pulling the team members to work on a project
• Communication: Explain to do list to team members, expected results to client manager at the start of the project to bring everyone on the same page
• Time Management: Work with the team and utilize reports or meeting to track the progress, based on length of the projects have regular connect with the team to address any question or concern.
• Risk Management: In case any issue found work with the team including client manager or technology to find a resolution. Keeping the team informed about progress and share timely update
• Documentation: Document every steps followed, steps taken, issue found, issue resolved and send regular notification

Analysis work:

• Review procedures, documentations and steps taken to complete process to ensure it is with compliance
• Review data and completing check to ensure that outcomes is desired and as expected.
• Identify issues and do impact analysis for any issue found. Creating control plans to identify impacted population and implementing solutions/fixes for issue.
• Identifying requirement gaps and works with the 'end client' to eliminate these gaps so that benefits administration can be made smooth.
• Identify areas of improvement in existing process flows; i.e. automating processes to reduce manual intervention and updating existing documentation.

Operations/Team Management work:

• Maintain the turnaround time and the Service Level Agreement’s for the pod so the client deliverables are met in time.
• Creating reports to track tasks and maintaining their status.
• Tracking the performance of team, providing documented/verbal feedbacks when required.
• Working on special projects assigned by the Client.

People Management:

• Create training plan for the new hires and track their progress.
• Handling team members working from different work locations.
• Have monthly connect with individual team member and once in every quarter with the team.
• Empower team with knowledge of tools and process knowledge to become independent and also accountable.
• Help the team in their career path by identifying the areas of improvement and appreciate the them to do well.
• Share documented feedback listing milestones achieved and improvement areas.
• Being humble, approachable, good listener to the team at the same time professional at work.

• Learn and excel US pension rules and regularization.
• Lead the team by working with US and India team meeting operational target consistently
• Develop self and team to learn more and excel in delivery
• Received awards/certificate as ‘Outstanding’ delivery, best team, individual contributor during course of my current employment