Compensation and Benefits Specialist

Purpose

To support the UUA Compensation and Staffing program by assisting congregations in the administration of payroll and benefits and by addressing compensation-related inquiries.

Principal Responsibilities

1. Assists congregational leaders with the administration of payroll and benefits.
   • Introduces the Staff Onboarding and Benefits Advising Program to congregational leaders.
   • Enrolls congregations and other UUA-related organizations into the program.
   • Initiates and maintains a system to contact regularly and assist leaders of participating congregations.
   • Educates congregational leaders about worker classification and benefits eligibility.
   • Accompanies congregational leaders through the process of classifying employees and enrolling/updating their benefits.
   • Checks congregational personnel policies and employment agreements for consistency with UUA Benefit Plan rules.
2. Addresses compensation- and staffing-related inquiries.
   • Guides congregational leaders and staff to appropriate UUA webpages and resources.
   • Answers questions about UUA Compensation Standards.
   • Guides congregational leaders and staff to OCSF team members, other UUA staff, or volunteer Compensation Consultants as appropriate.
3. Provides support for the UUA Compensation and Staffing Program.
   • Revises and maintains compensation- and staffing-related resources and pages on UUA.org.
   • Manages annual Geo Index Listing update.
   • Assists with scheduling and communications for Compensation Consultants and other groups.
   • Provides project support for Congregational Staffing Report and Ministerial Data Tracking.
   • Supports additional Church Staff Finances initiatives as requested.
4. Performs other duties as requested by supervisor, the Office of Church Staff Finances Director, the Co-Directors of Ministries and Faith Development, the Executive Vice President, or the President.

Qualifications

This is a Grade 10 position (expected hiring range $41,600-$51,900 depending on experience). Note that qualifications may be met as a result of lived experience, volunteer work, professional experience, and/or formal or informal training. Our ideal candidate will have:

• Bachelor’s degree and at least 3 years of experience in HR, payroll, customer service, or related work.
• The capacity to learn and convey detailed information.
• Enthusiasm for helping shape, launch, and provide a new service.
• A team approach and a customer service mindset.
• Familiarity with typical staff and volunteer roles and responsibilities in faith communities.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills.
• High proficiency in the Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, and Outlook). Database experience helpful.
• Skilled at communicating via e-mail, phone, and Zoom.
• Ability and willingness to travel to Boston for in-person team meetings 2-3 times per year.
• Work or lived experience with communities of color or indigenous peoples is of particular value.
• Eagerness to work in an organization in which the dismantling of white supremacy is a high priority.

* Location is open in the continental United States. You should have easy access to a major airport due to the travel requirements of this position.

How to Apply

People with disabilities, people of color, indigenous people, Hispanic/Latinx, and LGBTQ candidates are encouraged to apply. The UUA is committed to developing a diverse and talented staff team. If you are excited about this role but are unsure whether you meet 100% of the requirements, we encourage you to inquire and/or apply. Send cover letter of no more than 400 words highlighting your relevant skills and personal qualities and your résumé—indicating “Compensation and Benefits Specialist” in the subject line—via e‑mail to careers@uua.org, via fax to (617) 948-6467, or to Human Resources, UUA, 24 Farnsworth Street, Boston, MA 02210. E‑mail submissions preferred.

About the UUA

The Unitarian Universalist Association is a progressive religious denomination headquartered in Boston’s waterfront Fort Point Innovation District. Our faith community of more than 1,000 self-governing congregations brings to the world a vision of religious freedom, tolerance, and social justice. Our normal full-time workweek is 35 hours, we pay 80% contribution towards health insurance premiums, 10% towards retirement (after one year), and have generous paid time-off policies. We are a great place to work and we value diversity. The UUA is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to the full inclusion of all. As part of this commitment, the UUA will ensure that applicants and staff with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact the Office of Human Resources at (617) 948-4648 or humanresources@uua.org. For more information on the UUA, visit us online at UUA.org and uuworld.org.

Support for the Mission and Values of the Association

The Unitarian Universalist Association is a progressive and historic religious denomination. While it is not generally required or expected that an applicant/employee identify as a Unitarian Universalist (UU) or be a member of a UU congregation in order to work at the UUA, all UUA staff members are expected to perform their job duties in accordance with the UUA’s values, principles and mission. In particular the following points, drawn from the Seven UU Principles, are of particular importance for the UUA’s work environment and staff culture:

• The inherent worth and dignity of every human being: We affirm the need for a human-centered workplace that allows our diverse staff to flourish. We also understand that our wider culture and society oppresses and denies human dignity, and we seek to counter the effects of that oppression in our hiring and workplace culture so that each person feels whole and valued.
• Justice, equity and compassion in human relations, and the goal of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all: We speak openly and publicly of our support for social and political issues, including LGBTQ equity, racial justice, climate justice, gender equity, and reproductive justice.
• The interdependent web of existence: We recognize that the liberation of all people is interwoven, and we work to counter patriarchy, white supremacy, colonialism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, environmental exploitation, and other interrelated systems of marginalization.