BENEFITS PROCESSING SUPERVISOR – GAUTENG

About the Role

Our client, a retirement fund based in Bryanston, is seeking an experienced Benefits Processing Supervisor to support the Claims Processing Manager in ensuring the timeous and accurate payment of benefits to members and pensioners, and to manage the issues associated with fund administration.

You will ensure that benefits are administered in accordance with the Fund Rules, the Pension Funds Act 24 of 1956 and applicable FSCA requirements, within agreed SLAs and in line with Treating Customers Fairly (TCF) principles.

Key Responsibilities

Fund administration oversight

•     Prepare accurate monthly reports and statistics for the Claims Processing Manager, including SLA turnaround, claims backlog, ageing of unpaid and unclaimed benefits, and exception analysis.

•     Maintain statistical records of members, prepare the monthly EXCO submission, and reconcile statistics to the pension administration system, payroll and the Fund’s financial records.

•     Ensure audit controls are in place and track internal audit, external audit and FSCA findings to closure.

•     Oversee quality assurance of claim forms and supporting documents, validate exit claims against exit movements, and verify member options against Fund Rules and legislation.

•     Validate manual tax directives and manually calculated Final Average Emoluments, ensuring tax directives are obtained from SARS and correctly applied (including lump sum tax tables and IRP5 reconciliations).

•     Ensure ill-health and disability benefit applications are captured and actioned timeously, including validating medical evidence, obtaining medical adviser/Board approval and periodic re-assessment of disability pensioners.

•     Ensure unclaimed benefits are traced within SLA timeframes and reported in line with the Pension Funds Act and FSCA requirements.

•     Monitor pensioner information and daily maintenance of personal detail changes before payroll close, including verification of existence, suspension and reinstatement of benefits, and recovery of overpayments after date of death.

•     Review and approve benefit payments within delegated authority, ensuring segregation of duties, dual authorization and payment within prescribed timeframes.

•     Oversee the processing of Two-Pot savings withdrawal benefits, including tax directive requests and compliance with withdrawal rules.

•     Apply fraud-prevention controls to claims and payments, including FICA-compliant member verification, bank account verification and proof-of-life checks.

•     Manage member, pensioner and beneficiary complaints and escalations, including Pension Funds Adjudicator and FSCA queries, and report operational risks, incidents, errors and POPIA-related breaches.

Member and pensioner data integrity

•     Ensure data updates are authorized before payroll close through the workflow process, with no changes processed without supporting documents and maker-checker authorization.

•     Follow up on exception reports, including those arising from the monthly contribution update.

•     Ensure the correct procedure is followed for Section 14 transfers in, including verification of transfer values.

•     Check and monitor divorce settlement calculations and DSD adjustments in line with Fund Rules.

•     Monitor system and website outputs, member benefit statements, tax certificates and deferred pensioner estimates.

•     Ensure monthly and annual reconciliations between the administration system, payroll and general ledger are completed and exceptions resolved, and that personal information is handled in compliance with POPIA.

Contribution handling

•     Manage the allocation and reconciliation of member contributions, and monitor receipt from participating employers within the statutory period (Section 13A of the Pension Funds Act), escalating late or non-payment for FSCA reporting.

•     Investigate and resolve contribution exceptions, unallocated contributions and employer/pay point discrepancies.

People leadership

•     Plan resource requirements, allocate and monitor workloads, and manage backlogs and SLA performance.

•     Build a high-performing team through coaching, one-on-one sessions, performance reviews, development plans and succession cover for critical roles.

•     Train and assess the team on Fund Rules, legislative changes, fraud awareness and POPIA, and maintain a skills matrix for benefit types (exits, retirement, death, disability, divorce and Two-Pot).

•     Manage disciplinary and labor relations matters in line with the Labor Relations Act and Fund policies.

Projects, policy and stakeholder support

•     Participate in Fund projects such as Defined Contribution conversion, business process re-engineering, system enhancements, automation initiatives and Rule amendments, including drafting reports and user acceptance testing.

•     Keep abreast of legislative changes, recommend process improvements, and ensure procedure manuals, process maps and user guides are reviewed at least annually.

•     Assist internal and external auditors and regulatory inspectors (e.g. FSCA), and liaise with employer HR, Member Services and Accounts on data maintenance.

Minimum Requirements

Qualifications

•     Relevant NQF Level 7 Bachelor’s degree, with registration with relevant professional bodies where applicable (e.g. IRFA).

•     Relevant industry diploma, NQF Level 6, in retirement fund administration or benefits (e.g. IRFA or equivalent).

•     A supervisory or management development programme is advantageous.

Experience

•     At least 8 years’ retirement fund / pension benefit administration experience, including at least 3 years in a supervisory or team-leader role.

Technical competencies

•     Working knowledge of pension fund rules (including registered rules, rule amendments and Board/FSCA-approved interpretations) and benefit administration.

•     Working knowledge of the Pension Funds Act 24 of 1956 (including Sections 14, 37A, 37C and 37D), the Income Tax Act 58 of 1962 (taxation of retirement benefits and SARS tax directives) and the Divorce Act 70 of 1979 (Sections 7(7) and 7(8)).

•     Basic knowledge of the Maintenance Act 99 of 1998 and the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA).

•     Working knowledge of Section 37C: tracing of dependents and nominees and equitable allocation of death benefits.

•     Working knowledge of the Two-Pot Retirement System (vested, savings and retirement components) and savings withdrawal benefits.

•     Working knowledge of FSCA Conduct Standards, Pension Funds Circulars and Pension Funds Adjudicator determinations, and of tax processes.

•     Knowledge of Defined Benefit and Defined Contribution benefit structures.

•     Knowledge of FICA, fraud-prevention and member verification requirements.

•     Proficiency in a pension administration system and MS Excel, with the ability to interpret exception and reconciliation reports.

Should you not receive a reply from us within 30 days, kindly consider your application as unsuccessful