Call center adding 47 jobs to Roanoke work force [The Roanoke Times, Va.]

June 13--UnitedHealthcare is adding at least 47 new jobs to its call center in Roanoke.

The insurance call center, which focuses exclusively on Medicare and retirement products, already employs 450 people in Roanoke and could add up to 97 new jobs, depending on how many new customer care positions are needed.

UnitedHealthcare, which is part of Minneapolis-based UnitedHealth Group, already has posted 22 telesales positions, said Mike Weneta, the Roanoke site director for UnitedHealthcare.

In a couple of weeks the company plans to post another 25 to 75 customer care jobs in Roanoke, Weneta said.

"Every summer, we hire," he said.

That summer hiring spree occurs as the company prepares to handle the open enrollment period that occurs each fall for Medicare, when every senior is allowed to pick a new plan.

The new jobs are in part a response to the growth in Medicare that is happening as baby boomers become eligible for the benefit, Weneta said.

The latest growth in the Roanoke call center comes after UnitedHealthcare invested $7 million and hired 125 new employees last year. In that expansion, which included remodeling and expanding its leased office space inside a commercial building on Thirlane Road near the airport, the insurer earned financial incentives from the state and city for the hires.

State and local incentives again played a significant role in the decision to expand this summer, Weneta said.

The base pay for sales positions is $13.46 an hour with a chance to earn another $17,000 on top of the hourly rate, Weneta said. Compensation for customer care agents starts at $12.50 an hour, he said.

When hiring is finished, Weneta said the Roanoke center will employ between 500 and 600 people. With the remodeled call center, the office can accommodate 660 employees, Weneta said. The center also allows about 100 people to work from home, so the company could continue to grow in the immediate future, he said.

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