Role OverviewAs a Benefits Specialist, you will manage the end-to-end administration of employee benefit programs, focusing on health, welfare, retirement, and wellness offerings. Your work ensures accurate, compliant, and timely support for employees across all stages of their employment lifecycle.
Key Responsibilities
- Act as the main point of contact for employee questions about benefits, delivering clear and empathetic guidance.
- Oversee daily operations for medical, dental, vision, life insurance, disability, HSA/FSA, and voluntary benefits.
- Process new hire enrollments, status changes, life events, and terminations in HRIS and benefits platforms.
- Support annual open enrollment with system configuration, testing, communications, and post-period data cleanup.
- Maintain accurate records and content in HR systems to enhance employee self-service capabilities.
- Ensure 401(k) elections, contributions, and loan requests are correctly processed and reflected in payroll.
- Assist with retirement education by distributing plan materials and supporting enrollment efforts.
- Reconcile monthly carrier invoices and resolve billing discrepancies with vendors, payroll, and third parties.
- Verify data consistency across HRIS, payroll, benefits platforms, and external carriers.
- Address retroactive changes, refunds, and adjustments efficiently and accurately.
- Support 401(k) reporting and data validation as needed.
- Collaborate with carriers, brokers, third-party administrators (TPAs), and technology providers to resolve issues and maintain system integrity.
- Resolve complex benefit cases and manage vendor data feeds, eligibility files, and platform updates.
- Work with HR Managers on leave of absence and disability claims, ensuring proper premium collection during unpaid or partial pay periods.
- Process benefit changes related to leaves, including status updates and return-to-work transitions.
- Monitor leave and disability cases for impacts on benefits eligibility, COBRA obligations, and coverage continuity.
- Coordinate with internal teams and vendors to align benefits with approved leave timelines.
- Support employee wellness programs by organizing challenges, campaigns, and events in partnership with stakeholders.
- Track participation, outcomes, and trends in wellness initiatives and manage related communications and calendars.
- Issue recognition rewards and incentives tied to wellness engagement.
- Contribute to the Wellness Committee by sharing insights and supporting program development.
- Ensure compliance with COBRA, ACA, ERISA, HIPAA, and Section 125 regulations.
- Assist with audits, required filings, and regulatory reporting.
- Uphold confidentiality when handling sensitive employee data.
- Perform additional duties as needed.
Qualifications
Candidates should demonstrate strong attention to detail, a commitment to service, and the ability to manage routine yet critical processes such as carrier reconciliations, enrollments, and issue resolution. You must be trustworthy in handling confidential information, reliable in follow-through, and confident interacting with employees, vendors, and payroll partners.
Technical Environment
You’ll work regularly with HRIS platforms, benefits administration systems, payroll integrations, COBRA software, ACA reporting tools, ERISA compliance resources, and HIPAA-secure data environments.
Compensation & Benefits
This role offers a base salary of $73,000 and an annual bonus based on experience. Additional offerings include active support for wellness programs, tracking of wellness participation and outcomes, access to wellness resources and event calendars, recognition incentives, and opportunities to contribute to the Wellness Committee.
Work Environment
The position supports a flexible work model with no specified location constraints. The organization fosters a culture centered on community impact, wellness advocacy, diversity and inclusion, and empowering teams to deliver results. Employees are encouraged to thrive in an environment that supports both professional success and personal well-being.
