Benefits Specialist

Position Summary

The Benefits Specialist is responsible for the day-to-day administration, analysis, and support of employee benefit programs including health, welfare, retirement, and leave programs. This role ensures compliance with applicable regulations, provides employee support and education, and partners with HR, vendors, and leadership to deliver competitive and compliant benefits programs.

In addition to operational excellence, this role plays a critical part in modernizing and automating benefits delivery. This individual will partner across HR, IT, Payroll, and vendors to leverage AI, automation, and self-service technology to streamline processes, reduce manual work, improve data accuracy, and enhance the employee experience.  The Benefits Specialist role may assume program management responsibilities across Human Resources functions, driving cross-functional HR initiatives and ensuring alignment with organizational goals.

This position requires strong analytical and systems-thinking capabilities, regulatory expertise, and a proactive mindset focused on automation, scalability, and operational efficiency in a high-growth environment.

Key Responsibilities

Benefits Administration

• Administers group health, dental, vision, life, disability, retirement, and voluntary benefit programs.
• Manages enrollments, changes, terminations, and life event updates in HRIS and vendor systems, identifying manual processes and implementing automated solutions.
• Directs benefits orientations and leads open enrollment planning and execution, incorporating digital tools, automated workflows, and scalable communication strategies.
• Conducts regular audits of payroll deductions and reconciles benefit invoices, implementing automated controls where possible.

Employee Support & Communication

• Serves as primary point of contact for employee benefit inquiries while actively building and curating a robust knowledge base and self-service portal to resolve Tier-1 questions and issues instantly.
• Designs and maintains intuitive resources including benefits guides, FAQs, decision-support tools, and AI-enabled assistance where applicable.
• Provides guidance on eligibility, coverage options, claims issues, and leave policies for Tier-2+ level inquiries.
• Develops and distributes employee communications and benefits education materials.
• Oversees administration of employee leave programs (FMLA, ADA, state leave programs, etc.), implementing automated tracking and communication workflows to reduce administrative burden.

Compliance & Reporting

• Ensures compliance with federal, state, and local regulations (e.g., ACA, ERISA, COBRA, HIPAA).
• Directs annual compliance activities including 5500 filings and required notices.
• Leads nondiscrimination testing and benefits audits, leveraging system capabilities for reporting efficiency.
• Maintains accurate records and documentation while implementing process controls that reduce compliance risk through automation and system configuration.