Benefits Manager - Apex Systems : Job Details

Title: Benefits Manager

Please note this is a Temporary 6-month contract for someone taking leave , if you are interested please email Erica Mokun, with an attached copy of your resume.

Location: Hybrid 2 days in office. Candidate can sit NYC, Sun Prairie-suburb east of Madison or Chicago!

Summary: Provide strategic insight into the design, implementation, communication, and administration of employee benefit programs to support business initiatives and ensure compliance with legal and financial requirements. Build relationships with business partners and provide analysis and guidance on benefit programs, including health, welfare, and retirement benefits.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Ensure effective benefit program administration that supports a wellness culture and enhances the organizations ability to attract and retain employees.
• Develop and manage consistent application of policies and practices regarding ERISA self and fully funded health, welfare, and retirement benefit plans, including time off, leave of absence, and recognition policies.
• Research innovative initiatives by analyzing current information, benchmarking against competitors, and developing business cases for policy and design changes.
• Manage benefit projects, including new benefit program implementation, plan audits, and Requests for Proposals.
• Oversee the open enrollment process, including data validation, system testing, process improvement, and communication plans.
• Research and analyze issues based on market information and contribute to the development of recommendations to resolve business issues.
• Develop and oversee vendor management strategy by defining requirements, refining and reviewing vendor contracts, and sharing knowledge with the team to ensure vendor relationships and resources align with benefits program needs.
• Proactively identify and collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to implement process improvements related to benefit offerings and administration.
• Lead the benefits team by identifying developmental opportunities, providing candid, timely feedback, encouraging knowledge sharing, fostering collaboration, and guiding the team through process improvement and change to enhance professional development and team capability.
• Manage budgeted resources by anticipating expenditures, accurately forecasting resource needs/costs, and properly accounting for expenses to meet requirements and achieve fiscal responsibility.
• Develop partnerships with Talent Acquisition, Payroll, Accounting, Legal, and global Rewards counterparts.
• Ensure completion of compliance-related matters, in partnership with internal and external vendors, including (but not limited to) completion of annual plan audits, non-discrimination testing, and 5500s.

Required Qualifications:

• Education: Bachelors Degree or equivalent combination of education and work experience.
• Experience:
• Thorough understanding of and experience with state and federal regulations relating to benefit plans and all applicable laws relating to benefit administration (including COBRA, HIPAA, and ERISA).
• Experience communicating effectively with DOL and IRS.
• Demonstrated high level of experience and proficiency using automated systems to administer benefit programs, and strong working knowledge of current technologies.
• Demonstrated ability to create and deliver presentations to all levels of employees in a clear, compelling, and confident manner.
• Vendor management experience.

Licenses/Certifications:

• Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS).
• Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR).

Preferred Knowledge:

• US benefits laws and government regulations.
• Relevant trends and information within the industry.
• Medical plan metrics and benchmarking.
• Computer systems and software used in human resources.