Benefits Analyst (General)

The Benefits Analyst is responsible for managing, administering, and communicating employee benefits & wellness programs for shoreside Carnival Cruise Line and Corporate employees, ensuring compliance with federal and state regulations, and providing guidance to employees on benefit plans and options. This role involves acting as a liaison between benefits, finance, accounting, payroll, and HRIS functions. Additionally, this role supports initiatives for the company and collaborates with vendors and internal stakeholders to enhance plan offerings and improve employee engagement while providing excellent customer service.

Job Functions:

• Benefits Administration. Responsible for coordinating the administration of benefit & wellness programs by advising employees on eligibility requirements, benefit offerings, and enrollment options. This includes managing programs such as Medical, Dental, Vision, Flexible Spending Accounts, Health Savings Accounts, COBRA, life insurance, short-term, long-term disability, voluntary benefits and retirement plans. The role involves processing benefits transactions like new hire enrollments, terminations, and life event changes, as well as monitoring data flow into the Benefits Enrollment system to ensure correct enrollment windows. Additionally, the Benefits Analyst researches and responds to inquiries by collaborating with team members, vendors, brokers, and other resources, participates in testing for annual benefits program updates, assists with life insurance conversion requests, completes Medicare enrollment forms, and helps employees enroll in COBRA coverage.
• Data Analytics. Contribute to the priorities and strategic objectives of the Benefits Team by gathering and processing qualitative and quantitative data from multiple data sources; performing high-level data analysis in support of the Benefit audits and initiatives, drawing useful conclusions, and recommending solutions for process improvements.  Validates file feed jobs and ensure completed transmission to 3rd party vendors. Review edit reports. Research defects and follow through on root causes and resolution. Involve internal and external stakeholders to resolve issues. Run the analysis to determine if the additional population has been affected and take action to remediate through to the conclusion while ensuring regulatory compliance. Validate weekly and monthly reports and outputs across Dayforce, bswift, Oracle, middleware, and third-party vendors. Ensure accuracy. Identify defects and work through to resolution.
• Budgeting. Code benefit provider invoices, segregate expenses by business line, and upload them into MarkView. Review supporting medical and RX claims data to determine factors impacting fluctuations or variances WOW in funding requirements. Prepare wire requests and secure necessary approvals depending on the amount. Log wire amounts for easy reference to determine trends. Monthly review of the budget to actual and budget to forecast by organizational group and benefits line (i.e., ABG and CCL, self-insured medical, fully insured medical, dental, life and disability, and retirement funding). Report significant variances and research as necessary. Monthly reporting by business line to finance and accounting for month-end close, identify any variances to budget, forecast, research, and provide an explanation to the financial accounting team.
• Compliance.  Responsible for posting or emailing compliance notices. Assisting with 5500 reporting for medical and retirement plans, responding to internal and external audits, and assisting with non-discrimination testing. This role ensures that all compliance-related activities are conducted accurately and timely, maintaining adherence to ACA, ERISA, COBRA, HIPAA federal and state regulations and company policies.
• Communication. Assist with updating plan documents and communications, creating informative flyers, and supporting wellness activities. This role ensures that all benefit-related information is accurately communicated to employees, including developing and delivering presentations. Additionally, it includes designing, reviewing, and distributing materials that promote understanding of benefit options, and actively participating in wellness initiatives to enhance employee well-being.
• Cross-functional support. Assist other areas in the benefits department, including administering leave management, ADA, new hire orientations, wellness activities and perform other job-related functions as assigned
• Performs other duties as assigned.
• Complies with all policies and standards.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources or Business Administration.  Master’s degree in Human Resources Management preferred.
• 3+ years required of experience in benefits and/or total rewards to include