Senior Benefits Analyst

The Senior Benefits Analyst supports the administration, analysis, and compliance of employee benefit programs, with a focus on ensuring data accuracy, process efficiency, and regulatory adherence. The purpose of the role is to provide advanced analytical support for the health and welfare plans by managing complex data sets, auditing vendor files, preparing compliance reports, and identifying opportunities for operational improvements. This role serves as a key resource for troubleshooting benefit issues, responding to escalations, and supporting both cyclical processes like open enrollment and annual audits and continuous process enhancements across systems, vendors, and employee touchpoints.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Support benefit administration across medical, dental, pharmacy, life, and voluntary plans.
• Collaborate across the Benefits team to support ongoing projects, wellness initiatives, and ad hoc needs such as M&A activity, process improvements, and cross-functional initiatives.
• Perform reconciliation of vendor invoices, ensuring accuracy and timely payment processing.
• Partner with Finance to resolve discrepancies and track benefit spend.
• Provide analytical support for the financial planning and funding strategies of benefit programs, including medical, dental, life, and disability plans.
• Prepare and interpret detailed reports on plan performance, funding status, claims trends, and cost forecasts.
• Monitor monthly financials against budget and proactively identify areas of variance or concern.
• Assist with benefits-related system processes and integrations in Workday.
• Ensure data accuracy and consistency between systems and vendors.
• Participate in audits and support compliance documentation.
• Identify and support implementation of automation opportunities in benefits processes.
• Recommend improvements for scalability and efficiency in ongoing operations.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of existing benefits programs and make data-driven recommendations for enhancements.​
• Work closely with Finance, Payroll, Legal, IT, and HRBPs to ensure best practices and alignment across functions.
• Assist with Annual Enrollment planning and execution, including testing, communications, and issue tracking.
• Leverage Excel and system reporting tools to analyze benefits data and support strategic decision-making.
• Provide reports to management regarding employee benefits data findings.
• Create and maintain reporting dashboards to track enrollment, participation, and wellness engagement.
• Assist in developing communication strategies to educate employees about benefits offerings and changes.​
• Provide expert guidance to employees regarding their benefits options and resolve any inquiries or issues.​

Minimum Education and Experience Required:

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Finance, or a related field.
• 4-7 years of experience in benefits administration, finance, or HR Analytics with demonstrated exposure to funding and cost modeling.
• Thorough understanding of benefit compliance requirements (ACA, COBRA, ERISA, HIPAA, etc.).
• Prior experience working with self-insured health plans and third-party administrators.
• Experience supporting financial reporting, cost projections, or benefits budgeting processes.
• Familiarity with ServiceNow or similar ticketing/workflow systems.
• Ability to maintain strict confidentiality and handle sensitive employee information with discretion.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with Workday or similar HRIS platforms.
• Familiarity with automation tools or business process improvement methodologies.
• Experience with benefits administration in unionized environments.
• Project Management skills.

Skills and Competencies:

• Exceptional analytical and quantitative skills with the ability to interpret complex data, detect errors, identify trends and present findings effectively.
• Strong Excel skills (pivot tables, v-lookups, formulas).
• Proficiency with HRIS systems and benefit administration platforms.
• Solid grasp of benefits data, reporting, and analytics.
• Ability to communicate benefits information clearly to internal teams, external vendors, and employees.
• Proven collaboration in cross-functional settings (HR, Finance, Payroll, Legal).
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and able to manage multiple priorities independently.
• Strong sense of accountability and follow-through.
• Mindset focused on process improvement and operational efficiency.
• Collaboration effectiveness and ability to work cross-functionally with multiple stakeholders.