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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Benefit Analyst

💰 $ - $

Human ResourcesBenefitsTotal Rewards

🎯 Role Definition

The Benefit Analyst (Benefits Analyst) is a results-oriented HR professional responsible for administering and optimizing employee benefits programs, ensuring compliance with federal and state regulations (including ACA, ERISA, HIPAA), coordinating with vendors and payroll, and delivering clear, employee-focused communications during open enrollment and year-round changes. This role blends benefits administration, data analysis, vendor management, and cross-functional project delivery to control costs, improve plan design, and enhance the employee experience.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • HR Coordinator or HR Generalist with benefits exposure
  • Benefits Specialist / Benefits Administrator
  • Payroll Specialist or HRIS Support Analyst

Advancement To:

  • Benefits Manager / Total Rewards Manager
  • HR Business Partner with Total Rewards focus
  • Compensation & Benefits Director / Head of Benefits

Lateral Moves:

  • HRIS Analyst (benefits modules)
  • Employee Relations Specialist
  • Payroll Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Manage day-to-day benefits administration for medical, dental, vision, life, disability, FSA, HSA, commuter, and voluntary benefit plans, ensuring accurate enrollments, changes, terminations, and lifecycle events in the HRIS and benefits platforms.
  • Serve as the primary point of contact for employees regarding benefits questions, claims issues, eligibility, deductions, and provider resolution, delivering timely and empathetic customer service.
  • Lead open enrollment planning, communication strategy, and execution across email, intranet, webinars, and in-person events to maximize employee engagement and correct plan selections.
  • Prepare and reconcile monthly benefits billing and invoices from carriers and vendors, analyze variances, coordinate with Finance and Payroll, and ensure cost allocation accuracy.
  • Maintain and update benefits plan documentation, SPD/Summary Plan Descriptions, plan summaries, policy documents, and FAQ materials to support compliance and clear employee understanding.
  • Coordinate COBRA administration, including notifications, enrollment processing, premium tracking, and termination actions in accordance with federal and state timelines.
  • Execute ACA reporting and tracking (1094/1095 preparation, ALE calculations, affordability testing) to ensure regulatory compliance and timely filing with the IRS.
  • Administer leave and disability processes in collaboration with HR, payroll, and third-party vendors, ensuring proper documentation, communication, and return-to-work coordination.
  • Perform benefits data analysis and reporting using HRIS, Excel, and BI tools to produce monthly dashboards, utilization trends, cost-per-employee metrics, and executive-level summaries.
  • Partner with carriers, brokers, and third-party administrators to resolve escalated claims, performance issues, and contract questions; manage SLAs and vendor performance reviews.
  • Conduct benefits audits and reconciliation of payroll deductions vs. carrier enrollment, identify and correct discrepancies, and implement controls to prevent recurring issues.
  • Support plan design, renewal negotiations, and benefits strategy by providing benchmarking data, market research, and total cost modeling to HR leadership and finance partners.
  • Lead or participate in benefits-related projects such as plan migrations, HRIS benefits module implementations, benefits vendor RFPs, and post-merger benefits integration.
  • Ensure strict confidentiality and security of benefits data and employee records in accordance with HIPAA, GDPR (where applicable), and company policies.
  • Assist in administering voluntary benefits and wellness programs, monitor participation, and report on program ROI and employee uptake.
  • Process and maintain retiree benefits administration and COBRA for terminated/retired employees as applicable, coordinating with pension, retirement, and benefits teams.
  • Develop and deliver training for HR business partners and managers on benefits policies, open enrollment tools, and eligibility guidelines to ensure consistent messaging.
  • Create and maintain SOPs and process documentation for benefits workflows, enrollment procedures, and escalation paths to improve operational efficiency and consistency.
  • Reconcile and validate new hire benefit elections and mid-year life event changes, working closely with Talent Acquisition and Payroll to ensure proper onboarding and deductions.
  • Monitor regulatory changes and emerging benefits trends (e.g., telehealth, EAP expansions, HSAs) to recommend program enhancements and ensure ongoing compliance.
  • Support employee surveys and benefits communication testing to measure satisfaction, identify gaps, and refine the benefits value proposition for recruitment and retention.
  • Coordinate with compensation and HR analytics teams to align benefits strategy with total rewards philosophy, internal equity, and budgeting cycles.
  • Manage ad-hoc benefits analyses requested by leadership such as cost projections, scenario modeling for plan design changes, and sensitivity analysis for premium shifts.

Secondary Functions

  • Support HRIS benefits configuration, testing, and nightly feeds between payroll and benefits systems; troubleshoot integration issues and partner with IT.
  • Create recurring and ad-hoc benefits reports for finance, HR leadership, and external auditors to support budgeting and compliance reviews.
  • Participate in vendor selection processes including RFP development, vendor demos, reference checks, and contractual discussions.
  • Assist with the administration and communication of special benefits programs (e.g., parental leave, tuition reimbursement, stipend programs).
  • Provide subject-matter-expert support for HR operational initiatives, such as system upgrades, testing scripts, and UAT for benefits changes.
  • Facilitate benefits reconciliations during payroll close and resolve outstanding deduction or eligibility exceptions prior to payroll runs.
  • Support benefits-related internal audits, respond to inquiries, and implement remediation plans based on audit findings.
  • Coordinate wellness and population health initiatives with vendors and internal stakeholders to drive engagement and utilization.
  • Maintain a calendar of benefits deadlines and compliance timelines (open enrollment windows, COBRA notices, ACA filing dates) and proactively communicate required actions to stakeholders.
  • Assist in preparing materials and responses for external regulatory requests or government inquiries related to benefit programs.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Benefits administration expertise across medical, dental, vision, life, STD/LTD, FSA/HSA, commuter, and voluntary benefits.
  • Strong knowledge of ERISA, ACA reporting requirements (1094/1095), COBRA administration, HIPAA privacy rules, and relevant state regulations.
  • Advanced Excel skills (VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, pivot tables, advanced formulas) for data reconciliation and modeling.
  • Experience with HRIS and benefits platforms such as Workday, ADP, Oracle PeopleSoft, UKG, Benefitfocus, bSwift, Ease, or Paylocity.
  • Payroll systems integration and deduction reconciliation experience.
  • Experience with benefits vendor management, including carrier billing, SLAs, and performance metrics.
  • Analytical reporting skills using BI tools or SQL (Power BI, Tableau, or basic SQL queries) to produce utilization, cost, and trend reports.
  • Project management fundamentals and experience leading benefits implementations, system upgrades, or vendor transitions.
  • Familiarity with total rewards strategy, benchmarking, and market analysis for benefits design decisions.
  • Experience creating plan documentation, SPD administration, and preparing materials for external audits or legal review.
  • Ability to manage the benefits life cycle for hires, terminations, qualifying life events, and leave administration.

Soft Skills

  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to translate technical benefits details into clear employee-facing materials.
  • Strong customer service orientation and ability to handle sensitive employee benefit inquiries with empathy and professionalism.
  • High attention to detail and accuracy—critical for compliance, payroll reconciliation, and reporting.
  • Problem-solving mindset with the ability to diagnose complex issues and drive timely resolutions.
  • Stakeholder management and collaboration skills to work effectively with HRBPs, Finance, Payroll, Legal, and external vendors.
  • Time management and prioritization skills in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment (e.g., open enrollment).
  • Confidentiality and integrity when handling sensitive benefits and employee information.
  • Adaptability and continuous learning orientation given frequent regulatory and market changes in benefits.
  • Influencing and negotiation skills to work with carriers and brokers during renewals and RFPs.
  • Analytical curiosity—comfortable with data, metrics, and deriving insights that influence benefits strategy.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Finance, Public Health, or related field; OR equivalent combination of education and benefits experience.

Preferred Education:

  • Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Industrial/Organizational Psychology, Business, or Finance.
  • Professional certifications such as CEBS (Certified Employee Benefit Specialist), SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP, PHR/SPHR are a plus.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Human Resources Management
  • Business Administration
  • Finance / Accounting
  • Public Health / Healthcare Administration
  • Data Analytics or Information Systems (for HRIS-focused roles)

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 2–5 years administering employee benefits, benefits analytics, or HR operations (mid-level role); 0–2 years for entry-level Benefit Analyst roles with strong foundational skills.

Preferred: 3–7 years of progressive benefits experience, including hands-on administration, ACA/COBRA experience, HRIS benefits configuration, and vendor management. Prior experience with benefits renewals, open enrollment coordination, and benefits-related project delivery is highly desirable.

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