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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Benefits Analyst

💰 $ - $

Human ResourcesCompensation & Benefits

🎯 Role Definition

The Benefits Analyst is a subject-matter contributor who administers, analyzes, and optimizes employee benefit programs. This role manages day-to-day benefits operations (enrollment, eligibility, status changes), partners with carriers and brokers, ensures regulatory and plan compliance (ERISA, ACA, COBRA, FMLA, HIPAA), delivers clear employee communications during open enrollment and life events, and uses data to drive cost stewardship and program improvements. The Benefits Analyst balances operational accuracy with strategic analysis—producing actionable reporting, supporting renewals and vendor negotiations, and improving employee experience across health, welfare, and retirement offerings.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • HR Coordinator with benefits responsibilities
  • Benefits Specialist / Benefits Administrator
  • HR Generalist with benefits exposure

Advancement To:

  • Senior Benefits Analyst
  • Benefits Manager / Total Rewards Manager
  • Director of Compensation & Benefits / Head of Benefits

Lateral Moves:

  • HRIS Analyst (benefits-focused)
  • Payroll Analyst / Payroll Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Manage the full benefits lifecycle for assigned populations, including onboarding enrollments, mid-year qualifying changes, off-boarding terminations, and event-driven adjustments—ensuring accurate and timely updates in the HRIS and payroll systems and minimizing enrollment errors that impact benefits coverage or payroll deductions.
  • Lead and execute annual open enrollment campaigns end-to-end, creating project plans, coordinating with benefits carriers and brokers, managing communication schedules, developing enrollment materials and FAQs, processing elections, and troubleshooting escalations to achieve targeted participation and satisfaction outcomes.
  • Perform benefits reconciliation and invoice verification each pay period and month-end to ensure carrier invoices, payroll deductions, and general ledger entries align; identify discrepancies, initiate claims with vendors, and partner with Payroll and Finance to resolve and reconcile variances.
  • Administer COBRA and continuation coverage programs, including eligibility determinations, notification timelines, premium billing, terminations, and audits, while maintaining compliance with federal and state COBRA regulations and ensuring participant communication accuracy and timeliness.
  • Prepare and manage Affordable Care Act (ACA) reporting requirements (e.g., 1094/1095-C preparation and distribution, measurement and stability period tracking), maintain ACA measurement records, and coordinate with payroll/benefits vendors and tax advisors to meet federal filing deadlines.
  • Conduct benefits eligibility audits and periodic data cleanup to validate employee eligibility, dependent coverage, and plan enrollment accuracy; implement process improvements to reduce errors, prevent leakage, and support annual audit readiness.
  • Act as primary liaison to benefits carriers, third-party administrators (TPAs), brokers, and wellness vendors—managing day-to-day vendor relationships, troubleshooting claims issues, escalating systemic problems, and ensuring contractual SLAs are met.
  • Support plan design and renewal activities by compiling utilization data, claims trends, and cost projections; prepare renewal reports and financial summaries for HR leadership and brokers and participate in carrier negotiation strategy and RFP processes to optimize plan value and pricing.
  • Build, maintain, and deliver regular benefits reporting and dashboards (enrollment summaries, cost per employee, utilization metrics, voluntary participation rates) using Excel, HRIS reporting tools, and BI platforms to inform leadership decisions and benchmarking analysis.
  • Analyze benefits spend and employee utilization to identify cost-saving opportunities and recommend benefit plan modifications, voluntary programs, wellness initiatives, or design changes that improve ROI and employee outcomes.
  • Administer leave programs and coordinate with payroll and benefits processes for FMLA, parental leave, short/long-term disability, and other paid leave; ensure appropriate integration between leave status and benefit eligibility, and maintain compliance with applicable federal and state laws.
  • Create and maintain benefits policies, enrollment guides, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and audit documentation to ensure clarity, consistency, and compliance across all benefits operations.
  • Triage and resolve employee inquiries and complex escalations related to claims, benefit eligibility, coverage coordination, and billing discrepancies; provide high-quality, empathetic service while documenting issue resolutions and root causes.
  • Oversee dependent verification and documentation processes during open enrollment and new hire onboarding—designing workflows to validate qualifying dependent status, coordinate documentation review, and reduce eligibility fraud and errors.
  • Execute testing and system configuration changes in the HRIS benefits module (e.g., Workday, ADP, Oracle HCM) and benefit enrollment platforms; partner with HRIS and IT teams to validate data mapping, benefit elections, deductions, and interfaces with payroll and carriers.
  • Support the creation of clear, compliant employee communications, benefit summaries, and benefit statements (e.g., total rewards statements) that translate plan design details and value into accessible language for diverse employee populations.
  • Participate in benefits-related projects—such as wellness program launches, voluntary benefit rollouts, vendor consolidations, and HRIS benefits module implementations—serving as subject-matter expert and business owner for benefits processes, data conversion, and UAT.
  • Conduct benchmarking and competitive market research to assess benefit competitiveness, voluntary program uptake, and cost benchmarks; prepare and present findings to HR leadership to inform strategic decisions and compensation/benefit positioning.
  • Maintain and update compliance calendars for ERISA, HIPAA, ACA, COBRA, and other federal/state filings and notices; prepare filings and coordinate with legal and external advisors to ensure timely and accurate regulatory compliance.
  • Support year-end benefits processes including open enrollment retroactive adjustments, renewals, carrier reconciliations, and audit support for internal and external stakeholders to ensure smooth closeout of plan years.
  • Develop and deliver benefits training sessions and materials for HR partners and managers to increase process knowledge, improve the consistency of benefits administration, and reduce escalations.
  • Monitor voluntary and ancillary benefits (dental, vision, life, disability, commuter, FSA/HSA) administration and enrollment; validate carrier data feeds, reconcile contributions, and ensure appropriate tax and payroll treatments are applied.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc benefits data requests and exploratory analysis to inform special projects, executive reporting, and workforce strategy initiatives.
  • Contribute to the organization's benefits data strategy, including enhancements to reporting, dashboards, and analytic models to better predict utilization and financial impact.
  • Collaborate with HR, Finance, Talent Acquisition, and business unit leaders to translate benefits needs into system or process requirements and to prioritize enhancements.
  • Participate in agile project ceremonies and sprint planning where benefits solutions intersect with HRIS and cross-functional technology projects.
  • Assist with vendor RFPs, vendor selection processes, and contract review preparation as they relate to benefits and wellbeing programs.
  • Support continuous improvement initiatives focused on automation, self-service enrollment, and reducing manual intervention in benefits workflows.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Benefits administration and enrollment management across health, dental, vision, life, disability, HSA/FSA, commuter, and voluntary benefits.
  • ACA compliance and reporting (1094/1095-C) and experience managing ACA measurement and reporting processes.
  • COBRA administration and knowledge of federal/state continuation rules and notification requirements.
  • Familiarity with ERISA, HIPAA privacy/security basics, FMLA coordination, and other benefits-related regulatory frameworks.
  • HRIS and benefits platforms experience (Workday Benefits, ADP, Oracle HCM, UKG, BenefitFocus, bswift, Ease, PlanSource).
  • Advanced Excel skills (pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, INDEX/MATCH, data cleaning) and experience building reporting templates and cost models.
  • Benefits analytics and dashboarding experience (Power BI, Tableau, Looker, or built-in HRIS analytics).
  • Invoice reconciliation and benefits finance coordination, including carrier invoice review and payroll interface reconciliation.
  • Vendor management and TPA/carrier relationship management, including SLA monitoring and issue escalation.
  • Project management skills for open enrollment, system conversions, and vendor implementations (including UAT and testing).
  • Data integrity and auditing skills—conducting eligibility audits, dependent verification, and remediation activities.
  • Communication writing skills for producing benefits guides, FAQs, employee notices, and Total Rewards statements.
  • Familiarity with RFP processes for benefits vendors and experience supporting broker/carrier negotiations.
  • Experience with leave administration systems and integration between leave and benefits eligibility.

Soft Skills

  • Strong verbal and written communication; able to translate technical plan details into clear employee-facing materials.
  • High attention to detail and process-orientation to minimize enrollment and payroll errors.
  • Analytical mindset with problem-solving skills to diagnose root causes and implement corrective actions.
  • Customer-service orientation and patience when handling sensitive benefits and claims issues.
  • Time management and prioritization skills to manage seasonal peaks (open enrollment) and ongoing operational work.
  • Collaboration and stakeholder management—work effectively with HR, Finance, Payroll, IT, and external vendors.
  • Confidentiality and professionalism handling sensitive employee health and benefit data.
  • Adaptability to changing regulatory environments and evolving benefits technologies.
  • Presentation skills for executive reporting and cross-functional briefings.
  • Continuous improvement mindset to streamline processes and enhance employee experience.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Finance, Healthcare Administration, or related field; OR equivalent work experience in benefits administration.

Preferred Education:

  • Bachelor's degree plus relevant certification(s) such as CEBS (Certified Employee Benefit Specialist), SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP, PHR/SPHR, or benefits-specific credentials. Graduate degree in HR or Business is a plus.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Human Resources
  • Business Administration
  • Finance / Accounting
  • Health Administration
  • Public Health / Healthcare Management

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 2–5 years of progressive benefits administration and benefits analyst experience in a multi-state or national employer environment.

Preferred:

  • 4–7+ years of benefits administration and analytics experience with demonstrated ownership of open enrollment, ACA/COBRA compliance, HRIS benefits configuration, vendor management, and benefits cost modeling. Experience at scale (mid-market to enterprise) and exposure to benefits strategy and renewals preferred.
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