Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Employee Benefits Administrator

🎯 Role Definition

The Employee Benefits Administrator is responsible for day-to-day benefits operations, compliance, employee communications, and vendor management across health, dental, vision, disability, life insurance, flexible spending accounts, and retirement plans. This role ensures accurate eligibility and enrollment processing, oversees leaves of absence and COBRA administration, reconciles benefit invoices, partners with payroll and HRIS teams, and delivers a best-in-class employee experience during open enrollment and throughout the year. The ideal candidate combines technical knowledge of ERISA/ACA/COBRA regulations with excellent customer service, data literacy, and vendor relationship skills.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

HR Coordinator (with benefits responsibilities)
Benefits Specialist / Benefits Analyst
Payroll Administrator

Advancement To:

Benefits Manager / Senior Benefits Administrator
Total Rewards Manager
Compensation & Benefits Director

Lateral Moves:

HRIS Analyst (benefits-focused)
Employee Relations Specialist
Payroll Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Manage end-to-end benefits enrollment and eligibility processing for medical, dental, vision, life, STD/LTD, HSA/FSA, commuter benefits, and voluntary programs, ensuring timely and accurate updates in the HRIS and benefits administration systems.
Lead open enrollment planning and execution: create timelines, develop communications and educational materials, coordinate virtual/in-person enrollment events, and manage elections processing to maximize participation and minimize errors.
Administer COBRA, state continuation, and post-terminations: issue notices, track qualifying events, process enrollments/terminations, calculate premiums, and ensure regulatory timelines and documentation are met.
Administer leaves of absence, including FMLA, ADA accommodations, parental leave and disability claims; coordinate medical documentation collection, eligibility determination, and intermittent leave tracking in partnership with HR business partners.
Ensure benefits programs comply with ERISA, ACA, HIPAA, state insurance laws, and other applicable regulations; prepare and support required filings, notices (SPD, SBCs, Medicare Part D, ACA reporting), and audit responses.
Reconcile monthly carrier invoices and COBRA premium statements, validate employer and employee deductions with payroll, resolve discrepancies, and process adjustments promptly to maintain financial accuracy.
Serve as primary liaison with insurance carriers, third-party administrators (TPAs), broker/consultant, retirement plan providers, and wellness vendors to resolve claims, troubleshoot escalations, and negotiate service levels or plan changes.
Maintain and update benefits administration system and HRIS (e.g., Workday, ADP, UKG, Paycor): configure plan setup, eligibility rules, life event workflows, and benefits census data to ensure system integrity and reporting accuracy.
Process complex life event changes (marriage, birth/adoption, divorce, loss of other coverage), validate documentation, update elections, and ensure timely carrier notifications.
Prepare and deliver benefits onboarding for new hires and benefits offboarding for terminating employees including final COBRA compliance checks and exit communications.
Conduct benefits education and enrollment presentations to employees and leadership, translating plan details, costs, and provider networks into clear, actionable guidance.
Investigate and resolve employee claims and billing issues by working directly with carriers and employees to expedite resolutions and ensure excellent customer service.
Generate and analyze benefits metrics and reports (enrollment trends, participation, cost per employee, utilization) to inform benefits strategy, budgeting, and leadership reporting.
Support benefits design and cost modeling with HR and finance for annual renewals, plan changes, and vendor RFPs; provide scenario analysis on employee impact and employer cost.
Coordinate retirement plan administration tasks (401(k), 403(b), pension support): enrollments, loan/withdrawal processing, employer match calculations, and vendor communication.
Manage voluntary benefits programs and employee communication campaigns (life events, wellness, financial education), track participation and vendor performance.
Administer short- and long-term disability intake and claim follow-up, liaising with third-party administrators and ensuring timely benefit delivery and documentation.
Support benefits audits, internal control reviews and post-implementation tests of system changes; prepare documentation and corrective action plans as needed.
Maintain benefit plan documentation, summary plan descriptions (SPDs), plan documents, and insurance contracts; ensure version control and accessibility to HR and employees.
Execute ad-hoc benefits projects including system upgrades, integrations between HRIS and payroll, vendor conversions, and process improvements to increase automation and accuracy.
Facilitate annual benefits renewals: collect plan utilization data, coordinate broker/consultant RFP processes, compare carrier proposals, and assist leadership with vendor selection based on cost and service metrics.
Serve as escalation point for complex employee questions and investigations; coach and train HR partners and payroll on benefits policy interpretation and operational processes.
Establish and maintain data security and confidentiality practices for benefits records in compliance with HIPAA and internal privacy policies.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc benefits data requests and create dashboards to surface utilization and cost trends for HR and finance partners.
Contribute to the organization's benefits strategy, total rewards philosophy, and roadmap for process automation and digital enablement.
Collaborate with HR business partners and payroll teams to translate business needs into benefits administration requirements and system changes.
Participate in project planning, testing, and deployment for HRIS enhancements, benefits integrations, and annual renewals.
Assist with vendor performance reviews, SLA tracking, and continuous improvement initiatives to increase employee satisfaction and reduce benefit service issues.
Maintain up-to-date knowledge of legislative and market changes that impact benefits offerings and recommend necessary plan or policy adjustments.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Benefits administration expertise across medical, dental, vision, life, LTD/STD, HSAs/FSAs, and commuter benefit plans.
Strong working knowledge of COBRA, FMLA, ERISA, ACA compliance and HIPAA privacy/security requirements.
Hands-on experience with HRIS and benefits administration platforms (Workday, ADP, UKG, Benefitfocus, bswift, Paylocity).
Proficient in Microsoft Excel (VLOOKUP, PivotTables, INDEX/MATCH, data cleansing) and comfortable building ad-hoc reports.
Experience reconciling carrier invoices and payroll deductions; familiarity with benefits finance and budgeting processes.
Vendor management and TPA/insurer relationship experience, including RFP support and service level monitoring.
Retirement plan administration familiarity (401(k)/403(b)): enrollments, deferrals, employer match calculations, and vendor coordination.
Claims resolution and benefits adjudication skills; ability to escalate and follow up to resolution.
Benefits reporting and analytics: enrollment trends, participation rates, utilization metrics, cost-per-employee analysis.
Project coordination experience for benefits implementations, open enrollment migrations, or HRIS integrations.
Ability to draft and maintain benefits documentation: SPDs, SBCs, plan summaries, and employee communications.
Knowledge of payroll systems and processes to coordinate deductions, corrections, and reconciliations.

Soft Skills

Exceptional written and verbal communication; able to translate complex benefits information into plain language.
Superior customer service orientation with empathy, patience, and the ability to de-escalate.
High attention to detail and strong organizational skills to manage concurrent processes and strict regulatory timelines.
Analytical thinker who can translate data into recommendations and present insights to non-technical stakeholders.
Strong problem-solving skills and ownership mindset; proactively identifies issues and follows through to resolution.
Confidentiality and integrity when handling sensitive employee and medical information.
Collaborative team player who partners effectively with HR, finance, payroll, and external vendors.
Time management and prioritization skills to handle peak periods (open enrollment, year-end, benefits renewals).
Adaptability and continuous learning orientation to keep up with regulatory and market changes.
Project management discipline to coordinate cross-functional initiatives and ensure successful completion.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Finance, or related field preferred; equivalent work experience considered.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor's degree plus HR certification (PHR, SHRM-CP), CEBS, or specialized benefits certification.

Relevant Fields of Study:

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

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

2–5 years of progressive experience in benefits administration, HR operations, or total rewards.

Preferred:

3–5+ years directly administering employee benefits in a mid-size to large organization or benefits administration provider.
Prior exposure to benefits renewals, vendor RFP processes, and HRIS benefits module configuration.
Experience with compliance reporting (ACA, ERISA) and benefits communications for large employee populations.