Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Wellness Officer

🎯 Role Definition

The Wellness Officer leads the strategy, development, implementation and evaluation of comprehensive workplace wellness and health promotion programs. This role partners with HR, benefits, occupational health and leadership to drive measurable improvements in employee health, engagement and productivity by applying evidence-based interventions, data-driven measurement and behavior-change frameworks. The Wellness Officer is a subject-matter expert in employee well‑being, mental health, chronic disease management, preventative care and vendor oversight, and acts as a visible champion for a culture of health across the organization.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Wellness Coordinator / Wellness Specialist
Health Promotion Specialist or Health Educator
HR Generalist with wellness program experience

Advancement To:

Senior Wellness Manager / Wellness Program Lead
Director of Wellbeing or Director, Employee Health & Wellness
Head of Occupational Health / Chief People Officer (for broader HR progression)

Lateral Moves:

Benefits Manager (employee benefits design & vendor management)
Occupational Health and Safety Specialist
Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Program Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Design and implement a comprehensive, multi-year workplace wellness strategy that aligns with organizational goals, reduces absenteeism, and improves employee well-being metrics across physical, mental and social health domains.
Lead the end-to-end lifecycle of wellness programs (needs assessment, program design, pilot testing, rollout, evaluation and continuous improvement) to ensure interventions are evidence-based and produce measurable ROI.
Conduct organization-wide health needs assessments using surveys, focus groups, biometric screening data and claims analytics to prioritize interventions and allocate resources effectively.
Develop, manage and optimize a calendar of wellness activities (health fairs, screening events, workshops, wellness challenges, lunch-and-learn sessions, mindfulness programs) that drive participation and sustained behavior change.
Establish and monitor wellness KPIs (participation rates, biometric outcomes, engagement metrics, cost savings, presenteeism and absenteeism trends) and produce executive dashboards and monthly/quarterly reports for leadership and stakeholders.
Manage program budgets, forecast spending, negotiate vendor contracts and evaluate vendor performance for services such as biometric screening, fitness partnerships, mental health providers and digital wellness platforms.
Coordinate and supervise third-party vendors and wellness vendors (screening providers, digital health apps, fitness partners, nutritionists) to ensure compliance, data security (HIPAA/PHI where applicable) and high-quality service delivery.
Design and manage chronic disease management initiatives (diabetes prevention programs, hypertension management, smoking cessation, weight-management programs) that deliver clinical improvements and lower long-term costs.
Oversee mental health and resilience programming, including collaboration with Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), on-site counseling initiatives, manager training on mental health, and crisis response workflows.
Integrate wellness programs with benefits and leave programs (medical, disability, FMLA, ADA accommodations) to create seamless employee experiences and support return-to-work and case management efforts.
Develop and deliver training for managers and leaders on creating psychologically safe workplaces, early identification of burnout, ergonomic best practices and supporting employee return-to-work plans.
Lead communications strategy for wellness initiatives—create targeted campaigns, newsletters, internal social content and intranet resources that increase awareness, enrollment and sustained engagement.
Implement and manage digital wellness solutions (mobile apps, telehealth, wearable integrations, online coaching platforms) and use analytics to optimize engagement funnels and personalize interventions.
Ensure compliance with local, state and federal regulations related to workplace health programs, data privacy and discrimination laws; work with Legal and Compliance teams as needed.
Lead and coordinate biometric screening and vaccination clinics, ensuring appropriate medical oversight, clinical quality control and follow-up pathways for at‑risk employees.
Conduct ROI and cost-benefit analyses on wellness investments, tying program outcomes to health claims trends, healthcare spend and productivity metrics to inform leadership decisions.
Create and maintain a wellness resource library, clinical referral pathways and community partner networks to expand employee access to local services and specialty care.
Oversee a cross-functional wellness committee or employee advisory group to incorporate employee voice, increase program relevance and promote grassroots engagement.
Build and implement incentive designs and engagement mechanics (rewards, gamification, premium differentials where applicable) that are ethical, compliant and effective at motivating healthy behaviors.
Lead targeted interventions for high-risk populations (caregivers, employees with chronic conditions, shift workers) with tailored programming and case coordination.
Collect and protect participant health data; establish protocols for secure data handling, informed consent, anonymized reporting and vendor data-sharing agreements.
Conduct periodic program audits and vendor performance reviews to ensure consistent quality, alignment to objectives and cost-effectiveness.
Respond to urgent wellness issues (on-site health incidents, pandemic response coordination, mental health crises) and coordinate with occupational health, facilities and emergency services.
Mentor and develop junior wellness staff, interns and cross-functional champions to scale program delivery and ensure continuity of expertise across the organization.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory analysis to answer business questions about wellness program impact, participation drivers and cohort trends.
Contribute to the organization's broader health and benefits strategy by presenting findings and recommendations to HR leadership and benefits committees.
Collaborate with Health & Safety/Environmental teams on ergonomic assessments, workstation evaluations and injury prevention initiatives.
Participate in diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives to ensure wellness programs are accessible, culturally relevant and equitable across employee populations.
Assist in procurement processes and RFPs for wellness-related vendors and technologies, including evaluation criteria and pilot oversight.
Provide subject matter expertise for internal policy reviews where wellness intersects with leave policies, ADA accommodations and fitness-for-duty guidelines.
Serve as the primary liaison for corporate wellness accreditation, certification pursuits, and external recognition programs.
Support marketing and internal comms in A/B testing messaging and creative formats to enhance campaign performance and user acquisition.
Facilitate cross-functional working groups to operationalize large-scale wellness pilots, site rollouts, and global program standardization.
Maintain continuing education and networking with professional wellness associations to stay current on best practices and legal/regulatory changes.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Wellness program design and implementation — ability to create multi-channel interventions (in-person, virtual, mobile) grounded in health behavior theories and evidence-based practices.
Health needs assessment & epidemiology — experience designing surveys, analyzing biometric screening and claims data to segment risk and prioritize interventions.
Data analysis and reporting — proficiency with Excel, Tableau/Power BI or equivalent visualization tools; ability to create executive dashboards and measure KPIs.
Vendor and contract management — experience negotiating SOWs, managing vendor SLAs, and conducting vendor performance evaluations.
Biometric screening and health risk assessment (HRA) coordination — clinical workflow design and vendor oversight for screenings, immunizations and follow-up referrals.
Knowledge of privacy and compliance — HIPAA, ADA, GINA, and other regulatory frameworks impacting workplace health programs.
Digital wellness platforms — experience implementing and optimizing wellness apps, telehealth integrations and online coaching tools.
Budgeting and financial analysis — experience building multi-year budgets, forecasting costs and conducting ROI/cost-savings analysis.
Chronic disease program development — design and evaluation of diabetes prevention, hypertension control and weight-management initiatives.
Mental health programming and EAP integration — familiarity with mental health referrals, crisis interventions, and evidence-based resilience training.
Training and facilitation — ability to design and deliver workshops for managers and staff on health topics and behavior change techniques.
Project management — proven use of agile or stage-gate approaches to run pilots, rollouts and multi-site programs.

Soft Skills

Strong interpersonal and stakeholder management skills — able to build credibility with leaders, HR partners and clinical vendors.
Exceptional written and verbal communication — able to craft persuasive, SEO-friendly wellness communications, reports and executive summaries.
Empathy and cultural competency — sensitivity to diverse employee needs and tailoring programs for inclusivity.
Strategic thinking and problem solving — able to translate organizational priorities into measurable wellness objectives.
Influencing and change management — experience driving adoption across decentralized teams and championing behavior change.
Analytical mindset — comfort with quantitative and qualitative data to inform program decisions.
Presentation and storytelling — strong ability to synthesize data into clear narratives for leadership and employees.
Resilience and adaptability — able to operate through ambiguity and rapidly shifting health priorities.
Leadership and team development — experience coaching and mentoring cross-functional staff and wellness champions.
Attention to detail and quality orientation — ensures program integrity, regulatory compliance and accurate reporting.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in Public Health, Health Promotion, Occupational Health, Human Resources, Nursing, Kinesiology or related field.

Preferred Education:

Master’s degree in Public Health (MPH), Health Promotion, Occupational Health, Healthcare Administration, or MBA with healthcare focus.
Professional certifications such as Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES), Certified Wellness Practitioner (CWP), or Certified Corporate Wellness Specialist.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Public Health
Health Promotion / Health Education
Occupational/Environmental Health
Human Resources Management
Nursing / Healthcare Administration
Kinesiology / Exercise Science
Behavioral Psychology

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

3–7 years of progressive experience in workplace wellness, health promotion, benefits coordination, or occupational health settings.

Preferred:

5+ years leading workplace wellness or employee well-being programs with demonstrable outcomes, experience managing vendors and budgets, and proven ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders.