Published: July 14, 2025 - The Human Resources (HR) Benefits Specialist manages employee benefits administration through the HRIS system, ensuring accurate payroll deductions and overseeing the full open enrollment process from plan selection to employee implementation. This role coordinates with brokers, vendors, and internal teams to resolve benefits issues, maintain legal compliance, and support audits, claims, and reporting activities. The specialist also focuses on improving payroll and benefits workflows, implementing new vendor integrations, and fostering cross-departmental collaboration to drive efficiency and build organizational trust.

Tips for Human Resources Benefits Specialist Skills and Responsibilities on a Resume
1. HR Benefits Specialist, Beacon Health Options, Roanoke, VA
Job Summary:
- Responsible for the administration of the agency's health and life benefits plans and programs, from vendor relations management to employee Open Enrollment and eligibility issues
- Manages and ensures ACA compliance including tracking, maintaining, and reviewing ACA compliance every month
- Helps ensure health and life benefits education Agency-wide and works to ensure benefits and wellness are widely known about and more effectively utilized
- Ensures that health and life insurance plans and invoices are regularly audited and on time for payment to finance and includes overage dependent audits
- Contributes to the agency's wellness efforts, programs, and committees
- Helps to ensure legal compliance throughout all areas of benefits
- Keeping these content areas updated on the staff section of the website
- Continue to identify areas of growth
- Provides training and technical assistance to other staff regarding human resources
- Provides leadership to colleagues and staff to foster a healthy, positive and strong work environment
- Communicates in a way that supports the Agency's mission, ethics, and values
- Contributes to the overall agency development and attainment of contractual and service goals
- Promotes a healthy work environment and work relationships conducive to maximizing efficiency and the execution of the agency's mission and service objectives
- Helps with COA, state, local, federal, vendor, and best-practice standards in all aspects of the job
- Handles sensitive employee information and upholds the highest level of confidentiality
- Asked to manage or work on special projects
- Assists the human resources team
- Attends training and workshops specific to regulatory changes, best business administration practices, and current trends in human resource execution, to stay current and abreast of resources and methods for workplace productivity and efficiency
- Serve on internal agency-wide committees, assist Executive and Management Teams in the decision-making process, and may manage special projects
Skills on Resume:
- Vendor Management (Hard Skills)
- ACA Compliance (Hard Skills)
- Benefits Education (Soft Skills)
- Invoice Auditing (Hard Skills)
- Legal Compliance (Hard Skills)
- Staff Training (Soft Skills)
- Workplace Leadership (Soft Skills)
- Project Management (Hard Skills)
2. HR Benefits Specialist, Compass Health Network, Columbia, MO
Job Summary:
- Oversees and manages the Agency’s health, dental, and life insurance and EAP plans
- Selects an insurance agent and negotiates rates with vendors
- Making recommendations to management regarding benefits plan design changes
- Oversees Section 125 plan compliance
- Ensures Agency compliance with COBRA requirements and administers the COBRA program
- Administers defined benefit retirement plan and 403(b) tax-sheltered annuity plans
- Prepares 5500 and other necessary benefits reports
- Ensures Agency compliance with ERISA and other applicable laws governing benefits
- Designs and manages employee education/orientation regarding benefits plans and open enrollments
- Maintains employee benefit files in compliance with applicable laws, licensing regulations, and accreditation standards
- Monitors insurance carrier reports to ensure the Agency’s compliance with plan requirements
- Attends scheduled staff meetings, supervision, and ongoing training
- Respects the privacy of clients and holds in confidence all information obtained during the client’s treatment
- Handled by the Agency guidelines on confidential material
- Maintains high standards of ethical and professional conduct and adheres to Agency policies and procedures
Skills on Resume:
- Benefits Oversight (Hard Skills)
- Vendor Negotiation (Hard Skills)
- Plan Design (Hard Skills)
- COBRA Administration (Hard Skills)
- Retirement Plans (Hard Skills)
- Benefits Compliance (Hard Skills)
- Employee Orientation (Soft Skills)
- Confidentiality Handling (Soft Skills)
3. HR Benefits Specialist, Oak Street Health, Dayton, OH
Job Summary:
- Create benefits, communications and presentations
- Conducts annual benefits enrollment and new hire orientations
- Works closely with the COBRA administrator and oversees/audits the COBRA process and enrollments
- Manage leave of absence program, including FMLA administration
- Liaise with the operations team to evaluate and propose HR programs and efficiencies
- Coordinates open enrollment, including updating the benefits guide, updating benefits rates in HRIS, and orchestrating the communications/training plan
- Provide customer service support to employees for benefits or HR inquiries
- Manage the unemployment compensation program
- Conduct audits of payroll, benefits, and other HR programs, and recommend corrective actions
- Complete compliance reporting, including EEO-1, OSHA, etc.
- Liaise with other departments or functions (payroll, HR, operations, etc.), as well as benefits brokers and carriers
Skills on Resume:
- Benefits Communication (Soft Skills)
- Orientation Delivery (Soft Skills)
- COBRA Oversight (Hard Skills)
- Leave Management (Hard Skills)
- HR Collaboration (Soft Skills)
- Enrollment Coordination (Hard Skills)
- Employee Support (Soft Skills)
- Program Auditing (Hard Skills)
4. HR Benefits Specialist, UnityPoint Health, Waterloo, IA
Job Summary:
- Initiate new-hire benefits and changes promptly with insurance companies by obtaining, verifying, and recording employee information
- Maintain and explain benefits to new and current employees, including health insurance, dental, vision, and 401K
- Determine qualifying event occurrences for COBRA, informing third-party COBRA administrators
- Perform regular audits to ensure and maintain the accuracy of data, investigate discrepancies, and resolve issues
- Manage the accurate and timely completion of the benefits billing process
- Collaborate with other departments within the organization to provide departments with necessary information, including the running of reports, reconciling of bills/claims, and ensuring that payments are made promptly and by company and carrier requirements
- Administer and advise on benefits and leave programs as related to workers' compensation, long-term disability, family medical leave (FMLA), Paid Family Medical Leave, and other leaves, liaison with other Benefits staff
- Partner with benefit brokers and providers to ensure the benefits renewal process is successful
- Provide census information, oversee the implementation of plan changes, and follow through on broker and provider objectives
- Maintain plan compliance through benefit plan audits and the filing process of Form 5500
- Coordinate employee benefit meetings, benefit and wellness communication materials, and oversee all aspects of ongoing employee benefit education
- Actively participate and complete special projects and confidential HR matters promptly
- Maintain employee confidence and protect departmental operations by keeping personnel data confidential
- Responsible for current knowledge of the company's policies and procedures to relay necessary information to new staff members
- Continuously update and advise senior leadership of benefit trends and best practices
- Assist departments with personnel/payroll-related inquiries
- Advise and assist on current departmental HR procedures related to employee records
- Coordinate activities and act as a liaison between departments and central HR staff
- Record payroll, tax information, and settle deductions as well as insurance policy costs
- Act as a model for all company safety policies and procedures
Skills on Resume:
- Benefits Initiation (Hard Skills)
- Employee Guidance (Soft Skills)
- COBRA Processing (Hard Skills)
- Billing Accuracy (Hard Skills)
- Interdepartmental Support (Soft Skills)
- Leave Administration (Hard Skills)
- Plan Compliance (Hard Skills)
- Confidential Handling (Soft Skills)
5. HR Benefits Specialist, Loretto Hospital, Chicago, IL
Job Summary:
- Engage and assist in managing ongoing benefits delivery and managing its impact on HR and Payroll processes
- Act as SME for HR Shared services around CE HR benefits, taxes and payroll-related compliances and associated specialty queries resolution
- Contribute to the development and implementation of HR projects
- Participate in C&B projects in the CE region (e.g., review benefits, implement new benefits, cross-border transfers)
- Strive for service excellence and work with the HR Generalists to identify and implement service improvement across the whole HR operations
- Be the first escalation point for exceptional HR Services queries (including payroll and benefits)
- Guide HR and Payroll Services teams
- Assume vendor management accountability for local archiving services providers
- Lead the implementation of the document management strategy for all the offices in the CE
- Provide support to the Associate Director HR Shared Services to build and maintain relationships with internal and external customers, including liaison with the HR Shared Services and HR Generalists
- Support the writing and reviewing of HR Policies and articles on the HR Hub
- Guide in respect of existing and past employee references, ensuring they adhere to employment law regulations
- Attend regular meetings with Regional Team Leaders to exchange best practice ideas
- Support the Associate Director HR Shared Services with regular assessment of the satisfaction with the quality, cost and availability of the HR Shared Services team
- Monitor the performance and make recommendations for continuous improvement of service delivery
- Support with local HRSS audits (Internal/External) and work towards closing any observations outlined appropriately
Skills on Resume:
- Benefits Delivery (Hard Skills)
- Compliance Support (Hard Skills)
- Project Contribution (Soft Skills)
- Service Improvement (Soft Skills)
- Issue Escalation (Soft Skills)
- Vendor Management (Hard Skills)
- Policy Support (Hard Skills)
- Team Guidance (Soft Skills)
6. HR Benefits Specialist, Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare, Roanoke, VA
Job Summary:
- Payroll administration related to onboarding, offboarding, change management, and reporting
- Day-to-day benefits administration related to onboarding, offboarding and changes
- Day-to-day benefit provider management including issue resolution
- Coordination of invoicing processing with the finance team
- Benefit-related documentation creation and management
- Assist with annual open enrollment and other benefit-related activities or projects
- Leave administration including STD and FMLA
- Assist with or lead a special project as it relates to HR activities
- Aids with and facilitates the human resource day-to-day processes
- Administers employee health and welfare plans
- Acts as a liaison between employees and insurance providers
- Resolves benefits-related problems and ensures effective use of plans and positive employee relations
- Makes sure that certain plans are administered by federal and state regulations and that plan provisions are followed
- Provides administrative support to the human resource function, including record-keeping, file maintenance and HRIS entry and oversight
- Works closely with the Director of Human Resources, the Finance department and other departments throughout the organization in providing Human Resources support to the agency’s management and employees by SFH's goals and values
- Upholds the agency’s goals as they relate to and promote the inclusion, diversity, equity and opportunities for all staff, guests, applicants, visitors and volunteers
Skills on Resume:
- Payroll Support (Hard Skills)
- Benefits Admin (Hard Skills)
- Provider Liaison (Soft Skills)
- Invoice Coordination (Hard Skills)
- Leave Management (Hard Skills)
- Project Support (Soft Skills)
- Problem Resolution (Soft Skills)
- Diversity Promotion (Soft Skills)
7. HR Benefits Specialist, Center for Human Development, Springfield, MA
Job Summary:
- Translate and interpret the Plan Document eligibility provisions into business requirements documents and day-to-day administration for the outsourced vendor
- Monitor performance of outsourced benefits administration vendor through recurring weekly calls, quarterly vendor scorecards, process reviews, service level agreements, transaction audits and call calibrations
- Response and resolution for complex and elevated participant service-related issues including formal ERISA claims and preparation of appeal case documentation for the Benefits Committee
- Implementation of plan design and/or administrative process changes with an outsourced vendor including serving as the group SME for annual enrollment
- Responsible for the management of several vendor relationships, including establishing regular, recurring meetings with the vendor
- Holding the vendor accountable for deliverables
- Budget setting and review of vendor contracts
- Responsible for annual compliance activities, including government reporting and managing of annual and off-cycle HIPAA certification and training
- Responsible for managing the day-to-day and plan administration of the Preventive Health Account (excludes system/technical aspects of the account)
- Responsible for completing surveys, eligibility/PHA reporting, and other ad-hoc data requests
Skills on Resume:
- Eligibility Translation (Hard Skills)
- Vendor Monitoring (Hard Skills)
- Issue Resolution (Soft Skills)
- Plan Implementation (Hard Skills)
- Vendor Management (Hard Skills)
- Budget Oversight (Hard Skills)
- Compliance Reporting (Hard Skills)
- Data Analysis (Hard Skills)
8. HR Benefits Specialist, North Texas Behavioral Health Authority, Dallas, TX
Job Summary:
- Assist employee with enrolling in medical, dental and vision insurance plans
- Inform employees of changes to the benefits structure
- Handle all workers' compensation claims
- Have a full understanding of NY employment laws regarding HIPAA
- Work with the insurance broker on claim issues
- Resolve employee issues with insurance providers and other benefits administrators
- Consult with employees about eligibility and other issues
- Make sure employees who are eligible for enrollment are entered on time
- Review bi-weekly payroll deductions
- Provide ongoing support for benefits and HR teams
- Process enrollments quickly and accurately
- Cooperate with other HR professionals
- Back up to the Payroll Manager
- Collect banking information for direct deposit setup and initiate deposits on paydays
- Familiarize yourself and keep current with the taxation of salaries, benefits and other factors
- Process and monitor garnishment orders and other issues that impact payroll specifications
- Maintain and document all payroll records
- Conduct semi-annual audits of all payroll records
- Reconcile the general ledger for payroll transactions
- Detect and process issues related to uncollected payroll
- Respond to employee inquiries regarding payroll issues or concerns
Skills on Resume:
- Benefits Enrollment (Hard Skills)
- Policy Communication (Soft Skills)
- Claims Handling (Hard Skills)
- Legal Knowledge (Hard Skills)
- Broker Coordination (Soft Skills)
- Payroll Review (Hard Skills)
- Team Support (Soft Skills)
- Record Auditing (Hard Skills)
9. HR Benefits Specialist, Volunteers of America Northern Rockies, Billings, MT
Job Summary:
- Liaise with the Global Compensation Team on issues such as benchmarking throughout the year and collaboration in the year-end compensation process
- Work with relevant stakeholders to understand and address compensation issues, questions on the effect of changing roles/paths on compensation
- Helping colleagues understand their compensation trajectory and rectifying errors
- Advise on compensation for new joiners/transferees
- Working with recruiting colleagues, mobility coordinators, and other HR professionals to ensure that any new joiner or transferee's salary is set correctly
- Calculate pro-rata bonuses for leavers every month
- Identify and contribute to global harmonisation initiatives for compensation
- Contribute to strategic discussions and initiatives within the compensation function
- Ensure HR systems reflect compensation correctly for all client-facing colleagues
Skills on Resume:
- Compensation Analysis (Hard Skills)
- Stakeholder Support (Soft Skills)
- Error Resolution (Soft Skills)
- Salary Advising (Hard Skills)
- Bonus Calculation (Hard Skills)
- Process Alignment (Hard Skills)
- Strategic Input (Soft Skills)
- System Accuracy (Hard Skills)
10. HR Benefits Specialist, Keystone Human Services, Harrisburg, PA
Job Summary:
- First point of contact and continuing resource for employee inquiries regarding benefits programs
- Ensures proper management of the health, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance, as well as 401(k) retirement plan, RRSP, Flexible Spending Accounts and COBRA
- Manages 401(k) plan administration including SPDs, Non-Discrimination Testing, 5500s, Loans and Withdrawals, Forfeiture Accounts, fees disclosure, enrollments and quarterly changes etc.)
- Effectively processes the company’s Leave of Absences, FMLA, STD, LTS, Worker’s Comp, and third-party claims
- Continuously analyze plans for compliance with various governmental regulations (ACA/1095, ADA, ERISA, HIPAA, COBRA etc.), state and local requirements
- Conducts annual open enrollment and monthly benefits orientations for new hires
- Reviews and processes benefits changes, qualifying life events, deductions, coverages
- Leads wellness programs, initiatives, communications and education
- Partners with Finance and Payroll to ensure effective execution of Benefits reconciliations and remittance of insurance premiums to the providers
- Provides payroll processing support and serves as the primary payroll and HRIS backup
- Coordinates new hire onboarding and assists in ad-hoc HR projects
Skills on Resume:
- Employee Support (Soft Skills)
- Benefits Oversight (Hard Skills)
- Retirement Admin (Hard Skills)
- Leave Processing (Hard Skills)
- Regulatory Compliance (Hard Skills)
- Enrollment Coordination (Hard Skills)
- Wellness Leadership (Soft Skills)
- Payroll Backup (Hard Skills)
11. HR Benefits Specialist, Lifespan of Greater Rochester, Rochester, NY
Job Summary:
- Take ownership of all global payroll processing, beginning with an emphasis, then expanding to other regions globally
- Process and ensure the timely distribution of payroll and issue and record any necessary adjustments to pay
- Maintain employee payroll files, the integrity of payroll database, periodic registers and all related payroll reports
- Review electronic timesheets, reports, accruals, and other information to detect and reconcile payroll discrepancies
- Verify attendance, hours worked, and pay adjustments, and post information onto designated records
- Monitor leave time, such as vacation, sick time, and PTO for employees and ensure leaves are properly tracked and processed
- Compile statistical reports, statements, and summaries related to pay and benefits accounts, and submit them to Finance and Human Resources
- Ensure accurate and timely data entry of new hire information, benefit enrolments, employee status changes, or terminations in the HRIS system and carrier websites
- Assist employees with any payroll or benefit-related inquiries
- Administer various employee benefits programs, including group medical, dental, vision, FSA and HSA, disability, life and accident insurance, and COBRA
- Take the lead on the annual 401(k) audit
- Assist with the distribution of benefits compliance documents
Skills on Resume:
- Global Payroll (Hard Skills)
- Pay Adjustments (Hard Skills)
- Data Integrity (Hard Skills)
- Discrepancy Review (Hard Skills)
- Leave Monitoring (Hard Skills)
- Reporting Support (Hard Skills)
- HRIS Updates (Hard Skills)
- Benefits Assistance (Soft Skills)
12. HR Benefits Specialist, Open Sky Community Services, Worcester, MA
Job Summary:
- Maintain employee benefits administration in the HRIS system
- Assist employees with benefit claims, engaging a broker
- Managing the entire annual Open enrollment process, from plan selection and pricing models to employee implementation
- Reconcile monthly premium statements for all group insurance policies against employee selections and payroll withholdings
- Resolve administrative problems between carriers, the benefits admin system, and the broker
- Responding to all related internal and external queries
- Ensure that payroll and benefits processes are compliant with local laws in existing countries and develop compliant policies in new launch countries
- Coordinate with the Finance team on processing reimbursements and ensuring payments to related vendors and suppliers
- Record, monitor, and resolve agency tax notices with vendor and government agencies, as well as validate all agency responses
- Perform HR-related tasks such as filing Unemployment Insurance claims, records collection/retention and other reporting
- Design manuals/playbooks and document and improve the payroll and benefits processes
- Research vendors and implement new integrations
- Develop controls and auditing processes to ensure accuracy and compliance
- Support internal and external HR-related inquiries and requests
- Build and maintain relationships by collaborating across business units and departments to foster trust, commitment, accountability and results
Skills on Resume:
- Benefits Admin (Hard Skills)
- Claims Support (Soft Skills)
- Enrollment Management (Hard Skills)
- Premium Reconciliation (Hard Skills)
- Issue Resolution (Soft Skills)
- Compliance Policies (Hard Skills)
- Vendor Coordination (Hard Skills)
- Cross-Functional Collaboration (Soft Skills)
13. HR Benefits Specialist, Aspire Indiana Health, Anderson, IN
Job Summary:
- Administers and manages all employee benefits including group health, dental, prescription, life insurance, retirement plans and all supplemental insurances offered by the agency
- Coordinate human resources procedures to ensure that proper enrollment activities are completed for current and new staff
- Leads and participates in the annual open enrollment process as directed by the HR Manager/VP Human Resources
- Provides internal customer service to employees regarding benefits, issues and questions
- Providing benefits orientation for all new hires
- Handles COBRA notification and enrollment process for all terminated employees
- Prepares monthly management reports and ensures all documentation is filed and maintained
- Prepares and submits HR department requisitions to the Business Office for payment
- Maintaining confidentiality concerning personnel actions/issues, legal actions, terminations, non-renewal documents and organizational plans
- Maintain accurate employee time cards and information to ensure accurate payroll processing
- Audit new hire documents in Paylocity to confirm that banking details, tax documents, work permits, and personal information are filled out correctly for each new hire
- Answer employee questions regarding any payroll or benefits inquiries and effectively handle all issues in a confidential and timely manner
- Update and maintain employee documentation, including attendance, disciplinary actions, and injuries
- Oversee daily benefit plan administration including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, disability enrollments and changes and other voluntary health coverages, COBRA process, FMLA process, retirement plan administrative processes
- Prepare and manage COBRA documents and payments
- Prepare, distribute, and process new hire documentation
Skills on Resume:
- Benefits Management (Hard Skills)
- Enrollment Coordination (Hard Skills)
- Employee Service (Soft Skills)
- COBRA Handling (Hard Skills)
- Payroll Accuracy (Hard Skills)
- New Hire Auditing (Hard Skills)
- Document Maintenance (Hard Skills)
- Confidential Handling (Soft Skills)