Benefit Plan Administrator

Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital•Grand Rapids, MI

About The Position

The Health Plan Administrator serves as a strategic, operational, and hands-on leader responsible for the administration, compliance, and financial stewardship of Mary Free Bed’s self-funded health and retirement benefit plans. This role ensures the strength and integrity of the systems that support employee benefits, working behind the scenes to create a foundation of accuracy, compliance, and sustainability. Through thoughtful stewardship and attention to detail, this role enables a seamless and reliable benefits experience that supports employees’ health, wellbeing, and financial security. This is a highly experienced, execution-focused role. The Health Plan Administrator is personally accountable for the direct execution of core plan administration responsibilities, including plan documentation, regulatory filings, vendor administration, and financial oversight. Success in this role requires a strong ownership mindset, deep expertise, and a commitment to excellence in both leadership and execution. Reporting within the Employee Health & Benefits function, this role operates in close partnership with the Employee Health & Benefits Service Delivery leader to ensure alignment between plan operations and employee experience. The Health Plan Administrator maintains independent accountability for plan compliance, financial integrity, and regulatory adherence, and is responsible for escalating risks, constraints, or concerns as appropriate. Grounded in Mary Free Bed’s TOGETHER values, this role contributes to a culture of inclusion, belonging, and trust—ensuring that the systems supporting our employees reflect the same care and respect we extend to those we serve.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Finance, Business, or related field or equivalent combination of education and highly relevant experience.
Equivalent experience may include progressive, hands-on responsibility for benefits administration, retirement plan management, compliance, finance, or vendor management within complex or self-funded environments
Extensive, hands-on experience managing self-funded health and/or retirement plans is required, including direct responsibility for administration, compliance, and financial oversight
Demonstrated experience personally executing plan administration responsibilities, not solely overseeing or delegating work
Strong working knowledge of ERISA, IRS, DOL, ACA, COBRA, HIPAA, and related regulations
Experience with plan audits, compliance filings, and regulatory reporting
Proven ability to manage vendors, TPAs, and complex benefit administration processes
Strong analytical and financial skills, including budgeting, forecasting, and cost analysis
Experience with Workday or similar HRIS systems preferred
Demonstrates a strong ownership mindset, with accountability for accuracy, quality, and outcomes
High attention to detail with a commitment to precision and integrity
Excellent organizational, problem-solving, and decision-making skills
Ability to work effectively across teams and build strong collaborative relationships
Communicates clearly, respectfully, and with professionalism
Demonstrates a commitment to inclusion, respect, and belonging, consistent with Mary Free Bed’s TOGETHER values

Nice To Haves

Experience with Workday or similar HRIS systems preferred

Responsibilities

Directly execute and manage the administration of self-funded health and welfare benefit plans, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and consistency
Own, maintain, and continuously update all plan documentation, including Summary Plan Descriptions (SPDs) and plan amendments
Draft, implement, and operationalize plan amendments, ensuring timely, accurate, and compliant updates
Prepare, review, and submit required regulatory documents, including Form 5500 and related disclosures
Coordinate and support retirement plan governance, including committee materials, decision documentation, and compliance activities
Maintain independent accountability for plan compliance, documentation integrity, and regulatory adherence, and escalate risks or concerns as needed
Ensure and directly support compliance with all applicable regulations, including: ERISA, IRS and Department of Labor (DOL) requirements, ACA, COBRA, and HIPAA
Execute required compliance activities, including testing, filings, and reporting processes
Prepare for, manage, and respond to audits, including documentation, coordination, and resolution
Maintain accurate, complete, and audit-ready compliance records and documentation
Proactively identify and address compliance risks, ensuring adherence to all regulatory obligations
Actively manage relationships with TPAs, recordkeepers, brokers, and benefit vendors
Coordinate day-to-day interactions to ensure accurate, timely, and compliant plan administration
Review, validate, and hold accountability for vendor deliverables related to accuracy, completeness, and performance
Support and execute vendor implementations, renewals, and transitions
Investigate and resolve operational and administrative issues directly with vendors
Develop and manage benefit plan budgets and forecasts in collaboration with internal and external stakeholders
Monitor and analyze plan spend, utilization, and financial trends
Partner with Finance to ensure accuracy, transparency, and alignment in reporting
Support long-term financial sustainability and stewardship of plan resources
Maintain strong fiscal discipline while balancing compliance and operational requirements
Review, reconcile, and approve vendor invoices and billing activity
Investigate and resolve discrepancies directly with vendors
Ensure timely and accurate payment processing
Maintain strong financial controls and audit readiness, ensuring traceability and accuracy
Collaborate with internal and external partners to deliver reporting related to Plan utilization and cost trends, Retirement plan participation and performance, Compliance and audit requirements
Ensure data accuracy, consistency, and integrity across systems
Provide insights to support informed decision-making, plan performance, and continuous improvement
Lead the administrative execution of open enrollment, ensuring system readiness, data accuracy, and vendor coordination
Coordinate with vendors and internal partners to implement plan changes and updates
Ensure accurate and compliant execution of benefit configurations and plan changes
Partner with HR, Finance, and Legal to ensure seamless, compliant plan operations
Collaborate with Employee Health & Benefits Service Delivery leadership to align plan administration with employee experience insights
Support shared goals related to plan performance, cost management, and employee outcomes, while maintaining clear accountability for plan administration
Contribute to a culture of teamwork, transparency, mutual respect, and shared accountability
Completes other duties as assigned.
Demonstrate excellent customer service and standards of behaviors as well as encourages, coaches, and monitors the same in team members.
This individual should consistently promote teamwork and direct communication with co-workers and deal discretely and sensitively with confidential information.
Contribute by identifying problems and seeking solutions.
Promote patient/family satisfaction where possible; participates in departmental efforts to monitor and report customer service.