Benefits Administrator Specialist | Health, Retirement & Wellness Programs

Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy•Tucson, AZ

2d•$71,000 - $86,000•Onsite

About The Position

Join AURA and help administer the benefits programs that support our employees. This is an opportunity to apply your benefits expertise, analytical skills, and process-improvement mindset while collaborating with HR Operations, Finance, vendors, carriers, and other teams. You will play an important role in open enrollment, employee communications, compliance, reporting, vendor management, and the continued improvement of AURA’s benefits processes. GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF POSITION The Benefits Administrator Specialist, working with the Compensation and Benefits Manager, administers and implements U.S. Health and Welfare, Retirement, and wellness programs, including medical, dental, vision, life, prescription, disability, employee assistance, flexible spending, and health accounts. This role supports strategic benefits initiatives and helps maintain forward-looking benefits processes. The position manages key aspects of AURA’s NSF-funded employee benefits programs, including eligibility, carrier and vendor files and integrations, program design, open enrollment, communications, process improvement, reporting, and billing. The role requires strong analytical and organizational skills, accurate plan and policy administration, program compliance, and collaboration with stakeholders, HR Operations, Finance, vendors, carriers, and other teams.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
5+ years of directly-related benefits experience
Meaningful experience in benefits administration or benefits analyst or benefits broker, including but not limited understanding of Health and Welfare plan designs, retirement plans, and knowledge of state and federal laws and regulations pertaining to benefits
Excellent written and oral communications, including group presentations.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, with advanced proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint.
Strong analytical skills with the ability to identify process gaps and recommend solutions.
Strong ability to organize, manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and thrive in a collaborative fast-paced environment.
Must be proactive, self-motivated and capable of independent work, and sound judgment and decision-making within the scope of the role.
Familiarity and practical experience with HRIS systems, benefits configuration, vendor feeds and data quality audits

Nice To Haves

Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS®), Certified Benefits Professional (CBP®), Group Benefits Associate (GBA®) or progress toward certification
Interest in or exposure to multi-channel communications, digital tools and AI enabled communication approaches
UKG HRIS experience

Responsibilities

Administer AURA’s NSF-funded employee benefits programs to ensure operational effectiveness, including eligibility, carrier/vendor files and integrations, plan design, open enrollment, communications, process improvement, reporting, and billing.
Serve as a benefits subject matter expert, providing analysis, guidance, and recommendations on administration, processes, procedures, requirements, and applicable regulations.
Oversee end-to-end benefits administration, including eligibility, enrollment, payroll deductions, funding, reconciliations, corrections, participant escalations, nondiscrimination testing, operational controls, documentation, required communications, and cross-functional coordination to ensure timely, accurate execution.
Interpret benefits-related legal and regulatory documents, including Summary Plan Descriptions, insurance policies, collective bargaining agreements, and other plan materials; support compliance audits and filings as assigned.
Collaborate with benefits brokers on competitive, cost-effective programs, including RFI/RFP processes, vendor evaluations, implementations, service management, and issue resolution.
With the Compensation and Benefits Manager, manage carrier and vendor relationships to support smooth plan administration and benefit-change execution.
Develop, revise, and improve multi-channel employee benefits communications and content.
Support the administration of employee retirement plans, resolve issues, and conduct analysis related to deferrals and distribution requests.
Lead open enrollment planning and execution, including education, communications, implementation, organization, and timeline management.
Ensure compliance with ERISA, ACA, HIPAA, and other relevant regulations and requirements.
Track Health and Welfare programs and budgets; reconcile enrollment, eligibility, premium, financial, and other data; identify and correct errors; and complete billing and benefits reporting.
Maintain accurate, confidential, and compliant records, data, and documentation, including procedures in Confluence and case management tracking in JIRA.
Identify and implement process improvements to increase the efficiency and accuracy of benefits administration.
Perform other special projects as assigned, including Total Rewards Statements, global mobility, and wellness programs.
All AURA employees are responsible for the proper management and control of all AURA property within their work area, whether assigned to them or someone else. This responsibility includes reporting any known missing, stolen, or non-working property in their work area to their supervisor or the AURA Property Officer.
Responsible for ensuring compliance with government award terms and conditions assigned to this position or subordinates of this position.
Other duties as assigned