Benefits and Leave Administration Specialist

Chesapeake Utilities Corporation•, OH

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Benefits and Leave Administration Specialist administers employee benefits and coordinates leave and disability cases from intake through return to work for a multi-state workforce. The role serves as a resource for employees, managers, HR, Payroll, Finance, carriers, and third-party administrators. It manages complex cases, supports enrollment and eligibility, completes employment and income verifications, reconciles benefit data, and escalates vendor issues. The position supports accurate, consistent administration under Company policies and applicable federal, state, and local requirements, using sound judgment, thorough documentation, confidentiality, and strong employee service. The position supports health and welfare programs, enrollment activities, employee and retiree inquiries, audits and reconciliations, tuition reimbursement, compliance, vendor relationships, and process improvements. It also provides backup support for Total Rewards and Human Resources, periodically travels to Company locations, and performs other duties as assigned. The role is hybrid within the service territory of OH, PA, DE, NC, SC, GA, and FL.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent required.
Three years of progressive experience in benefits, leave of absence, disability, payroll, or Human Resources administration.
Standard driver’s license and ability to travel periodically to Company locations.
Working knowledge of employee benefit administration and leave/disability case management.
Working knowledge of FMLA, ADA, USERRA, COBRA, HIPAA, ERISA, ACA, workers’ compensation coordination, and state and local leave programs.
Knowledge of HRIS, benefits administration, payroll, timekeeping, and vendor systems.
Strong written and verbal communication, employee service, case management, documentation, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
Proficiency with Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams.
Strong attention to detail and follow-through, with the ability to manage competing deadlines and sensitive matters.
Ability to reconcile data, identify discrepancies, maintain trackers, and prepare clear reports.
Ability to explain complex benefit and leave information clearly and compassionately to employees and managers.
Ability to exercise sound judgment, maintain confidentiality, and appropriately escalate risk or uncertainty.
Ability to work independently under general supervision while collaborating effectively with employees, leaders, HR, Payroll, Finance, Legal, and external vendors.
Ability to learn and apply changing federal, state, local, plan, and Company requirements across a multi-state workforce.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field.
Experience administering leave for employees in multiple states and working with third-party administrators.
Professional certification such as SHRM-CP, PHR, CEBS, or a leave-management credential.
Experience with UKG, SAP SuccessFactors/Employee Central, ADP, or BenefitFocus.

Responsibilities

Manage multi-state leave and disability cases from intake through return to work, including FMLA, non-FMLA, Company, parental, military, jury duty, personal, workers’ compensation-related, short- and long-term disability, and applicable state and local paid or protected leaves.
Coordinate leave status, documentation, pay, benefit continuation, premium payments, and return-to-work planning with employees, managers, HR Business Partners, Payroll, administrators, carriers, and workers’ compensation partners; explain procedures, deadlines, and resources without providing medical diagnoses or legal advice.
Monitor leave approvals, denials, certifications, recertifications, extensions, intermittent usage, exhaustion and return dates, restrictions, and fitness-for-duty documentation; follow up on outstanding items and coordinate accommodation documentation and the interactive process with HR leadership and HR Business Partners.
Reconcile leave records across HRIS, timekeeping, payroll, vendor, and carrier systems; coordinate corrections, state leave filings, employer responses, wage information, and benefit offsets with vendors and state agencies.
Administer health and welfare programs, including medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, life, disability, health savings and flexible spending accounts, COBRA, voluntary benefits, wellness, and retiree benefits; support retiree enrollment, billing, communications, issue resolution, and annual Open Enrollment.
Support new-hire and annual Open Enrollment, qualifying life events, dependent eligibility, beneficiary changes, evidence of insurability, terminations, and reinstatements; review transactions and documentation for completeness, eligibility, timeliness, and consistency across systems.
Respond to employee and retiree inquiries through the benefits inbox, telephone, meetings, and consultations; partner with carriers and vendors to resolve eligibility, enrollment, claims, billing, ID card, deduction, and access issues and communicate resolutions and next steps.
Audit benefit eligibility files, carrier feeds, payroll deductions, evidence-of-insurability decisions, enrollment confirmations, and vendor reports; coordinate and validate corrections, reconcile invoices, and prepare monthly benefit cost, enrollment, and stop-loss information for Finance and other stakeholders.
Coordinate tuition reimbursement eligibility reviews, documentation, approval routing, payment support, and records; present benefits information during orientation, Open Enrollment, and educational sessions; develop employee communications and job aids.
Complete employment, income, benefit, and leave verifications after confirming appropriate authorization and permitted disclosures; coordinate unemployment claims, child support orders, government or lender forms, and related requests with Payroll, Legal, or HR leadership; maintain response logs and supporting records.
Participate in vendor meetings, monitor service levels and open issues, and follow through on escalations; track leave metrics, case aging, return-to-work activity, and process gaps; prepare status reports and escalate risks.
Support compliance with ERISA, HIPAA, COBRA, ACA, FMLA, ADA, USERRA, state and local leave requirements, and plan documentation under HR leadership and legal counsel; assist with plan audits, nondiscrimination testing, annual filings, employee notices, data requests, and internal controls.
Maintain complete, confidential case files, correspondence, notes, and benefit records in accordance with retention requirements; protect employee medical, payroll, and benefit information through established privacy and data-security practices.
Develop and maintain procedures, checklists, templates, calendars, trackers, and cross-training materials; identify improvements to employee service, vendor performance, data accuracy, controls, and efficiency; support special projects, testing, audits, records cleanup, and system implementations.
Provide backup support for Total Rewards and Human Resources during peak periods or absences; travel periodically to Company locations for employee meetings, Open Enrollment, training, or business needs; perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

Flexible work arrangement
Competitive base salary
Career growth opportunities
Cooperative, supportive, and empowered team atmosphere
Annual bonus and salary increase opportunities
Monthly recognition events
Wellness initiatives and community events
Customizable benefit packages, including 401(k), medical, dental, and life insurance
Tuition reimbursement
Compensated volunteer hours
Paid time off
Paid holidays
Separate bank of sick time