Benefits and Leave Specialist

Olson Kundig•Seattle, WA

7d•$75,000 - $85,000•Onsite

About The Position

Olson Kundig is seeking a Benefits and Leave Specialist to manage and administer employee benefit programs—including health & wellness, 401(k), and time off and leave of absence—while supporting People Operations through accurate lifecycle data management and ensuring compliance with applicable policies and regulations. To succeed in this role, you should be an adaptable self-starter who can prioritize and complete multiple projects and tasks with little guidance in a creative and dynamic environment. This role will collaborate with internal teams to deliver exceptional results within specified deadlines.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Human Resources or closely related field.
Minimum five (5) years of demonstrated experience administering complex benefits and leave processes accurately and independently.
Demonstrated competency in understanding of relevant employment laws and regulations, including FMLA, ADA HIPAA, COBRA.
Experience working with benefits and leave data, enrollment and invoice audits, and system integrations.
Intermediate to advanced proficiency in understanding and skills with MS 360 Office Suite and tools.
All applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship and must already possess long-term work authorization.

Nice To Haves

SHRM, PHR, GPHR, and/or CLMS certification.
Experience managing or supporting 401(k) plans, including the annual audit process.
Experience using Paylocity HRIS or Bswift Benefits
Advance proficiency in Microsoft Excel and other data analysis tools, preferred.

Responsibilities

Manage day-to-day benefits administration, ensuring accurate employee data and vendor service delivery.
Serve as an escalation point for complex employee benefits inquiries.
Oversee annual compliance requirements, including ACA reporting and required filings.
Administer the 401(k) program, including vendor coordination and employee education.
Lead the annual open enrollment process, including planning, system updates, employee communications, and vendor coordination.
Partner with benefits consultants on renewals, vendor changes, audits, and compliance across all benefit programs.
Reconcile benefit invoices and enrollment records monthly.
Develop, maintain, and update benefits procedures and related HR policies to ensure consistent administration.
Analyze benefits utilization, costs, and trends to identify cost savings and improvement opportunities.
Communicate benefits programs through presentations, written materials, and employee communication.
Responsible for processing leave requests and determining eligibility for FMLA and state leaves.
Track leave usage, and coordinate with payroll to ensure accurate coding.
Assist with employee accommodations and employee relations.
Owns the accuracy and integrity of employee lifecycle data, partnering with HR and Payroll to administer all transactions across the full employee journey (hire to exit).
Establishes and executes regular audit processes to ensure completeness, accuracy, and compliance of all HRIS data.
Facilitates performance review processes by capturing and maintaining documentation, ensuring alignment with HRIS records and lifecycle tracking.
Support the development and maintenance of company HR policies.
Assist leadership with communicating HR policies, procedures, programs, and applicable laws.
Evaluate and implement improvements to HR processes, administrative efficiency, and policy development.
Participate in cross-functional or organizational committees as needed.
Perform other duties as assigned.