Benefits Lead

Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association•Chicago, IL

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

This role is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day administration and compliance of health, welfare, and retirement benefit programs while supporting the execution of broader benefits initiatives. Reporting to a Director or Senior Director in HR, the position partners closely with vendors, internal stakeholders, and external advisors to ensure operational excellence, regulatory compliance, and a positive employee experience. The role also contributes insights, metrics, and recommendations to inform leadership decision-making and continuous improvement of benefit programs.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business, Finance, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience.
7+ years of experience in benefits administration, HR operations, or a related HR specialty
Proven experience administering health, welfare, and/or retirement benefit programs, with strong attention to operational accuracy and compliance.
Working knowledge of benefits regulations and compliance requirements (e.g., ERISA, ACA, DOL) and experience supporting audits, reporting, or filings.
Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills, with the ability to identify risks, reconcile data, and recommend practical solutions.
Experience driving process improvements and operational efficiencies, including documentation, controls, or automation.
Ability to prepare clear metrics, summaries, and communications to inform leadership and support governance and decision‑making.
Effective communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work across HR, finance, legal, and external partners.

Responsibilities

Administer and oversee day-to-day operations of health, welfare, and retirement benefit programs, ensuring accurate, timely, and consistent execution.
Manage relationships with benefits vendors and external administrators, including contract oversight, service performance, invoicing, and adherence to service-level agreements.
Execute benefits strategy and initiatives by managing projects, timelines, and cross-functional coordination in support of leadership priorities.
Oversee compliance activities across benefit programs, including audits, reconciliations, reporting, and filings to ensure adherence to ERISA, ACA, DOL, and other applicable regulations.
Maintain benefit governance, documentation, and operational procedures to support internal controls, disclosures, and audit readiness.
Serve as a subject matter resource for benefits administration, resolving escalated issues and partnering with vendors and internal stakeholders to ensure effective outcomes.
Identify and implement process improvements and automation opportunities to increase efficiency, reduce administrative risk, and enhance the employee experience.
Prepare operational metrics, analyses, and summaries to track performance, support governance, and inform leadership decision-making.
Partner with external legal, actuarial, and compliance advisors to interpret regulatory changes and translate requirements into actionable program guidance.
Monitor industry trends and regulatory developments to proactively identify risks, improvement opportunities, and emerging best practices.
Support ongoing optimization of benefit programs, balancing cost, compliance, operational integrity, and employee impact.