Benefits & Leave Manager

Equinox • New York, NY

273d • $120,000 - $140,000

About The Position

We are currently seeking a Manager, Benefits & Leave to support the People Services Team at our New York City office! This role involves supporting the benefit administration of healthcare, 401(k), and all other benefits to a large population with varying eligibility and offerings, with the goal to simplify and drive an exemplary employee experience. The position also includes leave administration and support, coordinating all US, Canadian, and UK leaves of absence cases across the organization, including workers' compensation claims. This includes general administration of disability, statutory leaves, and comprehensive case management and compliance with the Family and Medical Leave Act and all related employment laws.

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience in 401(k), Benefits management (including Canadian), or other relevant professional experience, and healthcare plan design is required.
• Bachelor's degree.
• Strong quantitative and analytical skills, attention to details and excellent follow through.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to multi-task and prioritize accordingly.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office.
• Knowledge of benefits environment, regulations and compliance requirements including health, wealth, and 401(k).
• Five years of experience in managing leave cases (FMLA, STD) and workers' compensation claims.
• Strong vendor management skills.
• Team player who can easily multi-task and manage multiple projects.
• Ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment with changing priorities.
• Motivated and proactive.
• Excellent verbal and written communication.
• Ideal candidate demonstrates accountability, thinks critically and demonstrates courage when presenting ideas.
• Ability to identify basic problems and procedural irregularities, collect data, establish facts and draw valid conclusions.
• Demonstrated ability to deal with confidential information.

Responsibilities

• Support ongoing day to day management of the benefit operations and administration of health, welfare, and 401(k) plans for over 13,000 employees in the US, Canada, and UK.
• Own relationship with benefits administrator including monitoring and problem-solving administrative issues, updating records due to status changes, resolving escalated enrollment issues, suggesting improved administrative procedures, and building out the benefit portal to support the employee experience.
• Ensure payment of invoices and accruing relevant costs.
• Execute controls related to processing invoices and payroll functions.
• Implement benefits related regulations, procedures, and documentation (including payroll and accounting activities).
• Carry out administrative reconciliations to comply with internal controls and the company's requirements.
• Own data review across all offerings including benefits administration, 401(k), and all other vendor partners that rely on our data.
• Work closely with all parties including People & Culture, third party providers, payroll, and legal to address routine inquiries and issues and be accountable for the timely research and resolution of these inquiries.
• Support internal and external team members with benefits related questions.
• Own the execution of Annual Benefits Enrollment which includes plan changes, oversight of vendor project management, review and testing of benefits offerings, cost changes, benefit communication review, and participation in Club open enrollment meetings.
• Assist with compliance regulations including 5500 filing, ACA reporting, Non-discrimination testing, San Francisco Ordinance (SFO) filing, etc.
• Conduct annual review of and manage certain plan documents including but not limited to SPD's, SBC's and SAR's.
• Maintain knowledge of evolving benefit laws and ensure compliance on state, federal and local employee benefit regulations.
• Help draft routine communication materials for People & Culture and team members.
• Develop and maintain process documentation as well as ensure the proper documentation/accessibility of all plan documents and summaries.
• Investigate discrepancies in non-routine situations and provide recommendations for solutions.
• Serve as the subject matter expert for disability, leave and workers' compensation in alignment and under the general direction and guidance of the People & Culture and the legal team.
• Interpret and manage all company leave programs and policies in accordance with applicable federal, state and Canadian provincial laws (FMLA, ADA, USERRA, Pregnancy Discrimination Act, etc.).
• Engage with team members with inquiries about their leave and engage with the interactive process with employees if necessary.
• Partner closely with internal partners including team managers and People & Culture to provide status updates on leave claims.
• Maintain employee leave of absence tracker, including providing biweekly leave reporting to People & Culture team members.
• Conduct biweekly leave meetings as needed to discuss open leave and accommodation activity.
• Manage vendor relationship with leave administrators to ensure all claims are being handled consistently, policy/process changes are being implemented accurately and escalations are addressed.
• Manage all administrative aspects of leave and workers' compensation claims to include providing necessary leave policy paperwork to team members, completing workers' compensation documentation (C11/C240), OSHA Annual Reporting requirements and State leave paperwork requirements.
• Maintain leave status updates in HRIS system, utilize vendor and internal pay reporting to calculate and enter pay for team members on leave, ensuring team members return timely, and working closely with the People & Culture and Payroll teams to ensure that pay is accurate and correct.
• Partner with leave administrators to maintain appropriate contact with all team members on leave and return to work.
• Manage STD/LTD programs and vendor relationships. Ensure that STD claims are coordinated with FMLA or general medical cases.
• Assist with implementing new processes and updating policies to align with organizational growth.
• Draft leave communications including notices of new State/Federal leave law changes.
• Manage Benefits Department email inbox and respond to employee inquiries in a timely and thorough manner.
• Help train, develop, and support Benefit Generalist.
• Ad-hoc projects as assigned.

Benefits

• Competitive salary.
• Benefits and industry leading commission opportunities for club employees.
• Complimentary Club membership.
• Perks and incentives with our products and services including Personal Training, Pilates, Spa and Shop.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Industry: Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries
• Education Level: Bachelor's degree