Benefits Specialist

Bertelsmann-Jobs•New York, NY

9h•$60,000 - $70,000•Hybrid

About The Position

As the Benefits Specialist, you are part of the Employee Benefits Team, which serves as the main point of contact for our U.S. employees. Together with your team members, you provide excellent customer service support for all employee benefit programs offered to Bertelsmann Printing Group, Penguin Random House, BMG, Fremantle, Arvato, Bertelsmann Corporate, and employees at our other operating companies. You also support the leave of absence and disability process. In this role, you will coordinate with benefit vendors, research, and resolve any escalated employee issues and questions that arise. You are also responsible for assisting former employees with retiree medical, retiree life insurance, and pension benefits. In addition, you will work closely with the entire HR-Benefits Team on organizational initiatives, such as annual enrollment. The Benefits Specialist is part of the HR-Benefits Team, which has the responsibility of developing, negotiating, and customizing the health, welfare, and retirement programs for each of Bertelsmann's U.S. operating Companies. The Benefits Specialist is expected to possess a wealth of knowledge and understanding of employee benefits at an employee-facing and corporate level. This role generally works standard business hours, with the exception that, on occasion, the schedule will be shifted to support employees in the evening shift. This role is expected to work in the office at least two days per week (subject to change based on business needs). This role reports to the Director of Employee Benefits.

Requirements

4 or more years of work experience in human resources required, including 2 or more years in a benefits role
Bachelor’s degree or related experience required; CEBS certification preferred
Bilingual fluency in both English and Spanish required; including the ability to translate technical benefits and health related plan information
Knowledge of health & welfare plans, retirement plans, leave of absence, FMLA and workers compensation coordination
Must be detail-oriented, highly organized, and comfortable working on complex problems
Solid interpersonal skills, judgment, and client service orientation with focus on high-quality service to internal and external stakeholders
Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to effectively communicate information across a large organization and translate complex benefits information into clear, actionable guidance
Ability to work independently or as a team player in a fast-paced and decentralized environment
Must be proficient in Microsoft Excel, including VLOOKUP and Pivot Tables, and other Office applications
Must be proficient in researching information, data entry, and running reports in an HRIS, ideally UKG
Must maintain strict confidentiality and employee privacy
Must be willing and able to work a flexible schedule, including periodic shifts outside standard business hours to support employees on an evening shift.
Eagerness to learn and grow within the benefits function and take on increasing scope over time

Nice To Haves

CEBS certification preferred

Responsibilities

Assist employees with benefit issues, including medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, life insurance, flexible spending accounts, leaves of absences, voluntary benefits, pension, 401(k) and other company-provided benefits and services
Support the annual enrollment process, qualifying life event changes, implementation of new vendors and onboarding of employees for acquired companies
Respond to high daily volume of phone, email, and face-to-face inquiries and assist current and former employees with resolving benefits-related issues
Resolve administrative problems with the carrier representatives, investigate discrepancies, escalate issues and provide information in non-routine situations
Partner and collaborate with HRIS, Corporate Benefits, HR Business partners, and external vendors to resolve issues related to enrollment, eligibility, claims and vendor performance
Research, interpret, and provide employees guidance on established benefit policies and procedures
Draft and coordinate the distribution of communications for ad hoc participant issues, present and facilitate benefits orientations for annual enrollment and new hire orientations
Support the translation of benefit communications and plan documents between English and Spanish as needed
Collaborate with vendors and HR partners to administer leave of absence and key entries as needed
Support audit activities and the accuracy of data and benefit records
Support and respond to employees, including support for evening shift as needed and during peak periods such as annual enrollment
Ensure proper document retention in accordance with statutory and internal business practices
Other duties as assigned to meet business needs