Benefits Specialist

Gifthealth Inc • Columbus, OH

7d • $68,000 - $80,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Benefits Specialist administers and supports Gifthealth’s employee benefits programs, including health, welfare, retirement, and leave of absence programs. The role ensures accurate benefits enrollment and data maintenance, provides guidance to employees and managers, supports open enrollment, and serves as a primary contact for benefits-related inquiries. It supports the Total Rewards and HR teams while promoting operational excellence, compliance with applicable laws and policies, and alignment with organizational goals.

The position works with employees, managers, brokers, carriers, third-party administrators, vendors, and consultants on benefits and leave matters. It is hybrid, with a schedule of 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Monday through Friday. Night and weekend hours may be required occasionally based on business needs, and cross-facility travel may be needed. The role involves regular meetings across the enterprise and with external partners.

Requirements

• Associate’s degree in HR or a related field, or additional years of equivalent experience.
• 2–4 years of full-time benefits support and/or administration experience.
• Experience supporting open enrollment and working directly with brokers, carriers, and third-party administrators.
• Experience administering FMLA, medical, personal, and disability leaves, including documentation tracking and coordination with employees and vendors.
• Knowledge of health and welfare benefits, retirement plans such as 401(k), and leave of absence programs, including eligibility, enrollment, and administration practices.
• Knowledge of benefits-related laws and regulations, including FMLA, COBRA, ACA, HIPAA, and basic ADA considerations affecting benefits administration.
• Knowledge of HRIS and benefits administration systems for maintaining accurate employee data and enrollments and communicating with vendors.
• Benefits administration skills, including open enrollment, qualifying life events, and terminations.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Attention to detail in maintaining data accuracy, timely carrier updates, and benefits data audits; ability to identify discrepancies and support compliance and consistency across systems.
• Ability to respond to benefits inquiries, explain plan provisions, and assist with claim or enrollment issues in a clear, service-oriented manner.
• Ability to manage multiple benefits deadlines and processes simultaneously, particularly during open enrollment and high-volume periods.
• Ability to research, resolve, and escalate benefits and leave issues while maintaining confidentiality and follow-through.
• Ability to remain stationary for extended periods while writing or reviewing documentation, work on a computer for the entire shift, and attend virtual meetings with cross-functional teams.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor’s degree in human resources, business administration, or a related field of study.
• Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS) or Certified Benefits Professional certification.
• Ability to identify opportunities to improve benefits administration processes, documentation, or tools in a growing organization.

Responsibilities

• Administer employee benefit enrollments and eligibility by entering and maintaining benefits data in the HRIS and providing timely, accurate eligibility information to vendors and carriers.
• Respond to employee and manager inquiries about plan provisions, enrollments, status changes, claims issues, and general benefits guidance.
• Coordinate benefits enrollments and life event changes, including carrier enrollment, qualifying life status changes, and distribution of enrollment materials.
• Conduct quality audits of benefits data to ensure accuracy, compliance, and consistency across systems, vendors, and carriers.
• Process and administer leaves of absence, workers’ compensation, and disability programs, including medical, personal, FMLA, and ADA-related leaves; maintain documentation and tracking and ensure compliance.
• Interpret and apply FMLA and ADA requirements related to employee leaves, accommodations, and disability matters, working with employees and managers as needed.
• Support retirement and annual enrollment programs, including responding to 401(k) inquiries, processing plan changes and contribution updates, managing annual catch-up contributions, assisting with new-hire orientations, and supporting open enrollment.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Associate degree