Compensation and Benefits Specialist

System Integrations•Nashville, TN

11h•Hybrid

About The Position

Cobalt Service Partners is seeking a Compensation & Benefits Specialist to administer and improve compensation and benefits programs across its partner companies. This hybrid role is based in Nashville, Tennessee, with two days per week onsite. The specialist owns compensation and benefits administration across the platform, ensuring accurate records, timely renewals, smooth onboarding of acquired companies, and reliable information for employees and Finance. The role reports directly to the Chief People Officer and works closely with Finance, partner-company HRBPs, Payroll and HR Operations, the broker, and insurance carriers. Success includes completing annual renewals without coverage gaps, enrolling acquired companies within 60 days of close, maintaining accurate compensation records, ensuring error-free payouts and payroll, refreshing compensation bands, conducting pay equity reviews, and maintaining compliance.

Requirements

Expertise in benefits administration, compensation plan mechanics, open enrollment, market benchmarking, and related compliance, including ACA, ERISA, COBRA, and 401(k).
Strong numerical and quality-control skills, including building and checking compensation calculations, bonus payout tables, and benefits cost models in Excel or Sheets.
Analytical and financially minded, able to model costs and scenarios and clearly present tradeoffs.
Ability to learn new plan types, tax details, and carrier changes independently.
Ability to manage open enrollment, merit cycles, and acquisition onboarding across multiple companies and document processes that remain effective as circumstances change.
Organized and detail-oriented, with a focus on preventing tasks from falling through the cracks.
Ability to handle sensitive information carefully while considering employees’ and the company’s interests.

Nice To Haves

Experience with HRIS, payroll, and benefits platforms such as Miter, ADP, Principal, or Small Improvements.
Multi-entity, PEO, or M&A integration experience.

Responsibilities

Maintain accurate and current compensation records across partner companies and share them with Finance on a rolling basis.
Calculate and process bonus and commission payouts using established frameworks, checking every payout with Finance before distribution.
Maintain Cobalt’s job architecture and compensation bands, updating them annually and when the company acquires a new business.
Benchmark open and existing roles using market survey data and analyze pay equity across the platform.
Support the annual merit cycle by building tools, tracking submissions, and reporting results to Finance and Leadership.
Manage annual benefits renewal and open enrollment across partner companies, from planning through execution.
Transition newly acquired companies to Cobalt’s benefits plan, including census, enrollment, and carrier transitions.
Serve as the day-to-day contact for the broker and carriers and resolve issues within SLA.
Administer the 401(k) program and coordinate true-ups.
Own platform-wide ACA and EEOC reporting, investor reporting, and compensation and benefits recordkeeping.
Draft, send, and store offer letters and separation agreements, and run semi-monthly payroll through the PEO.
Publish benefits policies and answer employee and manager questions.
Assist with Profits Interest Unit (PIU) administration as needed.
Coordinate with Finance, partner-company HRBPs, Payroll and HR Operations, the broker, and carriers to support accurate payroll and benefits administration.
Build and document durable processes and SOPs for open enrollment, merit cycles, and acquisition onboarding.