Retirement & Benefits Specialist

Superior Plus•Rochester, NY

3d•Remote

About The Position

Reporting to the Manager, Retirement & Benefits, the Retirement & Benefits Specialist will support employee benefits, retirement, leave, disability, and wellness administration for U.S. programs. This role is responsible for the administration, communication, reporting, compliance support, vendor coordination, and continuous improvement of U.S. benefits, retirement, and leave programs while helping deliver a consistent, high-quality employee experience. As a subject matter expert for U.S. benefits, retirement, and leave administration, this role will support health and welfare programs, retirement plans, employee leaves, vendor partnerships, eligibility processes, employee education, reporting, and Dayforce-related benefits data administration. The Specialist will partner closely with employees, leaders, HR Business Partners, Payroll, Finance, Legal, HRIS, benefit carriers, retirement providers, brokers, leave administrators, and other external partners to ensure programs are administered accurately, consistently, and effectively. This role requires sound judgment, discretion, analytical thinking, strong attention to detail, and the ability to independently manage day-to-day administration while supporting process improvements, annual renewal activities, open enrollment, and project initiatives in a fast-paced U.S. benefits environment. This position is a virtual position, but we are looking to hire someone in the Rochester, NY or Wayne, PA area.

Requirements

University Degree or Professional Certification
Intermediate Experience – More than three years and less than five years
Strong working knowledge of U.S. health and welfare benefits, retirement plans, leave administration, and related requirements, including ACA, ERISA, COBRA, HIPAA, FMLA, ADA, and applicable state leave programs.
Knowledge of benefits funding, invoice reconciliation, eligibility processes, data audits, regulatory reporting, and plan documentation.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications and Dayforce benefits administration, reporting, data validation, and workflow processes.
Works independently within established policies, plan provisions, and governance requirements to manage day-to-day U.S. benefits and retirement administration.
Researches and resolves complex employee, data, billing, eligibility, and vendor issues; identifies risk and escalates matters requiring leadership, legal, or strategic direction.
Uses sound judgment, data, and operational knowledge to recommend process improvements and practical solutions.
Communicates complex benefits, retirement, and leave information clearly and accurately to employees, managers, and HR stakeholders.
Builds effective working relationships with HR Business Partners, Payroll, Finance, HRIS, Legal, benefit carriers, brokers, retirement providers, and third-party administrators.
Handles confidential and sensitive information with professionalism and discretion.

Responsibilities

Administers U.S. health and welfare benefits, including medical, dental, vision, prescription drug, life insurance, disability, voluntary benefits, Health Savings Accounts (HSA), Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA), wellness programs, employee eligibility, enrollments, life events, terminations, and carrier or vendor integrations.
Administers U.S. retirement programs, including 401(k) plan activities, employee enrollments, contribution changes, employee education, vendor coordination, compliance support, annual testing, audit requests, and plan-related reporting.
Coordinates U.S. leave and disability programs, including FMLA, applicable state leaves, ADA accommodation support, Paid Family Leave, Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability, and related case administration in partnership with employees, managers, HR stakeholders, and third-party administrators.
Serves as a primary subject matter expert for U.S. benefits, retirement, leave, disability, and wellness programs by providing clear, accurate, and timely guidance to employees, managers, HR Business Partners, Payroll, Finance, and other key stakeholders.
Researches and resolves complex employee, eligibility, enrollment, billing, payroll deduction, vendor, and data issues while applying plan provisions, established processes, and sound judgment; escalates complex or high-risk matters as appropriate.
Develops, updates, and delivers employee communications, FAQs, presentations, training materials, and other education materials that improve understanding and support a positive employee experience.
Coordinates day-to-day relationships with benefit carriers, brokers, retirement providers, leave administrators, HRIS partners, and other third-party vendors to support effective administration, issue resolution, service performance, and timely escalation of operational concerns.
Reviews, reconciles, and validates benefit invoices, HSA funding, retirement funding, vendor reporting, payroll deductions, employee contributions, carrier files, and HRIS data to support billing accuracy, data integrity, and financial controls.
Supports benefits budgeting, forecasting, renewal analysis, cost modeling, utilization review, vendor reporting, open enrollment planning, and leadership-ready summaries that inform program recommendations and business decisions.
Supports compliance with applicable federal and state requirements, including ACA, ERISA, COBRA, HIPAA, FMLA, ADA, state leave regulations, required notices, nondiscrimination testing, plan documentation, regulatory reporting, audits, and recordkeeping obligations.
Identifies, recommends, and implements process improvements that strengthen controls, simplify administration, reduce manual effort, improve data accuracy, enhance vendor accountability, and improve the overall employee and stakeholder experience.
Maintains accurate and confidential documentation, records, case notes, reports, and plan administration materials in accordance with company standards, privacy expectations, and applicable compliance requirements.
Performs other related duties as assigned.