Senior Benefits Analyst

Western Governors University•Salt Lake City, UT

22h

About The Position

The Senior Benefits Analyst will have a dynamic and challenging opportunity to meaningfully impact Western Governors University’s (WGU) total rewards programs. The Senior Benefits Analyst works closely with all areas of People & Talent (WGU’s HR function), Payroll, Finance, and numerous external vendors to assist in ensuring the smooth delivery of all employee benefit plans, programs, and policies. These include retirement, healthcare, wellbeing, EAP, life and disability, paid time off, absence management, recognition, and other ancillary plans. This role provides technical and financial expertise and work in support of the Director of Employee Benefits and Benefits Advisors. Provides day-to-day stewardship of processes, analysis, data reconciliations and auditing, reporting, communications, and project management critical to the operation of the WGU’s employee benefit plans. Supports on-going benchmarking and strategy development in support of our total rewards philosophy, including participation in cross-functional initiatives and coordination with external advisers. Requires substantial prior experience in operational, analytical, financial, and strategic aspects of employee benefits within a large organization. This role operates in a high-pace, high-growth environment and demands positive passion and enthusiasm. Summary The Senior Benefits Analyst works closely with all areas of People & Talent, Payroll, Finance, and numerous external vendors to assist in ensuring the smooth delivery of all employee benefit plans, programs, and policies. These include retirement, healthcare, wellbeing, EAP, life and disability, paid time off, absence management, recognition, and other ancillary plans. This role provides technical and financial expertise and work in support of the Director of Employee Benefits and Benefits Advisors. They will provide day-to-day stewardship of processes, analysis, data reconciliations and audits, reporting, communications, and project management critical to the operation of the University employee benefit plans. The Senior Analyst also supports on-going benchmarking and strategy development in support of our total rewards philosophy, including participation in cross-functional initiatives and coordination with external advisors. This requires substantial experience in operational, analytical, financial, and strategic aspects of employee benefits within a large organization. This role operates in a high-pace, high-growth environment and demands positive passion and enthusiasm.

Requirements

Knowledge of and demonstrated prior experience with operational and strategic aspects of employee benefit plans, including insurance renewals, retirement plans, vendor management, government filings, communications, and benchmarking.
Very strong work ethic, collaborative orientation, and eagerness to take on new assignments, with the ability to excel in a very fast-paced environment with frequently changing priorities.
Strong interpersonal skills in dealing proactively with all levels of internal and external individuals including, employees, senior leadership, fellow team members, and external administrators and advisors.
Keen interest in contributing to the success of teams and growth of individuals. Actively contributes to a feeling of belonging among individuals in the organization.
Ability to plan, organize, and prioritize multiple and simultaneous operational and strategic activities within employee benefits.
Ability to write, read, and interpret technical HR materials, contracts, plan documents or related documents.
Data-driven orientation with ability to diagnose root causes, identify primary drivers of outcomes, and recommend positive changes.
General understanding of laws and regulations as they apply to HR areas, especially employee benefits.
Demonstrated strong proficiency with MS Office products – Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
Solid technical understanding of HRIS and related processes associated with employee benefits, and the cross-functional impacts with other enterprise systems.
Applicable knowledge in the design and management of all standard employee benefits programs; maintaining retirement programs; to include project management, enrollment, vendor management, auditing, filings, and training, education, and communication.
Ability to provide creative and innovative thinking to identify inventive and unique applications of standard/common solutions.
Ability to leverage concepts from for-profit environments to adapt to the not-for-profit space.
Ability to make professional presentations and to communicate technical matters effectively and persuasively in writing, through emails and reports, or verbally.
Superb verbal and written communication skills.
Bachelor's Degree in Human Resources or related field
5 years of experience in employee benefits administration and strategy
Equivalent relevant experience performing the essential functions of this job may substitute for education degree requirements. Generally, equivalent relevant experience is defined as 1 year of experience for 1 year of education and is the discretion of the hiring manager.

Nice To Haves

Experience in a large, complex organization with 1000+ benefits-eligible employees.
Strong knowledge and prior experience with HRIS/payroll systems.
Workday experience
Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS) Certification
Other HR-related certifications

Responsibilities

Provides analytical, technical, process, and project support to the Employee Benefits function within the Total Rewards team.
Collaborates closely with University People & Talent teammates and other University stakeholders to support the design administration and communication of programs, plans, and policies.
Provides hands-on project support or ownership for annual insurance renewals, open enrollment, year-end vendor file updates, routine compliance filings, and other special activity and projects as necessary.
Develops and maintains documentation of critical employee benefits processes and procedures.
Conducts regular data reconciliations, audits, and configuration reviews of all internal and external administrative systems associated with employee benefits programs and costs.
Performs root cause analysis associated with issues or problems from across the organization. Identifies and recommends process or system improvements regarding the same.
Reviews benefit claims and utilization data on an ongoing basis; analyzes and interprets data for trends, improvements, and efficiencies.
Provides support for tracking of Employee Benefits budget and associated fiscal year planning.
Plays an active role in employee benefits education and communication across the organization, including assisting with annual open enrollment meetings, webinars, and wellbeing activities. Comfortable presenting information to employees at all levels of the organization.
Fulfills information requests associated with routine audits and government reporting, and governance committee meetings.
Assists with peer and industry benchmark analysis, survey responses, and preparation of program design comparisons to other companies.
Executes assigned operational and strategic activities with consultants and advisors.
Stays abreast of current and emerging market trends to identify and address potential opportunities and gaps.
Performs other job-related duties as assigned.

Benefits

bonuses
medical, dental, vision, telehealth and mental healthcare
health savings account and flexible spending account
basic and voluntary life insurance
disability coverage
accident, critical illness and hospital indemnity supplemental coverages
legal and identity theft coverage
retirement savings plan
wellbeing program
discounted WGU tuition
flexible paid time off for rest and relaxation with no need for accrual, flexible paid sick time with no need for accrual, 11 paid holidays, and other paid leaves, including up to 12 weeks of parental leave