Senior Benefits Specialist

Toyota Tsusho America•Georgetown, KY

12d

About The Position

The Senior Benefits Specialist administers the organization’s employee benefits programs, including health, wellness, ancillary, and retirement benefits. The role advises employees on benefit changes, enrollment, eligibility, coverage options, and compliance, and works with Human Resources partners to support end-to-end benefits processes. The specialist serves as a subject-matter expert and lead educator on employee benefits and leads the administration and continuous improvement of health, welfare, and retirement programs. Responsibilities include overseeing enrollments, changes, and terminations; leading Open Enrollment and the annual Wellness campaign; supporting benefit plan design implementation and updates; advising employees; managing vendor and broker relationships; assisting with claims; overseeing benefit product processing and vendor billing; maintaining regulatory compliance and preparing required reporting; and developing employee education programs. The role also prepares benefits reports and analyzes utilization and cost trends to inform management decisions.

Requirements

At least 7 years of experience in benefits administration.
Strong verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to explain complex benefit packages to employees, leadership, and external vendors.
Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, including Excel, Word, and PowerPoint, and modern data/copilot tools.
Skill coordinating cross-functional workstreams, managing third-party benefit vendors, and leading projects or improving processes.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience leading a team or providing training.
Certified Benefits Professional (CBP) or Certified Employee Benefit Specialist (CEBS) designation.

Responsibilities

Administer employee benefits programs and ensure accurate, timely processing of enrollments, changes, and terminations.
Lead Open Enrollment and the annual Wellness campaign, and train HR partners.
Support annual benefit plan design implementation and other updates.
Lead benefit enrollments, communications, and employee education to help employees make informed decisions and maximize the value of benefits.
Advise employees on benefit options, policy features, enrollment procedures, and eligibility, and respond to inquiries accurately, confidentially, and courteously.
Manage relationships with benefit vendors and brokers to optimize the benefits experience.
Work with the COBRA vendor to support compliance throughout the employee life cycle.
Serve as the organization’s benefits and retirement programs subject-matter expert, partnering with brokers, carriers, retirement providers, and third-party administrators to optimize plan performance and resolve complex issues.
Support employees with benefit claims, liaising with third-party providers to resolve disputes and ensure timely processing.
Manage FSA and HSA, Life and AD&D, LTD, and other product processing; oversee vendor invoicing and billing.
Ensure benefit programs comply with federal, state, and local regulations, including HIPAA, ERISA, and PPACA.
Prepare reporting and nondiscrimination testing, including 1095-C/1094-C, 125, and 105H reporting.
Monitor legislative changes that may affect employee benefits.
Own plan compliance, including ERISA requirements, annual testing, audits, and regulatory filings.
Develop and conduct benefits education programs and workshops, including new-hire benefits orientation, the Annual Symposium, and Open Enrollment education.
Prepare reports and analyze benefits utilization and cost trends to advise management on strategic decisions.