Senior Specialist, Benefits

AeroVironment•Simi Valley, CA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The People & Culture Sr. Benefits Specialist supports the employee’s experience by serving as the subject matter expert while providing an expert level of administration, analysis, and optimization of AV’s health and welfare, retirement and wellness programs. This role serves as the subject matter expert, ensuring compliance with federal and state regulations, managing vendor relationships, analyzing plan performance and costs while supporting organizational objectives. The Sr. Benefits Specialist partners closely with Payroll, Finance, Legal, HR Business Partners, and external vendors to ensure accurate plan administration and regulatory compliance. The Sr. Benefits Specialist serves as a point of contact for employees supporting day-to-day administration of health & welfare and retirement benefit programs. This position plays a critical role in safeguarding the organization’s compliance obligations, supporting employee.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Finance, Human Resources, related field, or equivalent combination of education, training, and experience is required.
5-8 years’ experience of progressive benefits administration and analysis.
Experience managing employee benefit inquiries in a high-volume environment.
Experienced with Workday HCM and third-party benefits applications.
Advanced analytical skills with proficiency using Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams) and reporting tools.
Excellent verbal and written communications skills to collaborate and develop partnerships across multiple functional areas, with vendors, and with all team members.
Effective time management, strong project management and organizational skills.
Strong initiative and drive to accomplish goals and meet company objectives.
Self-directed with the ability to adapt to rapidly changing priorities.
Consistently exhibits good judgment and discretion when dealing with sensitive information.
Takes ownership and responsibility for current and past work products.
Attention to detail, follow-through, a sense of urgency, strong teamwork, collaborative skills, and a demonstrated ability to manage multiple benefits projects with competing demands in a growing organization is required.
U.S. Citizen, U.S. Permanent Resident (Green Card holder) or asylee/refugee status as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3) required.
This position requires access to information that is subject to compliance with the International Traffic Arms Regulations (“ITAR”) and/or the Export Administration Regulations (“EAR”). In order to comply with the requirements of the ITAR and/or the EAR, applicants must qualify as a U.S. person under the ITAR and the EAR, or a person to be approved for an export license by the governing agency whose technology comes under its jurisdiction.
A “U.S. person” according to the ITAR definition is a U.S. citizen, U.S. lawful permanent resident (green card holder), or protected individual such as a refugee or asylee. See 22 CFR § 120.15.
Some positions will require current U.S. Citizenship due to contract requirements.

Nice To Haves

Experience in a Technology, Engineering and/or Aerospace and Defense company is preferred.
Strong knowledge of: ERISA and fiduciary responsibilities, Safe Harbor plan structures, Employer match formulas, IRS and DOL regulations.
Familiarity with recordkeeper platforms and retirement plan administration processes.

Responsibilities

Supports day-to- day administration of health & welfare and retirement benefit programs.
Monitors day-to-day vendor management, including escalations, performance monitoring, and service delivery reviews.
Ensures timely and accurate processing of enrollments, changes, terminations, and life events. Includes monitoring payroll deductions.
Partners with HR, Payroll, and third-party vendors to resolve complex benefit matters.
Ensures compliance with ERISA, ACA, COBRA, HIPAA, Section 125, and other federal/state regulations.
Coordinates preparation and posting of required notices (e.g. SPD, SBC, 1095-C, COBRA notices).
Assists with management and monitoring of the Benefits mailbox, while ensuring timely, accurate, and professional responses to employee’s inquiries.
Handles requests related to enrollments, eligibility, life event changes, payroll deductions, and retirement plan questions.
Supports audits (internal and external, 401(k), ACA) and regulatory filings including Form 5500.
Maintain plan documentation and ensure alignment with plan design and policy.
Analyze benefits utilization, trends, and cost data; prepare reports and dashboards for leadership.
Lead or support annual open enrollment planning and execution.
Serves as subject matter expert (SME) for retirement plan questions and administration.
401(k) administration - Monitor participation rates, deferral trends, employer match utilization, and plan engagement.
Assists with nondiscrimination testing (ADP/ACP), compliance activities, and audit support.
Coordinates with recordkeepers and payroll to resolve eligibility and contribution discrepancies.
Tracks, categorize, and analyze employee inquiries to develop actionable operational metrics, including: Volume trends, Response time and service levels, Recurring issues and root causes
Develops monthly and quarterly dashboards summarizing benefit performance and service data.
Analyze enrollment, participation, and cost trends across benefit programs.
Reconciles vendor reports with payroll and internal data to ensure accuracy.
Identifies process improvement opportunities based on data insights.
Summarizes plan performance: Present operational metrics and Highlight cost and participation trends
Provides compassionate, high-quality service to employees.
Maintains timely, professional, and accurate communication using phone, email, and vendor platforms.
Develops and deliver benefit communications and educational materials.
Provides escalated support for complex employee benefits inquiries.
Assists with benefits training sessions and information meetings as needed.