Sr. Associate, Benefits - Health & Welfare

New York Life•New York, NY

1d•$81,000 - $104,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Sr. Associate, Benefits – Health & Welfare is a key member of the Benefits Services team responsible for the accurate and timely administration of Health & Welfare benefits for New York Life employees and agents. This role manages a broad range of benefit administration activities, including eligibility, contributions, payroll deductions, agent benefits, benefit earnings, COBRA subsidies, appeals, executive life insurance payments, and complex or escalated benefit cases. The Sr. Associate works closely with internal partners and external benefit vendors to research and resolve issues, maintain accurate benefit data, and deliver a high-quality experience to employees and agents. The position operates in a fast-paced, high-volume environment and requires strong ownership, attention to detail, sound judgment, and the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines. The successful candidate will work independently within established processes while identifying issues, coordinating solutions, and escalating matters appropriately.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree preferred, with 2–4+ years of experience in benefits administration, HR operations, payroll, or a related field within a large, complex organization preferred.
Working knowledge of Health & Welfare benefit plans and administration.
Strong Microsoft Excel skills, including experience with large data sets, formulas, file comparisons, and reconciliations.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to research complex issues and drive them to resolution.
Highly organized, detail-oriented, and adaptable, with the ability to manage a high volume of work, competing deadlines, and changing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the patience, professionalism, and judgment to work effectively with employees, agents, internal partners, and external vendors, including de-escalating challenging benefit situations.
Ability to work independently, take ownership, and exercise sound judgment, including recognizing when escalation is appropriate.
Collaborative and service-oriented approach with a commitment to confidentiality and a positive employee and agent experience.

Responsibilities

Administer employee and agent benefit eligibility, contributions, enrollments, terminations, refunds, and related transactions.
Manage weekly Health & Welfare benefit deduction files, using Excel to analyze and reconcile data, investigate variances, and coordinate corrections.
Prepare and coordinate benefit statements and related communications associated with changes in an employee’s job or employment status.
Manage Health & Welfare appeals, COBRA subsidy administration, and Executive Life Insurance benefit payments, including documentation, and processing.
Research and resolve complex and escalated Health & Welfare cases, providing professional and responsive support to employees and agents and coordinating with internal partners and external vendors as needed.
Coordinate the biannual benefit earnings update and associated data validation.
Perform Annual Enrollment website and system testing and support resolution of identified issues.
Complete year-end and beginning-of-year validation to ensure benefit elections and deductions are accurately reflected in the first payroll of the year.
Perform MAR/SOX audits to ensure compliance with internal controls and regulatory requirements.
Perform data analysis, reconciliations, testing, and quality-control activities to support the integrity of benefit data and processes.
Manage multiple operational responsibilities, deadlines, and cases while adapting to changing priorities and business needs.
Build effective relationships with employees, agents, internal partners, and external vendors, using sound judgment and professionalism to de-escalate and resolve benefit-related concerns.
Identify and support process improvements that strengthen operational efficiency, controls, and the employee and agent benefit experience.
Support Benefits projects, implementations, testing, and other initiatives as needed.