Senior HR Generalist - Benefits & Operations

ABOUT UE:

United Educators (UE) is a liability insurance company that serves K-12 schools, colleges, and universities across the United States. UE focuses on long-term partnerships that help educational institutions identify, avoid, and manage risks. Guided by our mission to support education, we provide customized coverage, relevant risk management resources, and claims support grounded in education-sector expertise. At UE, you will join a collaborative, mission-driven team committed to delivering flexible insurance solutions, responsive service, and meaningful value to the institutions we serve. The Senior HR Generalist – Benefits & Operations is a senior individual contributor who provides broad People & Culture (P&C) support across the organization, with particular expertise and ownership in employee benefits and wellbeing programs. This role serves as the primary internal resource for employee benefits, including health and welfare plans, retirement programs, leave administration, wellness initiatives, benefits compliance, and vendor relationships. The Senior Generalist partners closely with employees, leaders, and internal and external partners to ensure programs and processes are administered effectively and provide a positive employee experience. As a senior member of the People & Culture team, this position also provides support across a range of P&C areas, including employee relations, performance management, compensation, compliance, policy administration, P&C operations, and other department and organizational initiatives. The role requires sound judgment, discretion, strong problem‑solving skills, and the ability to independently manage responsibilities while collaborating across the organization.

RESPONSIBILTIES:

Benefits & Wellbeing Administer UE’s employee benefits programs, including medical, dental, vision, life, AD&D, disability, flexible spending accounts, retirement plans, paid time off, and other voluntary benefits. Serve as the primary employee point of contact for benefits questions, providing timely and accurate guidance and resolving complex benefit issues. Lead the annual open enrollment process, including planning, system coordination, employee communications, education, enrollment, and implementation of plan changes. Manage employee benefit enrollments, qualifying life events, terminations, and other benefit changes and coordinate accurate information and file feeds with carriers and vendors. Coordinate leave administration and the interaction among employee leave, benefits, disability programs, and payroll. Support administration of UE’s retirement plan, including contributions, employee inquiries, compliance activities, testing, audits, and coordination with external providers. Partner with P&C leadership, brokers, consultants, and vendors on annual benefit renewals, plan design, cost analysis, utilization trends, and recommendations. Support compliance with applicable benefits requirements, including ACA, COBRA, HIPAA, ERISA, and other federal and state requirements. Coordinate wellness initiatives and programs that support employee wellbeing. Develop employee communications and educational materials that help employees understand and effectively use UE’s benefit programs. Payroll Coordination & Support Ensure new hires, terminations, salary changes, bonuses, benefit deductions, and other employee changes affecting payroll are communicated accurately and timely. Reconcile benefit elections and deductions against payroll and carrier information and resolve discrepancies. Support year-end compensation and payroll‑related activities in partnership with P&C and Finance/Accounting. Support payroll and benefits audits and provide documentation and reporting as needed. Employee Relations & General P&C Support Provide guidance to employees and managers on workplace matters, policies, practices, and employee relations concerns. Support and, as appropriate, lead employee relations matters, investigations, corrective actions, and documentation in partnership with P&C leadership. Provide guidance to managers on the consistent application of P&C policies and practices. Identify emerging employee issues and elevate higher‑risk or sensitive matters to the Senior Director and/or P&C leadership as appropriate. Maintain appropriate documentation and confidentiality related to employee matters. Compensation & Performance Management Support annual compensation processes, including merit increases, promotions, salary changes, and incentive payments. Conduct position benchmarking and compensation analysis as needed to support hiring, promotions, internal equity, and organizational changes. Support periodic compensation surveys and pay equity reviews. Support administration of the performance management cycle, including employee and manager communications, process tracking, and manager guidance. Partner with P&C leadership on performance management issues and manager calibration. Provide general support for career development, talent planning, and succession activities as needed. Compliance, Policies & P&C Operations Maintain working knowledge of applicable employment and benefits laws and help ensure P&C practices remain compliant. Support updates to employee policies, the employee handbook, procedures, and required employment‑related notices and filings. Support internal and external audits involving benefits, payroll, retirement plans, and other P&C matters. Maintain accurate documentation and records in accordance with applicable requirements and UE practices. Partner with P&C colleagues to ensure employee information is accurate across P&C, benefits, payroll, and related systems. Identify opportunities to improve processes, controls, employee service, and operational efficiency. Manage assigned P&C vendors and relationships and support budget monitoring as appropriate. Participate in and support broader People & Culture projects and initiatives based on department and organizational needs This position requires adherence to United Educators’ cybersecurity policies and industry best practices to protect company and member data. Employees must incorporate security‑conscious practicesappropriate totheir roleintodaily work and complete required security training.

REQUIREMENTS:

Bachelor’s degree in human resources, business administration, or related field, or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience Typically requires 7 years of progressive HR experience, with significant hands‑on responsibility for employee benefits and leave administration Ability to work in our Bethesda, Maryland office 3 days per week Demonstrated experience administering health and welfare benefits and retirement programs Working knowledge of benefits‑related requirements, including ERISA, ACA, COBRA, HIPAA, and applicable leave requirements Working knowledge of payroll processes and experience coordinating payroll‑related employee, compensation, and benefits information preferred Experience supporting employee relations and broader P&C generalist responsibilities Experience working with benefits brokers, carriers, payroll providers, and other P&C vendors Strong analytical skills and demonstrated attention to detail and accuracy Ability to handle confidential and sensitive employee information with sound judgment and discretion Strong organizational and project‑management skills with the ability to independently manage multiple priorities and recurring deadlines Strong written and verbal communication skills and ability to effectively work with employees and leaders at all levels Demonstrated problem‑solving skills and ability to identify issues, determine root causes, and recommend practical solutions Proficiency with HRIS, benefits, payroll, and Microsoft Office applications PHR, SHRM‑CP, CEBS, or other relevant HR/benefits certification preferred Ability to work effectively in an evolving environment and take ownership of responsibilities with limited day‑to‑day direction The below annual salary range is a general guideline. Multiple factors are taken into consideration to arrive at the final hourly rate/ annual salary to be offered to the selected candidate. Factors include, but are not limited to, the scope and responsibilities of the role, the selected candidate’s work experience, education and training, the work location as well as market and business considerations. Salary Range

$90,000—$120,000 USD

BENEFITS:

United Educators offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to support employees’ health, financial well‑being, work‑life balance, and professional experience, including: Health & Wellness: Medical with prescription and telehealth benefits, HSA with employer contribution, dental, vision, employer-paid basic life insurance, and short- and long-term disability coverage Retirement: 401(k) with an immediate 3% employer safe harbor contribution. After one year, employees are eligible for an additional 7% employer profit‑sharing contribution and a 25% match on the first 5% of employee contributions. Employer contributions are immediately vested. Paid Time Off: 24 days of PTO annually during the first two years of employment, increasing to 30 days beginning in the third year, plus 11 paid holidays, including a floating holiday Additional Benefits: Performance‑based bonus eligibility, hybrid work environment (typically 2–3 days in office per week following initial training), employee events and monthly lunches, and opportunities to participate in Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), the Social Committee, and IDEA Culture: An inclusive and supportive workplace focused on providing opportunities for employees to contribute, connect, and succeed #J-18808-Ljbffr United Educators