HR & Benefits Specialist

The HR & Benefits Specialist is responsible for the administration, coordination, communication, and continuous improvement of employee benefits programs and HR systems support across all three plant locations. Based at the Merriam Corporate Office, this position serves as the primary liaison between employees, HR teams, leadership, UKG Benefits Administration, payroll, benefit vendors, brokers, and carriers to ensure accurate and timely benefit enrollments, vendor file feeds, system integrations, and employee communications. This role serves as the organization's functional subject matter expert for UKG Benefits Administration and provides HRIS support related to benefits, accruals, attendance management, and employee data integrity. The HR & Benefits Specialist partners closely with the HR Services Manager, Payroll, HRIS, Plant HR teams, and Operations leaders to strategically plan and execute open enrollment, benefit initiatives, employee education, and process improvements that enhance the employee experience while ensuring compliance and operational excellence. The ideal candidate possesses strong technical and analytical skills, benefits administration expertise, exceptional customer service, and the ability to manage multiple priorities and projects across a multi-location manufacturing environment. Essential Responsibilities Benefits Administration & Employee Support Administer health and welfare benefit programs across all plant locations, including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, disability, retirement, voluntary, and wellness programs. Partner with UKG Benefits Administration, benefit brokers, carriers, and vendors to ensure accurate processing of enrollments, benefit changes, qualifying life events, and terminations. Monitor employee eligibility and review benefit enrollment reports to ensure elections are accurately reflected in UKG and carrier systems. Maintain accurate benefit records, documentation, and employee files. Research and resolve benefit discrepancies, enrollment issues, eligibility concerns, and employee inquiries. Serve as the primary point of contact for employee benefit questions and provide education regarding plan options, eligibility requirements, enrollment procedures, and benefit programs. Maintain comprehensive knowledge of benefit plans, company policies, and applicable regulations. Provide professional, confidential, and customer-focused support to employees and leaders across all locations. Strategic Benefits Planning & Communication Coordinate and execute annual Open Enrollment across all locations, including project planning, employee communications, training, enrollment monitoring, vendor coordination, and post-enrollment audits. Develop and implement strategic communication plans to educate employees on benefit offerings, changes, wellness initiatives, and enrollment opportunities. Partner with HR leadership to evaluate and implement benefit program enhancements and employee engagement initiatives. Support benefit-related employee meetings, orientation programs, educational sessions, and onsite enrollment activities. Analyze benefit participation and utilization trends and recommend opportunities to improve employee awareness and engagement. Coordinate benefit enrollment for new employees throughout the organization. Monitor benefit eligibility and enrollment deadlines and communicate requirements with Plant HR teams. Process qualifying life events and maintain required supporting documentation. Partner with leave administrators, Payroll, and HR teams regarding benefit impacts associated with leaves of absence. Coordinate benefit-related communications, eligibility changes, and employee premium collection processes for employees on leave. Work with Payroll to monitor employee contributions and benefit eligibility during applicable leave periods. UKG HRIS Administration & System Support Serve as the HR functional subject matter expert for UKG with primary responsibility for Benefits Administration, HR Core, Accruals, and Attendance Management. Maintain benefit, accrual, attendance, and employee data within UKG to ensure system accuracy and compliance. Support HRIS configuration, testing, troubleshooting, and ongoing optimization efforts. Participate in implementation, enhancement, and upgrade projects related to UKG functionality. Manage and monitor benefit-related integrations, file feeds, and vendor connections to ensure accurate and timely data transmission. Develop and maintain process documentation, standard operating procedures, and user guides for benefits and HRIS administration. Partner with HRIS, Payroll, and IT teams on system enhancements and continuous improvement initiatives. Benefits, Payroll & Data Integrity Coordination Partner with Payroll to ensure benefit deductions accurately reflect employee elections and plan requirements. Review and reconcile benefit deductions, carrier invoices, payroll records, HRIS data, and carrier eligibility files. Research discrepancies between Payroll, UKG, carriers, and vendors and coordinate timely corrections. Communicate benefit changes and deduction impacts to Payroll within established deadlines. Conduct regular audits of employee data, benefit enrollments, deductions, accrual balances, attendance records, and carrier information. Assist with compliance reporting, audits, reconciliations, and data validation activities. Generate, analyze, and distribute HR and benefits reports to support operational and leadership decision-making. Vendor, Carrier & Benefits Administration Coordination Serve as the primary day-to-day contact for benefit carriers, brokers, vendors, and third-party administrators. Manage vendor relationships related to benefit administration and employee support. Monitor carrier transactions, electronic file feeds, eligibility files, and system integrations for data accuracy and operational effectiveness. Research and resolve enrollment, coverage, billing, eligibility, and integration issues. Review carrier invoices and vendor reports and coordinate necessary corrections. Escalate unresolved or complex vendor issues to the HR Services Manager and applicable business partners. Participate in vendor meetings, implementation activities, and service reviews. Compliance, Audits & Process Improvement Ensure compliance with applicable federal, state, and local regulations related to employee benefit programs. Assist with ACA reporting, retirement plan audits, benefit compliance reviews, and other regulatory requirements. Maintain benefit procedures, audit controls, checklists, and documentation standards. Conduct regular audits of benefit enrollments, eligibility, deductions, vendor files, accruals, and attendance records. Identify recurring issues, determine root causes, and recommend corrective actions. Develop and maintain preventative controls to minimize errors and improve employee experience. Recommend and implement improvements to benefits administration, HRIS functionality, employee communications, and reporting processes. Participate in HR projects, process improvement initiatives, system enhancements, and organizational change efforts. Qualifications Education Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field preferred. 2–4 years of experience in benefits administration, HR operations, payroll, or related field preferred. Experience administering employee benefit programs preferred. Experience with HRIS and benefits administration systems preferred. Strong attention to detail, organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills. Ability to manage multiple deadlines and priorities across multiple locations. Excellent written and verbal communication skills with a strong customer service orientation. Ability to maintain confidentiality of sensitive employee information. Proficiency with Microsoft Office, particularly Excel. Experience supporting employees across multiple locations preferred. Multilingual or bilingual skills preferred. Work Environment This position is based within the corporate HR function and regularly interacts with employees and leadership across the company's three manufacturing locations. Periodic travel to company locations may be required to support HR initiatives, employee communications, audits, enrollment activities, or other business needs. The position requires the ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment with sensitive information, recurring deadlines, and competing priorities. #J-18808-Ljbffr Daily's Premium Meats