Manager - Benefits

Be part of a growing, successful company in an exciting and challenging field. Border States is 100% employee-owned, which means you’re empowered to make decisions, find solutions and receive rewards for your hard work.

This position will be located in: Fargo, ND

Application Deadline: October 6, 2026

Please note that the position may be filled before or after the listed application deadline. Applications will only be accepted while the posting remains active.

Job Summary

The Manager of Benefits is responsible for the strategic leadership, governance, administration, compliance, and continuous improvement of the Company’s health and welfare, retirement, employee ownership, leave, and well-being programs. The role develops and executes benefits strategies that support organizational objectives, employee-owner well-being, talent attraction and retention, regulatory compliance, and effective cost management. The Benefits Manager provides leadership and oversight for the Benefits team ensuring accurate administration, exceptional service delivery, and operational excellence across all benefit programs. This position partners with internal stakeholders, vendors, brokers, payroll, finance, and HR leadership to evaluate plan performance, manage financial risk, ensure compliance, and recommend program enhancements that support Border States' employee-owner culture.

Responsibilities

Essential Functions

• Provides leadership and oversight for the administration, support, and communication of all company benefit plans.
• Provides strategic partnership with the benefits broker and Director to evaluate plan utilization, costs, market trends, and regulatory developments, and identifies opportunities for plan enhancements.
• Leads the annual review of benefit programs and is accountable for recommending plan design changes that balance employee-owner experience, market competitiveness, cost effectiveness, and regulatory requirements.
• Provides leadership and oversight for the administration of the Company's ESOP and 401(k) plans, ensuring compliance, operational excellence, accurate reporting, and effective participant education and support.
• Responsible for ensuring all ESOP tasks are completed accurately and on time.
• Provides auditor with information necessary to complete our annual 401k and ESOP audits.
• Ensure 5500s are accurate and filed in a timely manner.
• Manages the annual open enrollment process, including open enrollment signatures and tasks.
• Oversees leave administration and ensure compliance with FMLA, company policies, and applicable federal and state regulations.
• Partners with the HRIS team to optimize systems, improve operational efficiency, and support effective administration of benefits and HR processes.
• Provides strategic partnership to Payroll to ensure accurate benefit-related payroll processing, regulatory compliance, and efficient execution of employee-owner programs.
• Ensures benefits processes comply with ERISA, ACA, COBRA, HIPAA, and other applicable regulations.
• Identifies opportunities to streamline processes, enhance compliance, and improve employee experience.
• Provides oversight of HR operations to ensure consistent processes, regulatory compliance, and data integrity.
• Directly supervises and develops the Benefits team including recruiting, onboarding, coaching, performance management, and professional development. 
• Establishes departmental objectives, service standards, and key performance indicators. 
• Leads annual benefits renewal strategy and executive recommendations. 
• Oversees enterprise retirement plan governance, fiduciary coordination, and investment review support. 
• Reviews major vendor contracts, performance guarantees, and service agreements. 
• Develops workforce well-being strategies and population health initiatives. 
• Provides executive reporting related to benefit costs, trends, compliance, and employee-owner engagement. 
• Identifies benefits-related risks and develops mitigation strategies. 
• Partners with HR leadership on talent attraction, retention, and total rewards strategy.

Non-Essential Functions

• Works with Border States retirees to discuss benefits continuation, ESOP, and 401k distributions and Medicare eligibility.
• Oversees benefits educational sessions for new hires and newly acquired companies.
• Responsible for all benefit tasks associated with acquisitions; including benefit comparisons, decisions regarding the timing of benefit transitions, and plan terminations and mergers.
• Works with Total Reward Director and Finance to update the annual budget for benefits and wellness.
• Leads the POW! Wellness team: holds monthly meetings and manages monthly assignments for team members. Works with BCBS to resolve issues and set up onsite training.
• Assists with benefit issues and may act as a liaison between employee-owners and benefit providers.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• 4-year business or human resource degree or the equivalent in related work experience. 
• 10+ years’ prior work experience with benefits and or wellness programs preferred. 
• HR certification a plus.
• Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, and PowerPoint) preferred.

Skills and Abilities

• Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills 
• Maintains confidentiality of HR information and records.
• Ability to effectively plan, organize and use independent judgement.
• Attention to detail and organizational skills.
• Excellent customer service skills include being competent, accurate, responsive, and engaged.

Physical Requirements

Frequency at which you would carry/lift in a typical day:
Occasionally 0 – 33% Frequently 34 – 66% Continuously: 67 – 100%

• Lift from Waist:
  • < than 10 lbs. - Not at all
  • 10 to 25 lbs. - Not at all
  • 26 to 50 lbs. - Not at all
  • 51 to 75 lbs. - Not at all
  • 75 to 100 lbs. - Not at all
  • 100+ lbs. - Not at all
• Lift from Floor:
  • < than 10 lbs. - Frequently
  • 10 to 25 lbs. - Frequently
  • 26 to 50 lbs. - Occasionally
  • 51 to 75 lbs. - Not at all
  • 75 to 100 lbs. - Not at all
  • 100+ lbs. - Not at all
• Carried for Distance:
  • < than 10 lbs. - Not at all
  • 10 to 25 lbs. - Not at all
  • 26 to 50 lbs. - Not at all
  • 51 to 75 lbs. - Not at all
  • 75 to 100 lbs. - Not at all
  • 100+ lbs. - Not at all

Physical Activity

Frequency at which you would do the following in a typical day:

• Sitting (a continuous period of being seated) - Continuously
• Standing (for sustained periods of time) - Frequently
• Walking (moving about on foot to accomplish tasks) - Frequently
• Bending/stooping (downward and forward) - Occasionally
• Crawling (moving about on hands and knees or hands and feet) - Not at all
• Climbing/Walking Stairs (ascending or descending) - Frequently
• Reaching (extending arms in any direction) - Frequently
• Crouching/squatting (bending the body downward and forward by bending leg and spine) - Occasionally
• Kneeling (bending legs at knee to come to rest on knee(s)) - Occasionally
• Balancing (maintaining body equilibrium to prevent falling) - Occasionally
• Repetitive motion (substantial movement (motions) or the wrists, hands, and/or fingers) - Continuously
• Pivoting (movement in any direction with one foot, keeping the other in contact with the floor) - Occasionally
• Pushing/Pulling (using upper extremities to press against or draw or tug) - Occasionally
• Grasping (Applying pressure to an object with the fingers and palm) - Continuously
• Fingering (picking, pinching, typing; working with primarily fingers and not whole hand) - Continuously
• Talking (expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word) - Frequently
• Driving (the control and operation of a motor vehicle) - Occasionally
• Desk work (work usually performed at a desk) - Continuously
• Use of a computer - Continuously
• Use of a telephone - Frequently
• Hearing (Perceiving the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels) - Continuously
• Exposure (to adverse weather & temperature conditions) - Not at all
• Travel (travel needed to perform job duties) - Frequently

Additional Information

This job description is a summary of the job duties and responsibilities and is not intended to cover all possible job duties and is subject to change at the employer’s discretion. Employees must be able to perform the essential job duties and satisfy job requirements either with or without a reasonable accommodation.

Our History

Border States is a leader in the electrical supply distribution industry with approximately 130 locations in 31 states. Our employee-owners are second to none in delivering top-notch customer service and in demonstrating extra-ordinary people skills. We are one of the largest independent electrical distributors in the United States providing products and services to the construction, industrial and utility industries. Border States has a competitive benefit package and is a 100 percent employee-owned company. Employee-ownership is a significant part of our culture and our success stems from the dedication of our employee-owners. We practice open-book management and our employee-owners are empowered with clearly defined levels of authority to be innovative and decisive, allowing us to respond quickly to the needs of customers. Employee-owners understand their roles in the success of the company and care about customers’ needs, which drives our focus on adding value to everything we do. We recognize that not all customers are the same and each has specific requirements. Our employee-owners understand these diverse needs and have the commitment, resourcefulness and flexibility to outperform all others.

Values
As a Border States employee-owner, you’re responsible for living our mission, service philosophy and service standards.

Our Purpose
We believe unstoppable businesses shouldn't go it alone. We are owners - of relationships, of outcomes, of every moment these unstoppable businesses need to deliver.

Service Philosophy
We earn customer loyalty and confidence by caring about their needs and adding value to everything we do.

Service Standards
Border States employee-owners are competent, accurate, responsive, and engaged .

Your career
Join an experienced team at one of the largest electrical distributors in the United States. What are you waiting for?

Border States has a competitive benefits package which includes but is not limited to:

Health, Dental and Vision Benefits
Accident, Critical Illness, Hospital Indemnity
FSA & HSA
Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)
Disability Benefits
401(k) Retirement Plan
Life Insurance
Employee Assistance Program
Paid Holidays
Paid Volunteer Time
Personal Leave time and more!
Border States provides bonuses to their employee-owners upon the achievement of branch and company goals.

Equal Opportunity For All

It’s not just the law. It’s something we’ve believed in since our founding. We value the diversity of all of our employee-owners and will always be an equal opportunity employer.

Drug Free/Smoke Free workplace

Employment may be contingent on the offered candidate successfully passing one or more of the following pre-employment screenings:

• Criminal background check (required for all positions)
• Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) check (required for positions involving driving)
• Drug testing

The MVR check and drug testing vary by role and will be communicated to the offered candidate during the onboarding process and as applicable.