Senior Benefits Specialist

Accentuate Staffing is recruiting for a leading outpatient healthcare organization in the Raleigh–Durham area who is seeking an experienced Senior Benefits Specialist to support a workforce of more than 400 regular employees and 50 physicians.

This highly visible, hands-on position is responsible for the administration of employee benefits, retirement plans, leave programs, workers’ compensation, employee relations, HR compliance, and related HR operations. The Senior Benefits Specialist will serve as a trusted resource to employees, physicians, managers, and senior leadership while ensuring that programs are administered accurately, consistently, and in compliance with applicable laws and organizational policies.

The organization is preparing to transition to a new 401(k) provider and a new employee benefits broker. The successful candidate will play an integral role in these transitions, including data analysis, implementation coordination, employee communications, testing, issue resolution, and ongoing vendor management.

This is an on-site position requiring regular interaction with employees, physicians, managers, vendors, and HR team members.

Responsibilities:

Benefits Administration

• Administer the organization’s employee benefits programs, including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, short- and long-term disability, flexible spending and health savings accounts, COBRA, wellness programs, and other ancillary benefits.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for employee benefit questions, eligibility issues, enrollment changes, life events, claims concerns, and escalated service matters.
• Manage annual open enrollment, including benefit system configuration, employee communications, educational sessions, enrollment monitoring, data audits, and vendor coordination.
• Review benefit elections, payroll deductions, eligibility files, carrier feeds, and vendor invoices to identify and resolve discrepancies.
• Reconcile monthly benefit invoices and ensure enrollment records align across the HRIS, payroll system, and carrier platforms.
• Develop clear, employee-friendly benefit communications, guides, presentations, FAQs, and enrollment materials.
• Monitor benefit plan performance, utilization, costs, and employee participation to support informed recommendations and decision-making.
• Ensure benefits programs comply with ERISA, HIPAA, COBRA, ACA, Section 125, and other applicable federal and state regulations.

401(k) Plan Administration

• Support the organization’s transition to a new 401(k) provider, partnering with internal stakeholders, payroll, legal counsel, consultants, and external vendors.
• Assist with implementation planning, participant data validation, payroll integration, contribution testing, blackout-period communications, employee education, and issue resolution.
• Administer ongoing 401(k) processes, including eligibility, enrollment, contribution changes, loans, distributions, beneficiary updates, and annual compliance activities.
• Audit employee and employer contributions to ensure timely and accurate funding.
• Coordinate annual nondiscrimination testing, required notices, audits, Form 5500 preparation, and other plan compliance requirements.
• Maintain accurate plan documentation and assist employees with retirement-plan questions while appropriately directing fiduciary or investment-related inquiries.

Leave and Disability Administration

• Administer employee leave programs, including FMLA, medical leave, parental leave, military leave, personal leave, short-term disability, long-term disability, and other applicable leave programs.
• Coordinate the interactive process and workplace accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
• Communicate leave requirements, documentation needs, benefit implications, deadlines, and return-to-work expectations to employees and managers.
• Track leave usage, certifications, recertifications, benefit payments, payroll status, and return-to-work documentation.
• Maintain confidential and accurate leave records while ensuring consistent application of policies and legal requirements.
• Partner with employees, managers, healthcare providers, payroll, and disability vendors to resolve complex leave and accommodation matters.

Workers’ Compensation

• Coordinate workers’ compensation claims from initial reporting through return to work and claim closure.
• Ensure workplace injuries are reported promptly and required documentation is completed accurately.
• Communicate with employees, managers, insurance carriers, medical providers, and claims administrators.
• Monitor open claims, medical restrictions, lost-time cases, return-to-work plans, and claim trends.
• Assist with OSHA recordkeeping and required reporting.
• Identify claim patterns and recommend preventive measures to reduce workplace injuries and associated costs.

Employee Relations and HR Support

• Serve as a trusted resource to employees, physicians, and managers regarding workplace concerns, policies, benefits, leave, performance, and employment practices.
• Provide guidance to managers on employee relations matters, documentation, corrective action, performance expectations, and consistent policy application.
• Assist with employee complaints and workplace investigations, ensuring matters are handled promptly, objectively, and confidentially.
• Provide counseling and support to employees while balancing employee needs, organizational policies, and legal requirements.
• Foster strong relationships across departments and promote a professional, respectful, and service-oriented workplace.
• Recognize sensitive or high-risk issues and escalate them appropriately to HR leadership.

HRIS, Reporting, and Data Analysis

• Maintain accurate employee, benefits, leave, and compliance information within the HRIS and related vendor systems.
• Conduct routine data audits and reconcile information among HRIS, payroll, retirement, benefits, and carrier platforms.
• Develop and maintain reports, dashboards, spreadsheets, and tracking tools to support benefits administration and HR decision-making.
• Analyze benefit enrollment, cost, utilization, eligibility, leave, and workforce data.
• Use advanced Microsoft Excel functions to organize, reconcile, analyze, and present complex data.
• Create and maintain PivotTables , lookup formulas, conditional formulas, filters, charts, and other reporting tools.
• Translate HR and benefits data into clear findings and actionable recommendations for HR leadership and management.
• Protect sensitive employee and health information and maintain strict confidentiality.

Compliance, Policies, and Process Improvement

• Maintain current knowledge of employment laws, benefits regulations, and healthcare-industry HR practices.
• Ensure compliance with applicable requirements, including ERISA, HIPAA, COBRA, ACA, FMLA, ADA, OSHA, Section 125, and relevant state employment laws.
• Assist with required notices, filings, audits, plan documents, summary plan descriptions, and compliance reporting.
• Support the development, revision, and implementation of HR policies, procedures, internal controls, and employee communications.
• Identify opportunities to improve the accuracy, efficiency, consistency, and employee experience of HR processes.
• Document workflows and establish repeatable procedures for benefits, leave, workers’ compensation, and related HR functions.
• Provide guidance to management regarding HR best practices, regulatory requirements, and organizational policies.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Healthcare Administration, or a related field; an equivalent combination of education, professional certifications, and relevant experience may be considered.
• At least seven years of progressive HR experience , with substantial responsibility for benefits administration, leave management, employee relations, and HR compliance.
• Prior HR or benefits experience within the healthcare industry is required.
• Experience supporting a large, complex workforce with multiple employee groups; experience supporting physicians, clinical employees, and other healthcare professionals is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience administering health and welfare benefits and retirement programs.
• Experience supporting a benefits broker, benefits carrier, or 401(k) provider implementation or transition is strongly preferred.
• Strong working knowledge of ERISA, HIPAA, COBRA, ACA, FMLA, ADA, workers’ compensation, and other applicable employment and benefits regulations.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including demonstrated proficiency creating and using PivotTables , lookup formulas, conditional formulas, filters, data-validation tools, and reconciliation reports.
• Experience working with HRIS, payroll, benefits-administration, leave-management, and vendor platforms.
• Ability to review complex data, identify discrepancies, determine root causes, and implement appropriate solutions.
• Sound business judgment with the ability to think strategically while managing detailed, time-sensitive administrative responsibilities.
• Strong written, verbal, interpersonal, presentation, and employee-service skills.
• Ability to handle confidential and sensitive matters with discretion, professionalism, and sound judgment.
• Strong organizational and project-management skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and meet firm deadlines.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, highly regulated healthcare environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• PHR, SPHR, SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, CEBS, or a comparable HR or benefits certification.
• Experience with retirement-plan conversion, payroll integration, benefits-system implementation, or broker transition projects.
• Experience reconciling carrier invoices, payroll deductions, eligibility feeds, and retirement-plan contributions.
• Experience developing benefits communications and leading employee education or open-enrollment meetings.
• Familiarity with healthcare workforce structures, including physicians, clinical staff, nonclinical employees, and multiple benefit-eligibility groups.