Benefits Specialist

Description

Shannon & Wilson is an employee-owned company of over 300 employees. Our office is in the beautiful Fremont neighborhood of Seattle, Washington across from the Burke Gilman Trail and the Lake Washington Ship Canal. Shannon & Wilson offers competitive compensation; fabulous benefits for employees and their families; profit sharing and 401(k) plans; stock purchase; paid vacation, holidays, and sick leave; and many other benefits.

Are you the right person for this job? We'd like to hear from you or from friends you know who you believe may be a fit for this position.

The Benefits Specialist is responsible for managing all aspects of leave and employee benefits programs by ensuring employees are properly enrolled and educated about their options. You will play a key role in supporting employees and ensuring compliance with state and federal regulations.

Responsibilities

• Administer all employee benefit programs, including self-funded medical, dental, vision, life insurance, retirement plan, and supplemental benefits.
• Processing new hire benefit enrollments, managing changes to existing employee coverage and handling termination of coverage. Assess eligibility and process qualifying events changes and ensure that each employee enrolls within their eligibility period.
• Primary resource for assisting employees with benefit-related inquiries, managing plan changes and staying updated on relevant regulations and industry trends.
• Guide employees through the leave process, including initiation, accommodations, and return-to-work procedures. Serve as the subject matter expert on state, federal, and company leave policies and regulations. Continuously update company policies to reflect changing leave laws and regulations.
• Comply with Affordable Care Act and communicating ACA coverage.
• Maintain a wide variety of data in the benefit and HRIS systems by reviewing and verifying requested changes and entering data as required to ensure employee pay deductions are correct.
• Administration responsibilities such as open enrollment, reviewing monthly invoices for accuracy, audits to ensure benefits data in HRIS is accurate, and supporting benefits interfaces to carriers. This includes partnering with accounting & payroll departments for payments, billing, and deductions.
• In partnership with the Corporate HR Manager, manage the annual benefit open enrollment process, working with insurance brokers and carriers to negotiate plan details, manage renewals, and resolve provider issues.
• Provide information about benefit plans to employees through orientations, meetings, and written materials, explaining coverage options and helping them make informed decisions.
• Promote employee wellness initiatives and coordinate related activities.
• Maintain benefit and leave compliance for 11 states.
• Perform other duties as assigned by your supervisor.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in HR, Business Administration, or a related field. Additional years of experience or other training/certification may be substituted for education.
• 5 plus years of direct benefits experience, preferably experience and knowledge of self-funded benefit plans.
• Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS) can be beneficial.
• Strong ability to analyze data to identify trends and make informed recommendations regarding benefit plan design.
• Must handle sensitive information confidentially; conduct oneself with a high degree of integrity, discretion, accountability and trust.
• Ability to clearly understand and explain complex benefit information to employees at all levels, and effectively address employee concerns and inquiries related to benefits.
• Positive, enthusiastic collaborator willing to partner with others in HR to achieve results together.
• Proficient in using Microsoft and specifically Excel.
• Excellent customer service, writing, organizational, and communication skills.
• Full-time with a minimum of 3 days in the office each week.
• Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer.

Level Placement

Please update the level placement to say: Typically, depending on an applicant's education, experience, other qualifications they possess, if they are a fit for the company and local office culture, and the current business needs, typically would be placed at a Shannon & Wilson Office Services IV or V level with a salary range of $75,000 to $90,000 .

Shannon & Wilson offers a competitive benefits package to support our employees. These benefits include:

• Employee ownership
• Comprehensive medical, prescription, vision, and dental coverage.
• Pre-tax health and daycare FSA
• Life and disability insurance
• Long-term care insurance
• Profit sharing and 401(k) plans
• Paid time off for vacation and sick leave
• 10 paid holidays
• Paid volunteer day
• Free parking