Job Summary:
The Benefits Analyst is responsible for the administration, analysis, communication, and continuous improvement of an assigned portfolio of benefit programs. Assigned programs may include health and welfare, retirement, leave of absence, disability, executive benefits, Workday Benefits processes, or other benefit programs.
Each Benefits Analyst serves as the primary owner of designated programs, vendors, and processes while developing sufficient cross-functional knowledge to provide backup support across other benefit areas. The position works with the Benefits Manager, Benefits Lead, HRIS, Payroll, Finance, HR, Legal, vendors, and other stakeholders to ensure benefit programs are administered accurately, efficiently, and in accordance with plan provisions, Company policies, and applicable requirements.
Key Responsibilities:
Portfolio and Program Ownership
- Own the day-to-day administration of assigned benefit programs, processes, and vendors.
- Maintain expertise in assigned primary areas while developing working knowledge of other benefit programs.
- Interpret plan provisions, eligibility rules, policies, and administrative procedures.
- Monitor recurring, annual, and event-driven requirements associated with assigned programs.
- Maintain accurate program records, supporting documentation, calendars, procedures, and controls.
- Provide backup coverage for designated secondary programs.
- Identify administrative gaps, operational risks, and opportunities for improvement.
- Support benefit program changes, implementations, renewals, and special projects.
Health and Welfare Administration
- Administer assigned medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, life, disability, HSA, FSA, COBRA, and voluntary benefit programs.
- Review and resolve enrollment, eligibility, coverage, and deduction discrepancies.
- Coordinate eligibility and enrollment information with carriers and administrators.
- Review carrier files, error reports, and administrative reports.
- Support ACA administration, data validation, and reporting activities.
- Assist with benefit plan changes, vendor implementations, renewals, communications, and audits.
Leave and Disability Administration
- Administer or provide support for leave of absence, disability, and accommodation processes.
- Coordinate with leave and disability vendors, HR, Payroll, Legal, HRIS, and operational partners.
- Review leave-related benefit events, eligibility, deductions, and reinstatement activity.
- Support benefit continuation and premium collection during and following leave.
- Research and resolve leave-related benefit and payroll discrepancies.
- Maintain complete and confidential records.
- Identify opportunities to improve consistency, reduce manual work, and improve the colleague experience.
Retirement and Executive Benefit Administration
- Administer or provide backup support for 401(k), executive, deferred compensation, and related programs.
- Support eligibility, contributions, funding, elections, distributions, recordkeeping, and participant communications.
- Perform contribution and funding reconciliations and research discrepancies.
- Coordinate with recordkeepers, auditors, advisors, Payroll, Finance, Legal, and other partners.
- Support required audits, testing, annual notices, filings, and compliance activities.
- Assist with committee reports, meeting materials, minutes, action tracking, and fiduciary records.
- Maintain accurate documentation and operating calendars for assigned programs.
Workday Responsibilities
- Participate in testing for Open Enrollment, system releases, plan changes, and enhancements.
- Document test scenarios, outcomes, issues, and corrective actions.
- Research Workday errors and coordinate resolution with the Benefits Lead and HRIS.
- Perform benefit data audits and identify opportunities to reduce manual intervention.
- Support development and maintenance of Workday-related procedures.
Vendor Management
- Serve as the primary operational contact for assigned vendors.
- Monitor vendor service, open cases, reporting, deadlines, and commitments.
- Coordinate resolution of file errors, coverage issues, administrative discrepancies, and colleague escalations.
- Participate in vendor meetings, audits, implementations, and process reviews.
- Review vendor reporting and identify recurring issues or trends.
- Escalate significant service, financial, compliance, or operational concerns.
Billing, Funding, and Reconciliation
- Review or provide second-level review of assigned benefit invoices and funding activities.
- Provide technical guidance to the Benefits Assistant on billing and reconciliation questions.
- Escalate material or recurring discrepancies to the Benefits Lead.
Benefits Mailbox and Colleague Support
- Provide backup and escalation support for the shared Benefits mailbox.
- Research and respond to inquiries requiring program expertise or interpretation.
- Resolve complex eligibility, enrollment, coverage, leave, retirement, and deduction issues.
- Review cases escalated by the Benefits Assistant.
- Coordinate responses with vendors and internal partners.
- Identify recurring inquiries and recommend improvements to communications, processes, or self-service resources.
- Maintain confidentiality and exercise sound judgment when handling sensitive information.
Open Enrollment
- Support annual Open Enrollment planning and execution.
- Participate in Workday testing, data validation, vendor coordination, communications, presentations, and colleague support.
- Own assigned Open Enrollment deliverables.
- Track issues and ensure corrections are completed.
- Complete post-enrollment audits and vendor reconciliation.
- Help maintain enrollment procedures and supporting documentation.
Compliance and Audits
- Support compliance with ERISA, ACA, HIPAA, COBRA, FMLA, IRS requirements, and applicable state requirements.
- Perform audits and data-validation activities for assigned programs.
- Support annual notices, regulatory filings, plan audits, vendor audits, and information requests.
- Maintain complete and accurate supporting documentation.
- Identify discrepancies or control gaps and complete assigned corrective actions.
- Escalate potential compliance issues promptly.
Analysis, Communications, and Process Improvement
- Analyze benefit data, service issues, operational trends, and process results.
- Prepare reports, summaries, presentations, and recommendations.
- Develop and maintain benefit communications, colleague resources, and intranet content.
- Support educational webinars, presentations, and benefit campaigns.
- Develop and maintain work instructions and process documentation.
- Identify opportunities for automation, simplification, improved controls, and better colleague service.
- Participate in implementation of approved improvements.
Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
- Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Finance, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
- Three or more years of progressive experience in benefits administration, leave administration, retirement administration, HR operations, or a related area.
- Experience with Workday Benefits or a comparable HRIS platform preferred.
- Experience with benefit audits, reconciliations, vendor files, billing, funding, or regulatory requirements preferred.
- Experience administering multiple benefit programs preferred.
- Working knowledge of health and welfare, retirement, leave, and disability programs.
- Working knowledge of ERISA, ACA, HIPAA, COBRA, FMLA, IRS regulations, and applicable state requirements.
- Ability to interpret plan documents, policies, administrative procedures, reports, and system results.
- Strong analytical, reconciliation, research, and problem-solving skills.
- Strong attention to detail and commitment to accuracy.
- Ability to manage multiple deadlines and recurring work cycles.
- Strong written, verbal, interpersonal, and customer-service skills.
- Ability to work effectively with colleagues, vendors, and cross-functional partners.
- Ability to maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive information appropriately.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel, Outlook, Word, and PowerPoint.
- Demonstrated accountability and consistent follow-through.
Portfolio Flexibility
Primary portfolio assignments will be established separately from the job description. One Analyst may have primary responsibility for leave and disability, while the other may have primary responsibility for health and welfare, retirement, and executive benefits. Both Analysts will be assigned backup responsibilities to support continuity and workload flexibility.
All items listed above are illustrative and not comprehensive. They are not contractual in nature and are subject to change at the discretion of Ilitch Holdings, Inc.
Ilitch Holdings, Inc. is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regards to that individual’s race, color, religion or creed, national origin or ancestry, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical or mental disability, veteran status, genetic information, ethnicity, citizenship, or any other characteristic protected by law.
The Company will strive to provide reasonable accommodations to permit qualified applicants who have a need for an accommodation to participate in the hiring process (e.g., accommodations for a job interview) if so requested.
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