Benefits Partner

About the role

As a Benefits Partner at Northern Tool + Equipment, your top priority is the day-to-day administration of benefits and leave programs, ensuring a positive employee experience and operational accuracy. This role owns core processes, serves as the primary contact for tier-2 inquiries, and collaborates with vendors to resolve standard issues independently. You will maintain HRIS workflows, ensure data integrity, own system setup for annual open enrollment, and develop impactful communications for employee benefits education and enrollment. Additionally, you will support operational execution of various benefits projects, such as audits and data remediation.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary contact for leave programs, independently partnering with HRBPs, managers, and employees to guide them through policies, timelines, and next steps to conclusion.
• Administer daily operations for medical, dental, vision, life, AD&D, disability, voluntary benefits, consumer accounts, and retirement plans from onboarding through termination.
• Lead the annual Open Enrollment system setup, partnering closely with the vendor during the discovery phase, loading rates, and driving rigorous system testing and data validation for a successful implementation.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for benefits within the HRIS and benefit platforms, resolving data errors and tracking discrepancies independently.
• Ensure data movement and system integrity processes, including accurate, timely, and reconciled inbound and outbound vendor feeds without supervisory oversight.
• Manage timesheet tracking and internal records for continuous and intermittent leaves of absence to safeguard payroll accuracy.
• Monitor local, state, and national leave legislation (FMLA, ADA, USERRA, state disability) and independently implement operational updates or flag compliance risks to leadership.
• Resolve tier-2 benefits inquiries with accurate guidance, utilizing independent judgment to solve standard issues and escalating only complex policy exceptions or legal risks.
• Execute assigned rotations for payroll process data loads and file management accurately and on schedule.
• Coordinate the death-in-service process independently with professionalism, accuracy, and appropriate sensitivity.
• Identify and directly implement process optimizations to improve efficiency, reduce error rates, and enhance the employee experience.
• Draft, design, and maintain benefit-related presentations, communications, and guides to ensure clear employee understanding and high enrollment engagement.
• Lead targeted and ad hoc benefits projects, including benefit plan audits, census file cleanups, system remediation, and other operational initiatives supporting accurate and efficient benefits administration.
• Maintain accurate, secure, and confidential employee records across all platforms.
• Provide outcome-focused updates to the supervisor regarding resolved risks, completed milestones, and project execution statuses.
• Coordinate with team members to ensure unified service delivery and cross-functional support.

Requirements

• Demonstrates Northern Tool + Equipment’s 12 Core Competencies.

About Us

Northern Tool + Equipment is a family business with roots stretching back three generations to Minnesota’s Iron Range, where our blue-collar work ethic and commitment to serving the people who do the tough jobs was born. Our mission is to be the best in the world at serving the professional tradespeople and those who want to work like them. With over 130 retail stores across 24 states, top national brands, and global manufacturing operations designed to create our own specialized tools and equipment, we are dedicated to delivering the products, prices, and advice our customers need to succeed.

Pay

Competitive pay ranging from $68,000 to $95,000 annually, personalized based on your skills, experience, and location.

Schedule

Full-time, 8-hour shifts, Monday – Friday, with a hybrid work schedule allowing both remote and in-office work.

Benefits

• Comprehensive health plans (medical, dental, vision) for employees working 30+ hours per week.
• 401(k) plan with an enhanced company match to support your financial future.
• Generous employee discount on quality tools and equipment.
• Daily Pay option for accessing earnings as needed.
• 7 paid federal holidays.
• Eligible incentive programs.