Benefits Specialist

About the role

We are looking for a Benefits Specialist to support benefits and leave administration for a Seattle, Washington team in a Long-term Contract position. This role is ideal for someone who can combine strong technical knowledge of health, welfare, retirement, and leave programs with responsive employee support and precise operational execution. The position will play a key part in maintaining compliant processes, improving documentation, and working closely with payroll, compliance, vendors, and internal partners to deliver a smooth employee benefits experience.

Responsibilities

• Act as a primary resource for employees and internal stakeholders on medical, welfare, retirement, and leave programs, providing guidance on eligibility, coverage details, and plan rules.
• Manage daily benefits operations by coordinating with payroll and external providers to ensure enrollments, deductions, and related transactions are processed accurately.
• Monitor and respond to employee questions related to enrollment for new employees, qualifying life events, annual enrollment, and ongoing benefits support through shared service channels.
• Help drive annual enrollment activities by preparing updates, validating system configurations, testing vendor platforms, and supporting clear communication to employees.
• Maintain benefits systems, summary materials, and formal plan documentation so records remain current, accurate, and accessible.
• Support regulatory adherence by reviewing benefits data, assisting with required testing and audits, and partnering with compliance teams on federal and state obligations.
• Oversee benefits payroll files, arrears tracking, and direct billing coordination in partnership with leave administration to promote timely and accurate collections.
• Work closely with leave specialists on policy administration and employee support for protected leave programs, paid parental leave, military leave, and state-required leave offerings.
• Improve operational efficiency by identifying process enhancements, updating standard operating procedures, and assisting with payroll recovery and benefits reconciliation when needed.

Requirements

• Demonstrated experience administering employee benefit programs, including health and welfare and retirement plans.
• Working knowledge of leave programs such as FMLA and other state or employer-sponsored leave policies.
• Strong understanding of benefits compliance requirements and experience supporting audits, testing, or regulatory reporting activities.
• Ability to coordinate effectively with payroll, vendors, compliance partners, and internal stakeholders across benefits-related processes.
• Experience handling employee inquiries with professionalism, accuracy, and strong customer service judgment.
• Proficiency in benefits analysis and benefits coordination, with the ability to manage detailed data and documentation.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to maintain procedures, manage competing priorities, and support process improvements.

Skills

• Familiarity with reporting and analytical tools such as Power BI is preferred.

Benefits

• Medical, vision, dental, and life and disability insurance.
• Eligibility to enroll in the company 401(k) plan.