Senior Benefits Specialist
Pay rate: £22 per hour PAYE
Location: Chester (Hybrid working 2-3 days in the office and the rest remote)
Duration: 12 months
Hours: 35 hours per week
Responsible for execution and administration of the benefits and retirement program, including health & welfare, savings plans, and wellness.
Responsibilities:
• Responsible for the effective, end to end operation of benefits programs for assigned markets, ensuring efficiency and positive customer experience
• Understand, interpret, and effectively communicate benefit plan provisions, policies, programs, process and practice as the escalation point for Key Business Partners and for the resolution of Tier 2 benefits enquiries or needs
• Proactively document all processes and activities, drafting and updating LWI’s (Local Work Instructions), training materials and Knowledge Articles, including defining streamlined processes for all applicable scenarios
• Drive the implementation of new benefits / benefit design and process changes into operational systems, as well as undertaking process improvement activities and other projects related to benefit programs
• Execute and administer day to day activities related to benefit plan eligibility, enrolments, status changes, terminations and claims, including as needed:
- Liaising with system providers, local brokers and vendors
- Actioning monthly changes in provider portals
- Reviewing and reconciling system generated reports, data feeds and integrations
- Administering invoicing and payment processes for regional and some local vendors including raising POs, validating invoice specifications and tracking payments, etc. within the defined vendor management framework
- Logging, managing and monitoring through to resolution any deviations from agreed service standards
- Administering some social security programs
• Manage the end-to-end process for enrolment windows in partnership with benefits system provider and Benefits Strategy and Delivery Management teams, and agree and maintain annual calendars of activities
• Research, problem-solve and respond on issues related to benefit programs, objectives and procedures raised by employees, HR and third-party vendors (Includes brokers, insurance providers, regulatory agencies, etc.)
• Review system generated correspondence and communications, vendor websites (including benefits enrolment tools) and benefits content on the HR portal, to ensure these are current, accurate and market relevant, and support employee self-service, recommending and implementing updates as needed
• Assist with compliance and governance of all total rewards plans and programs including identifying risks, participating in audits and recommending and delivering corrective actions
• Collaborate with Benefits Strategy and Strategic Delivery Management teams to develop, operationalize and deliver enterprise-wide solutions
• Identify and recommend opportunities for improvements in existing People Services systems and processes
• Develop, specify and implement recommendations for global benefits administration systems changes, prepare change request documentation and support implementation
• Manage and perform testing activities for benefits administration systems implementations, changes and ongoing enhancements
• Train team members, and HRAs on benefit topics, processes and changes
• Complete annual Benefit Surveys, as required
Desired Experience
Must have requirements:
• Language Requirements: Proficiency in English required plus another European language is a plus
• Bachelor's degree from an accredited university/college or equivalent experience
• In depth experience in Benefits Administration
• General knowledge and understanding of HR policies, processes, regional Employment Laws and Benefits legislative requirements for the relevant region
• Proficiency in Excel, particularly vlookups and pivot tables, and other Microsoft Office applications
• Experience working in a multi-cultural/multi-country work environment
• Ability to network across a global organization in order to align with organization objectives and strategy
Ideal Candidates Would Also Have:
• Practical operational experience of other HR processes, e.g., talent acquisition, payroll, performance
• Experience working within an HR Shared Services delivery model
• Experience working with Workday, ServiceNow, Darwin, Morneau Shepell’s Ariel
• Experience in coaching others to build capabilities or enhance functional depth