Benefits Specialist - Total Rewards

At Total Care Connections, our mission is to enrich lives by providing compassionate, person-centered care that empowers individuals to remain safe, independent, and connected to their communities. We know that fulfilling this mission begins with caring for the people who make it possible—our employees. As a Benefits Specialist, you play a meaningful role in supporting our team by ensuring they have access to the benefits, resources, and guidance they need to thrive. Through exceptional service, empathy, and attention to detail, you help create a positive employee experience that enables our caregivers and staff to continue making a difference in the lives of those we serve every day.

Job Summary

The Benefits Specialist is responsible for the administration and ongoing management of the organization’s employee benefits, retirement plans, leave programs, workers’ compensation, and related compliance activities. This role ensures programs are administered accurately, consistently, and in coordination with payroll.

The Benefits Specialist serves as a key resource for employees and partners closely with HR leadership, payroll, insurance brokers, third-party administrators, carriers, and other vendors. The position is also cross-trained to support payroll operations and provide continuity during absences or transitions.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Benefits and Retirement Administration

• Administer health, welfare, retirement, and voluntary benefit programs throughout the employee lifecycle.
• Manage eligibility, enrollment, qualifying life events, terminations, continuation coverage, and employee benefits data.
• Coordinate annual open enrollment, including planning, system administration, employee communication, and enrollment review.
• Support retirement plan administration, required filings, annual testing, participant transactions, and compliance obligations.

Leave, Compliance, and Workers’ Compensation

• Administer federal, state, and company leave programs while coordinating documentation, benefit continuation, payroll impact, and return-to-work requirements.
• Manage workers’ compensation reporting, claims coordination, employee follow-up, and return-to-work clearances.
• Maintain applicable benefits and regulatory compliance records, including ACA reporting, OSHA recordkeeping, audits, and carrier reviews.

Payroll and Operational Support

• Reconcile benefit elections, deductions, and retirement contributions with payroll and address discrepancies.
• Serve as a cross-trained payroll partner and provide payroll processing support during absences, transitions, or periods of increased need.
• Maintain accurate records and ensure benefit- and leave-related changes are communicated to payroll in a timely manner.

Employee and Vendor Partnership

• Serve as a subject-matter resource for employee questions related to benefits, retirement, and leave programs.
• Partner with brokers, carriers, third-party administrators, and retirement plan vendors to support plan administration and resolve issues.
• Develop and deliver clear, timely employee education and program communications.

Required Skills and Abilities

• Strong knowledge of U.S. benefits administration and its integration with payroll.
• Working knowledge of ACA, ERISA, COBRA, FMLA, OSHA, workers’ compensation, and multi-state leave requirements.
• General knowledge of applicable federal and state wage-and-hour requirements.
• Strong analytical, auditing, and reconciliation skills.
• High level of accuracy, organization, and attention to detail.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and recurring deadlines in a high-volume environment.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with a service-oriented approach.
• Ability to handle confidential information with discretion, integrity, and professionalism.
• Ability to work effectively in a growing and evolving organization.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Accounting, or a related field preferred.
• At least two years of benefits administration experience required.
• Payroll processing experience strongly preferred.
• Experience supporting multi-state benefits, payroll, or leave administration preferred.

If our mission resonates with you and you're passionate about supporting the employees who make our care possible, we'd love to hear from you!