Benefits Specialist

San DiegoHybridFull-time

AI Summary

A Benefits Specialist administers employee benefits and retirement programs, handling enrollments, qualifying life events, and terminations; serves as a primary point of contact for employee benefit inquiries; and supports open enrollment and process improvements.

About this role

Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest is one of the largest providers of sexual and reproductive healthcare in Southern California, operating 20 health centers throughout our three-county region. Check out our new video, "We are Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest” for more information about our organization: https://bit.ly/WeArePPPSW.

Care. No Matter What.

We are seeking a detail-oriented and service-focused Benefits Specialist to join our team and play a key role in delivering a seamless and engaging benefits experience for our employees. In this role, you will lead the day-to-day administration of employee benefits and retirement programs, including enrollments, qualifying life events, and terminations, while providing operational support for open enrollment. You will serve as a primary point of contact for employee benefit inquiries, ensuring timely, accurate, and helpful responses that enhance the employee experience.

The Benefits Specialist is responsible for maintaining the accuracy and integrity of benefits data within our HCM/benefits administration system and will partner closely with vendors, brokers, and Payroll to resolve issues efficiently and effectively. This role also drives process improvements to enhance operational efficiency and ensure compliance. A key component of the position includes supporting employee education by developing and delivering clear, accessible resources that help employees understand and maximize their benefits.

In addition to benefits administration, this role contributes to broader Talent Strategy initiatives by supporting job description-related work, managing pre-boarding activities for independent contractors, and providing overall support to the Talent Strategy team. The ideal candidate brings strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and a passion for delivering excellent employee service in a collaborative, fast-paced environment.

In this role, you'll get to:

Benefits Administration & Employee Support

Lead day-to-day administration of benefit enrollments, qualifying life events, and terminations; ensure timely and accurate updates in the HCM/benefits administration system.

Serve as a primary escalation point for complex employee benefit questions; provide clear guidance so employees can make informed benefit decisions.

Research and resolve coverage, claims, and billing issues by partnering directly with carriers, vendors, and brokers.

Develop and deliver ongoing benefits education, including employee-facing resources, communications and guidance, to support understanding and effective use of benefit programs.

Open Enrollment (Execution & Improvement)

Coordinate and execute operational components of the annual open enrollment process, including system readiness, audit and approval of changes, and employee-facing process support.

Identify and implement improvements to open enrollment workflows, documentation, and employee resources year over year.

Vendor, Broker & Third-Party Partnership

Manage ongoing relationships with benefit vendors and brokers to resolve eligibility, service, and billing issues and ensure smooth benefits administration.

Coordinate with third-party administrators (e.g., COBRA vendors) to monitor processes and support benefits compliance requirements.

Billing, Reconciliation & Data Integrity

Process, audit, and reconcile monthly benefit invoices; investigate discrepancies and partner with vendors and internal teams to resolve variances.

Support eligibility and data feeds (including EDI and non-EDI vendors) by auditing files and resolving data mismatches between systems and vendor records.

Partner closely with Payroll to support accurate benefit deductions and consistent application of benefits processes.

Benefits Systems & Documentation

Maintain the automated benefits administration system within the HCM by auditing data, reviewing and approving changes, and troubleshooting system issues.

Develop, maintain, and update benefits “how-to” guides and employee self-service resources; ensure internal benefits documentation remains accurate and accessible.

Cross-Functional Partnership & Process Improvement

Lead day-to-day benefits administration workflows and recommend process improvements that strengthen data accuracy, operational efficiency, and employee experience.

Job Description Support, Independent Contractor Pre-Boarding and Talent Strategy Department Support

Support job description-related work, including formatting, updates, version control, and coordination through review and approval processes.

Help manage pre-boarding activities for independent contractors, including coordination of required documentation, communication, and process tracking to support timely onboarding.

Provide day-to-day operational support to the Talent Strategy department, including scheduling, maintaining documents and trackers, preparing materials, routing items for review and follow-up, and responding to routine requests.

What we're looking for:

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience – Required

3+ years of benefits administration experience, including enrollments, qualifying life events, open enrollment execution, vendor coordination, and benefits systems support – Required

Strong working knowledge of benefit plan administration and HCM/benefits systems – Required

Skills

Benefits Administration SystemBenefits DataBrokersCOBRAHCMPayrollThird-party AdministratorsVendors

Benefits Specialist

About this role

In this role, you'll get to:

What we're looking for:

Skills

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