Associate Benefits Specialist

jacksonhealthcare; Alpharetta (GA); Hybrid; USD 42,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

Jackson Healthcare in Alpharetta, GA is seeking an Associate Benefits Specialist to support day-to-day administration of our health and welfare programs. This entry-level role handles onboarding, open enrollment, and routine inquiries while building a foundation in benefits administration within a shared services environment.

You will gain hands-on experience with benefits data entry, vendor communications, and leave processing, reporting to senior team members.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in HR, Business, or related field preferred; equivalent experience considered.
• 0-2 years of experience in HR, benefits, or a related administrative function.
• Exposure to HRIS or benefits administration systems.
• Coursework or certificate in Human Resources a plus.

Responsibilities

• Assist with day-to-day administration of health & welfare benefit programs under direct supervision.
• Enter and verify associate benefits data in internal and external benefits systems.
• Support new hire enrollments, qualifying life event changes, and termination processing.
• Respond to routine associate benefits inquiries, escalating complex issues to senior team members.
• Assist with maintaining and updating employee benefit files and record-keeping systems.
• Support open enrollment logistics, communications, and data entry.
• Help audit and reconcile vendor invoices under the direction of the Benefits Specialist or Manager.
• Assist with intake and initial processing of leave of absence requests.
• Support tracking of FMLA, STD, LTD, and state leave case timelines and documentation.
• Respond to routine associate questions regarding leave processes, escalating complex cases to senior analyst.
• Perform other administrative benefits duties as assigned.

Skills

Self-Development

Resourceful

Innovation

Quality

Decision-Making

Communication

Teamwork

Technical

Adaptability

Time Management

Customer Service

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR or Business

Coursework or HR certificate

Tools

Microsoft Office

HRIS

Job description

Overview

Jackson Healthcare and our family of companies provide healthcare systems, hospitals and medical facilities of all sizes with the skilled and specialized labor and technologies they need to deliver high quality patient care and achieve the best possible outcomes - while connecting healthcare professionals to the temporary engagements, contract assignments and permanent placement employment opportunities they desire.

Headquartered in metro Atlanta, we're powered by more than 2,600 associates and over 20,000 clinician providers covering all 50 U.S. states.

Our mission is to improve the delivery of patient care and the lives of everyone we touch. This includes the patients, clinicians and healthcare executives we work with through our companies every day, as well as our communities, the nonprofit organizations we support and each associate who is part of our family.

We're always looking to add new talent to our teams. We value diverse professionals at all levels and across multiple disciplines and areas of expertise, who have strong leadership skills, align with our culture, and are committed to excellence.

The Associate Benefits Specialist supports the day-to-day administration of the Company's health and welfare benefit programs, including the 401(k) plan, under the guidance of more senior team members. This entry-level role assists with new hire onboarding, annual open enrollment, and routine benefits inquiries, while building foundational knowledge of benefits administration in a shared services environment. Strong attention to detail, a customer-service mindset, and the ability to follow established procedures are essential.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• Assist with day-to-day administration of health & welfare benefit programs under direct supervision.
• Enter and verify associate benefits data in internal and external benefits systems.
• Support new hire enrollments, qualifying life event changes, and termination processing.
• Respond to routine associate benefits inquiries, escalating complex issues to senior team members.
• Assist with maintaining and updating employee benefit files and record-keeping systems.
• Support open enrollment logistics, communications, and data entry.
• Help audit and reconcile vendor invoices under the direction of the Benefits Specialist or Manager.
• Assist with intake and initial processing of leave of absence requests.
• Support tracking of FMLA, STD, LTD, and state leave case timelines and documentation.
• Respond to routine associate questions regarding leave processes, escalating complex cases to senior analyst.
• Perform other administrative benefits duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION, WORK EXPERIENCE, CERTIFICATIONS

REQUIRED

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business, or related field preferred; equivalent experience considered.
• 0-2 years of experience in HR, benefits, or a related administrative function.

PREFERRED

• Exposure to HRIS or benefits administration systems.
• Coursework or certificate in Human Resources a plus.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

• Self-Development: Learning to use professional concepts.
• Resourceful: Applies Company policies and procedures to routine tasks.
• Innovation: Handles problems of a limited scope.
• Quality: Delivers best effort yielding precise results. Work is evaluated by Management for errors.
• Decision-Making: Follows standard practices and procedures.
• Communication: Builds stable working relationships internally with effective communication.
• Teamwork: Generally receives detailed instructions on daily work and builds relationships with team members.
• Technical: Applies basic technical skills and tools required for the role. Follows established standards, procedures, and documentation. Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and other multi-carrier systems. Must be adaptable and willing to learn and leverage emerging AI technologies.
• Adaptability : Ability to embrace change and shift focus when unexpected work arises.
• Time Management : Ability to use discernment to prioritize tasks and decide what to focus on to maximize impact.
• Customer Service: Ability to actively seek to understand the needs of others and provide a positive experience that addresses their needs, questions, and concerns.

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS & WORKING CONDITIONS

Up to 5-10% travel may be required, primarily for leadership and Family of Companies engagement.

This position operates in a typical hybrid or office environment.

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions and fingers to operate a computer keyboard, mouse, and other offices.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit for extended periods; frequently required to use hand equipment; and regularly required to talk and hear to communicate with co