Associate Director of Benefits

St. John; New York (NY); On-site; USD 100,000 - 122,000; Full time

Job summary

St. John's University is seeking an Associate Director of Benefits to oversee advanced benefits administration, including leaves, ADA accommodations, and retirement programs.

This role serves as a senior SME and operational lead for health and welfare benefits, guiding complex matters and ensuring compliance. The position reports to the Director of Benefits and supports enrollment, vendor coordination, and data management within Banner HRIS.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; Master's preferred.
• SPHR/PHR/SHRM/CEBS certification a plus.
• Experience in employee benefits administration and higher education is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Administer and manage day-to-day benefits operations across health, life, disability, and retirement programs.
• Lead leaves of absence (FMLA, NYPFL) and ADA accommodations processes.
• Coordinate with HR, GC, and campus stakeholders for compliant benefits delivery.
• Provide retirement counseling and manage 403(b) plan administration.
• Support Open Enrollment activities and benefits reporting/audits.

Skills

Benefits administration

Communication

Customer service

Analytical skills

Discretion

Independent work

Collaboration

MS Office

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree preferred

HR certifications (SPHR/PHR/SHRM/CEBS)

Tools

Banner HRIS

Job description

Associate Director of Benefits

St. John's University

Salary: $110,600.00 Annually

Job Type: Full-Time Administrator

Job Number: 202600058

Location: Queens Campus, NY

St. John's, established in 1870, has two New York City campuses;international locations in Rome, Italy; Limerick, Ireland; andParis, France; and study abroad locations around the world. ThePrinceton Review and other top rankings consistently recognize theUniversity's outstanding academics, diverse student body, dynamicinternship, and volunteer opportunities, focus on student life, anddiverse study abroad offerings. St. John's University offers morethan 100 undergraduate and graduate programs in its six collegesand schools, with a growing number of programs offered online. TheUniversity is accredited by the Middle States Commission on HigherEducation and 12 other major academic and professionalassociations.

A dedication to diversity, equity and inclusion is at the heart ofour mission. As a Catholic and Vincentian university, St. John's iscommitted to institutionalizing practices of inclusive excellenceto ensure that we welcome and celebrate the intrinsic worth of allmembers of our community. We will become an even strongeruniversity as we enhance equity at every level of ourinstitution.Our graduates will excel in the competencies and valuesneeded for leadership and service in a rapidly evolvingworld.

Job Summary

This position reports to the Director of Benefits and isresponsible for providing advanced-level administration andoversight of the University's employee benefits programs. TheAssociate Director is responsible for the day-to-day management ofkey benefits operations, including leaves of absence, ADAaccommodations, retirement programs, and designatedcompliance-related benefits activities. The Associate Directorfunctions as a senior subject-matter expert and primary operationallead, carrying a significant casework portfolio while also servingas a strategic and operational backup to the Director. This rolesupports the effective administration, compliance, and delivery ofhealth and welfare benefits and provides guidance to employees oncomplex benefits matters.

Job Responsibilities

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals withdisabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Administer and manage day-to-day benefits operations, includinggroup health/medical/dental coverage, life insurance, disabilityinsurance, leaves of absence, unemployment, workers' compensation,403(b) retirement plan, flexible spending plans, and othervoluntary benefits.
• Serve as the primary administrator for leaves of absence,including FMLA, NYPFL, disability, and other statutory andinstitutional leave programs.
• Manage the University's ADA accommodation process, includinginteractive process coordination, documentation, and compliancewith applicable federal, state, and local laws.
• Assist with administration of 403(b) plan, including: automaticenrollments, deferral changes, non-discrimination testing, audits,government filings.
• Collaborate closely with partners across Human Resources, theOffice of General Counsel, and other University stakeholders toensure coordinated and compliant handling of employee matters,particularly where leaves of absence, ADA accommodations,performance concerns, and complaints of bias, discrimination, orretaliation intersect.
• Present and provide benefits overview at new hireorientations.
• Provide retirement counseling to employees, including guidanceon 403(b) and supplemental retirement plans, and coordinate withplan vendors as needed.
• Manage the HR-administered portion of the Tuition ExchangeProgram, specifically overseeing outbound (export) applications forUniversity employees.
• Conduct complex benefits case management, resolving employeeissues with professionalism, discretion, and sound judgment.
• Serve as a key resource for interpreting benefits policies,procedures, and applicable laws and regulations.
• Assist the Director of Benefits in ensuring compliance with allapplicable benefits-related laws, including the Affordable Care Act(ACA), ERISA, ADA, FMLA, and other relevant regulations.
• Support benefits-related reporting, audits, invoices,reconciliations, and documentation, including coordination withPayroll/HRIS, Business Affairs, and external vendors.
• Assist with the administration of the annual Open Enrollmentprocess, including coordination with vendors, system updates, andemployee communications.
• Partner with the Director on benefits projects,implementations, and process improvements.
• Act as a backup to the Director of Benefits in their absence or as delegated, ensuring continuity of operations.
• Provide guidance and support to the Benefits Representative,and assist in ensuring timely and accurate responses to employeeinquiries, benefits inbox management, and data entry in Banner (theUniversity's HRIS).
• Maintain accurate and confidential benefits records inaccordance with University policies and legal requirements.

Competencies, Education, Experience

• Strong knowledge of employee benefits administration, includinghealth and welfare plans and retirement programs.
• Demonstrated experience engaging in an interactive process forleaves of absence and ADA accommodations in a collaborative,well-documented, and legally compliant manner, includingeffectively partnering with managers and other stakeholders toassess operational needs while ensuring fair and equitableoutcomes.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiplecomplex cases simultaneously.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Exceptional customer service and employee-facing communicationskills.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-makingabilities.
• High level of discretion and experience handling confidentialand sensitive information.
• Ability to work independently while exercising soundjudgment.
• Effective collaboration and interpersonal skills.
• Proficiency with MS Excel, Word, PowerPoint.

• Experience with Banner HRIS systems a plus
• Bachelor's degree required, Master's degree preferred. SPHR,PHR, SHRM or CEBS Certification a plus.
• Minimum of 4 years of progressively responsible experience inemployee benefits administration required, including directexperience with leave management, ADA accommodations, andretirement programs.
• Experience working in higher education preferred.

Supplemental Information

Supervisory Responsibility This position does not have direct supervisory responsibility butprovides functional guidance and support to the BenefitsRepresentative and may assist the Director of Benefits incoordinating team workflows and priorities.

Work Environment This position operates in a professional office environment and isrequired to use standard office equipment such as personalcomputers, printers, etc.

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work This is a full-time position. Days and hours of work are Mondaythrough Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This role may be eligiblefor hybrid/remote work 1-2 days per week after a 3-monthorientation period, with the understanding that the person in rolewill be required to report to campus for trainings, workshops, andother work-related meetings or events as determined by businessneeds or other circumstances.

Travel Travel is primarily local and may include visits to the other NYcampuses.

*Important Note- St. John's is NOT an E-VerifyEmployer

St. John's offers a competitive compensation program which iscommensurate with your qualifications, experience, and contingentupon the departmental budget. St. John's University considersfactors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities ofthe position, candidate's work experience, education/training, keyskills, internal peer equity, as well as market and organizationalconsiderations when extending an offer.

We also offer an extremely comprehensive benefits program to meetthe diverse needs of our workforce. Along with exceptional benefits such as medical, dental, life insurance, long term disability insurance, tuition remission, generous 403(b) employercontribution, employee assistance program, and liberal paid timeoff policies, faculty and staff can also enjoy St. John'sperforming arts, libraries, bookstores, dining facilities, campusrecreation and sporting events

Any offer of employment is subject to receipt by St. John'sUniversity of satisfactory references, verification of employmentand education.

St. Johns University is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Allqualified applicants will receive consideration without regard torace, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity,national or ethnic origin, age, status as an individual with adisability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristicprotected by law.