Benefits Manager

Via Transportation, Inc.; New York, Northern (NY, KY); Hybrid; USD 80,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health coverage

Dental and vision plans

401(k) with match

Paid parental leave

Mental health benefits

Pet insurance

20 days PTO

Job summary

Via Transportation, Inc. is seeking a Benefits Manager to lead US and global health, welfare, retirement, and wellness programs.

You will optimize the employee benefits experience, ensure regulatory compliance, and support scalable programs for a growing team. This hands-on role requires managing open enrollments, leave requests, carrier billing audits, and clear employee communications while partnering with People Operations, payroll, and external partners to deliver competitive, compliant

Qualifications

• 4-6+ years in US benefits administration with self-insured plans.
• Strong knowledge of ERISA, ACA, HIPAA, FMLA, COBRA, FLSA.
• Experience with unionized employee populations and bargaining agreements.
• Excellent organizational and auditing skills for reconciliations.
• Proficiency with Workday Benefits Administration.
• Ability to translate complex benefits concepts into clear communications.
• Discretion handling confidential information and audits.
• Comfort with ambiguity and driving process improvements.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end benefits experience for employees, including enrollments and COBRA.
• Create clear employee communications, benefit booklets, and education sessions.
• Lead monthly carrier billing reconciliation and audits with payroll/finance.
• Ensure compliance with ERISA, ACA, HIPAA, COBRA, FMLA, and related laws.
• Maintain plan documents and manage Open Enrollment projects.
• Manage leave of absence workflows with People and Payroll.
• Audit HRIS data and carrier integrations.
• Liaise with brokers, carriers, 401(k) providers, and wellness vendors.
• Analyze utilization and benchmark to optimize plans and control costs.

Skills

Benefits administration

ERISA compliance

ACA/HIPAA/FMLA

Workday Benefits Administration

Carrier EDI feeds

Audit & reconciliation

Employee communications

Regulatory compliance

Unionized workforce experience

Tools

Workday HRIS

Payroll systems

Job description

Via is on a mission to create public transportation systems that provide far greater access to jobs, healthcare, and education. Our platform serves as the technology backbone for modern transit networks, transforming antiquated and siloed public transportation systems into smart, data-driven, and efficient digital networks. With hundreds of agency partners around the world, Via is recognized as the leading transportation technology and service provider globally.

As Via’s Benefits Manager, you will be supporting the strategy, administration and execution of our US and global health, welfare, retirement and wellness programs. This position is focused on optimizing the employee experience across the lifecycle, ensuring regulatory compliance, and supporting the scale of our benefits offerings to support our growing, dynamic team.

This is a hands‑on role— we’re a one‑team culture, and you’ll be rolling up your sleeves to support across the board, whether it’s executing annual open enrollments, managing complex leave requests, auditing carrier billing, or delivering clear employee communications. Collaborating closely with Via’s broader People Operations team, global payroll, and external partners, you’ll act as a subject matter expert and trusted resource, helping shape a competitive and exceptional benefits experience that aligns with Via’s mission.

What You’ll Do:

• Own the end to end benefits experience for employees, managing new hire enrollments, offboarding workflows, COBRA, life event changes and qualifying status updates.
• Serve as a thought support lead for day-to-day employee benefit inquiries, while creating clear, engaging employee communications, benefit booklets, policy guides, and education sessions.
• Lead monthly carrier billing reconciliation and audits across all plans, partnering with payroll and finance to ensure deduction and invoice accuracy.
• Support compliance with federal, state and local regulations (ERISA, ACA, HIPAA, COBRA, FMLA, SF HCSO, etc) managing required non‑discrimination testing, ACA reporting and required annual notice distributions.
• Maintain all plan documents (SPDs, SBC, plan summaries, etc) and lead the project management and execution of annual Open Enrollment, including HRIS system set up, broker liaison, and employee Q & A sessions.
• Assist with the administration of leave of absence workflows (FMLA, state paid family leave, STD/LTD, parental leave, and ADA accommodations) in close coordination with other members of the People and Payroll team.
• Manage benefit administration workflows and data integrity within our HRIS (Workday), auditing carrier integrations (EDI feeds).
• Act as a point of contact for benefits brokers, carriers, 401(k) recordkeepers, pension fund contacts, and wellness vendors, resolving claim escalations.
• Analyze program utilization, claims trends, employee feedback, and market benchmarking to partner with Director of People Operations on continuous plan optimization and cost‑containment initiatives.

Who You Are:

• 4-6+ years of dedicated experience in US benefits administration (preferably with self‑insured plans), plan design, and leave management in a fast‑paced environment.
• Deep, practical knowledge of employment and benefit laws (ERISA, ACA, HIPAA, FMLA, COBRA, FLSA) and experience executing non‑discrimination testing.
• Experience working with unionized employee populations and understanding of collective bargaining agreements.
• Highly organized with exceptional financial and auditing skills; meticulous when reconciling monthly carrier bills, payroll deductions, and employee census data.
• Proven proficiency with enterprise HRIS platforms (experience with Workday Benefits Administration and carrier EDI feeds is a strong plus).
• Ability to breakdown complex medical, financial and regulatory concepts into easy to understand, supportive communications for employees.
• Comfortable with ambiguity, flexible in adapting to changing needs, and proactive in driving process improvements alongside leadership.
• High integrity, discretion, and sound judgment when handling confidential material including medical records, sensitive employee situations, and compliance audits.

Compensation and Benefits:

• Final salary will be determined by the candidate’s experience, knowledge, and skills. Salary reflected does not include equity or variable pay, where applicable
• Salary Range: $80,000-$90,000 per year
• Comprehensive health coverage, with low‑cost dental and vision plans
• A 401(k) with a generous company match and vesting
• Fully paid parental leave for new parents, with extended leave options
• Additional benefits (mental health, pet insurance, and other wellness perks)
• 20 days of paid time off (PTO) annually

Via is an equal opportunity employer.