Benefits Specialist

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; Brookline (MA); On-site; USD 71,000 - 78,000; Full time

Job summary

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston seeks a Benefits Specialist to administer and support health, retirement, educational benefits, childcare programs, and other offerings, serving as the primary employee contact.

You will partner with Payroll, Finance, HRIS, and external vendors to ensure accurate processing, support audits and nondiscrimination testing, and participate in open enrollment and employee education efforts, delivering a high-quality employee experience.

Qualifications

• High school diploma required; Bachelor's degree preferred.
• 2+ years of progressive employee benefits experience; 3 years preferred.
• Experience in benefits operations, compliance, and vendor management.

Responsibilities

• Provide one-on-one benefits education and enrollment assistance.
• Process benefits transactions with accurate data and SLA adherence.
• Collaborate with Payroll, Finance, HRIS, and vendors to resolve issues.
• Support benefit plan audits and nondiscrimination testing.
• Assist with open enrollment and employee education initiatives.
• Escalate complex issues to HRIS or senior analysts as needed.

Skills

Benefits administration

Customer service

Analytical thinking

HRIS proficiency

MS Office

Communication skills

Education

High school diploma

Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Finance, or related field

Tools

Workday

PeopleSoft

Oracle HRIS

Job description

The Benefits Specialist provides comprehensive support for the administration and delivery of the Institute’s employee benefit programs, including health and welfare, retirement, educational benefits, childcare programs, and other benefit offerings. This role serves as a primary point of contact for employees, providing responsive and accurate guidance on benefits questions, plan provisions, enrollment processes, and benefits-related transactions while ensuring a high-quality employee experience.

The Benefits Specialist performs day-to-day benefits administration activities, supports compliance-related processes, assists with audits and nondiscrimination testing, and partners with internal teams and external vendors to resolve issues and ensure accurate processing. This position maintains a strong understanding of benefit plans, policies, procedures, and systems while identifying opportunities for process improvements and supporting benefits initiatives, system enhancements, and employee education efforts.

Located in Boston and the surrounding communities, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is a leader in life changing breakthroughs in cancer research and patient care. We are united in our mission of conquering cancer, HIV/AIDS, and related diseases. We strive to create an inclusive, diverse, and equitable environment where we provide compassionate and comprehensive care to patients of all backgrounds, and design programs to promote public health particularly among high-risk and underserved populations. We conduct groundbreaking research that advances treatment, we educate tomorrow's physician/researchers, and we work with amazing partners, including other Harvard Medical School-affiliated hospitals.

• Provide one-on-one customer service and support for routine and non-routine benefits matters, including benefits education, plan interpretation, enrollment assistance, and resolution of escalated Benefits COE tickets in accordance with established service level agreements (SLAs). Partner with the Benefits Analyst and Senior Benefits Analyst on more complex issues as needed.
• Perform benefits administration activities supporting health and welfare benefits, retirement plans, educational benefits, childcare programs, and other benefit offerings, ensuring accurate and timely transaction processing.
• Maintain working knowledge of benefit plans and systems, serving as the first point of contact for troubleshooting benefits-related system issues and escalating complex matters to HRIS or the Benefits Analyst as appropriate.
• Support benefit plan audits, nondiscrimination testing, and related data gathering, research, and employee communications.
• Collaborate with Payroll, Finance, HRIS, Information Systems, and external vendors to ensure accurate processing of benefits transactions, research discrepancies, and coordinate issue resolution.
• Participate in employee education initiatives, including new hire orientation, benefits presentations, annual open enrollment, benefits fairs, and employee communications.
• Support the implementation of HR and benefits initiatives, including plan enhancements, wellness and well-being programs, and other strategic projects.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities Required

• Demonstrated knowledge of employee benefit programs, benefits administration processes, policies, procedures, and benefits systems, with experience supporting system enhancements, upgrades, and user acceptance testing (UAT) preferred.
• Excellent customer service, interpersonal, and communication skills, with the ability to provide responsive support, build strong working relationships, and effectively de-escalate sensitive or complex situations.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to identify and resolve non-routine issues, exercise sound judgment, and escalate matters appropriately.
• High level of discretion, professionalism, and integrity, with the ability to maintain confidentiality while handling sensitive employee and organizational information.
• Exceptional organizational skills with strong attention to detail, accuracy, and the ability to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and follow through on commitments.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Outlook, Excel, and Word, HRIS platforms (e.g., Workday, Peoplesoft, Oracle), and the ability to quickly learn and effectively utilize HR, benefits, and vendor systems.
• Strong team player and ability to build working relationships within and across teams

Minimum Job Qualifications

• High school diploma required. Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Finance, or related field preferred.
• 2 years of progressive employee benefits experience, including benefits operations, compliance, vendor management, and complex project execution required. 3 years of experience preferred.

PATIENT CONTACT: None

At Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, we work every day to create an innovative, caring, and inclusive environment where every patient, family, and staff member feels they belong. As relentless as we are in our mission to reduce the burden of cancer for all, we are committed to having faculty and staff who offer multifaceted experiences. Cancer knows no boundaries and when it comes to hiring the most dedicated and compassionate professionals, neither do we. If working in this kind of organization inspires you, we encourage you to apply.

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is an equal opportunity employer and affirms the right of every qualified applicant to receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, national origin, sexual orientation, genetic information, disability, age, ancestry, military service, protected veteran status, or other characteristics protected by law.

EEO Poster

Pay Transparency Statement

The hiring range is based on market pay structures, with individual salaries determined by factors such as business needs, market conditions, internal equity, and based on the candidate’s relevant experience, skills and qualifications.

For union positions, the pay range is determined by the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

$71,000.00 - $77,700.00