Benefits Specialist

Nielsen Consumer LLC; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 55,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a dedicated Benefits Specialist to enhance their benefit programs for thousands of employees. This role involves managing daily administrative tasks, providing exceptional support for inquiries, and ensuring smooth enrollment processes. With a focus on compliance and data accuracy, you will partner with vendors and utilize advanced tools to streamline operations. Join a dynamic team that values diversity and fosters a collaborative environment, where your contributions will directly impact employee satisfaction and well-being. If you are passionate about benefits administration and eager to make a difference, this opportunity is perfect for you.

Benefits

Flexible working environment

Comprehensive health insurance

Industry-leading parental leave

Life insurance

Education support

Qualifications

• 2+ years of experience in benefit plan administration.
• Strong Excel skills with experience in pivot tables and VLOOKUP.
• Understanding of benefit-related regulations like ERISA and ACA.

Responsibilities

• Provide excellent customer service for benefit inquiries.
• Maintain enrollment data and track leave of absence requests.
• Process tuition reimbursement applications and support retirement plans.

Skills

Excel

Analytical Skills

Customer Service

Problem Solving

Organizational Skills

Confidentiality

Service Mindset

Education

High School Diploma

Bachelor's Degree

Tools

Workday

MS Excel

MS Word

MS PowerPoint

SharePoint

ARIBA

Job description

Job Description

This Benefits Specialist will support the benefit processes for NIQ's US and Canadian benefit programs which cover approximately 3300 employees. This role is responsible for the day-to-day administrative tasks which support NIQ's benefit programs including medical, dental, vision, disability, life insurance, flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts, and retirement plans.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities

• Employee Support and Issue Resolution: Provide excellent customer service when responding to benefit related inquiries from employees, managers, HR, and vendors. Research issues when required and escalate to Benefits Program Manager or Benefits Director if necessary.
• Enrollment Data: Maintain enrollment data for the Canadian benefit programs for new hires and terminations.
• Leave of Absences: Respond to messages in the leave inbox. Track leave of absence requests. Keep leave status updated in the Workday HR system. Partner with vendors to ensure accurate data, clear employee communication, and excellent service to employees on LOA. Review LOA processes to determine process improvement opportunities.
• Tuition Reimbursement Program: Process applications, respond to questions, and ensure timely and accurate payments.
• Retirement Plans: Support initiatives related to day-to-day administration of the 401(k) and Canadian retirement plans.
• Invoice Support: Serve as back-up to the Benefits Coordinator when needed, including assisting with processing vendor invoices for payment, setting up new vendors in ARIBA, responding to questions from vendors, and resolving any payment discrepancies.
• Other: Support other benefit department initiatives and programs as needed.

Qualifications

• Minimum HS diploma, bachelor's degree preferred
• 2+ years of experience in supporting the administration of benefit plans including annual enrollment, annual and other periodic audits, partnering with vendors to conduct non-discrimination testing, leave of absence processes and communications, and creating training and communications materials for employees on company benefits and services
• Strong Excel and analytical skills and a proven track record of using Excel to analyze and compare datasets and identify discrepancies, including use of pivot tables and logic formulas such as VLOOKUP's, concatenate function, etc.
• Understanding of 401(k), ERISA, ACA, compliance, and other benefit-related regulations
• Experience with Workday or other HRIS systems and understanding of data integrations between HRIS system and vendor systems
• Superior attention to detail and focus on accuracy
• Proven ability to take initiative, resolve problems, and drive execution of deliverables
• Ability to prioritize work and adjust priorities as needed, with strong organizational and follow-up skills
• Ability to work with and maintain confidential information
• Ability to research independently and present findings in order to resolve questions and issues
• Exhibits a service-mindset in all interactions with internal and external contacts
• Proficient in MS Word, MS PowerPoint, SharePoint, and Excel
• Collaborative team player with the ability to pivot and be flexible in a fast-paced environment

Additional Information

This role has a market-competitive salary with an anticipated base compensation of the following range: $55,000-$65,000. Actual salaries will vary depending on a candidate's experience, qualifications, skills, and location. Other benefits include flexible working environment, comprehensive health insurance, industry-leading parental leave, life insurance, education support, and more.

About NIQ

NIQ is the world's leading consumer intelligence company, delivering the most complete understanding of consumer buying behavior and revealing new pathways to growth. In 2023, NIQ combined with GfK, bringing together the two industry leaders with unparalleled global reach. With a holistic retail read and the most comprehensive consumer insights-delivered with advanced analytics through state-of-the-art platforms-NIQ delivers the Full View. NIQ is an Advent International portfolio company with operations in 100+ markets, covering more than 90% of the world's population.

For more information, visit NIQ.com

Our commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

NIQ is committed to reflecting the diversity of the clients, communities, and markets we measure within our own workforce. We exist to count everyone and are on a mission to systematically embed inclusion and diversity into all aspects of our workforce, measurement, and products. We enthusiastically invite candidates who share that mission to join us. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action-Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability status, age, marital status, protected veteran status or any other protected class. Our global non-discrimination policy covers these protected classes in every market in which we do business worldwide.