Benefits Specialist

Gifthealth Inc; Columbus (OH); Hybrid; USD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Gifthealth Inc. in Columbus, OH is seeking a Benefits Specialist to administer and support our employee benefits programs, including health, welfare, retirement, and leave of absence plans.

You will ensure accurate enrollment, maintain benefits data in the HRIS, and provide guidance to employees and managers. The role partners with Total Rewards and HR teams to ensure compliance with FMLA, ADA, COBRA, and ACA, while coordinating open enrollment and annual plan changes.

Qualifications

• 2–4 years of full-time benefits support and/or administration experience.
• Experience supporting open enrollment activities with brokers, carriers, and third-party administrators.
• Experience administering FMLA, medical, personal, and disability leaves with proper documentation.
• Knowledge of health/welfare benefits, retirement plans (e.g., 401(k)), and related laws (FMLA, COBRA, ACA, HIPAA, ADA).
• HRIS and benefits administration systems to maintain accurate employee data and vendor communications.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Administers employee benefit enrollments and eligibility by updating data in the HRIS and coordinating with vendors.
• Provides employee and manager support for plan provisions, enrollments, status changes, and claims issues.
• Coordinates benefits enrollments and life event changes with carriers and vendors.
• Conducts quality audits of benefits data to ensure accuracy and compliance.
• Processes leave-of-absence, workers' compensation, and disability programs with proper documentation.
• Interprets and applies FMLA and ADA requirements related to leaves and accommodations.
• Supports retirement and annual enrollment programs, including 401(k) inquiries and plan changes.

Skills

Benefits administration

FMLA knowledge

ADA/COBRA/ACA laws

Data accuracy

Communication skills

Education

Associate’s degree in HR or related field OR equivalent experience

Bachelor’s degree in HR/Business administration or related field (preferred)

CEBS or Certified Benefits Professional (Preferred)

Job description

Description

About Us

At Gifthealth, we're revolutionizing the way people experience healthcare by simplifying the process of managing prescriptions and health services. Our mission is to provide a seamless, personalized, and efficient healthcare experience for all our customers. We're a dynamic, innovative, and customer-centric company dedicated to making a positive impact on people's lives.

Position Summary

The Benefits Specialist administers and supports the organization’s employee benefits programs, including health, welfare, retirement, and leave of absence programs. This role ensures accurate enrollment and maintenance of benefits data, provides guidance to employees and managers, supports open enrollment.

We are seeking a Benefits Specialist to serve as a primary point of contact for benefits-related inquiries while ensuring compliance with applicable laws and policies. This position plays a key role in supporting the Total Rewards and HR teams to serve our employees’ benefits needs, ensuring alignment with organizational goals, operational excellence, and compliance standards.

Key Responsibilities

• Administers employee benefit enrollments and eligibility by accurately entering and maintaining benefits data in the HRIS, ensuring timely and accurate eligibility information is provided to vendors and carriers
• Provides employee and manager support for benefits programs, responding to inquiries related to plan provisions, enrollments, status changes, claims issues, and general benefits guidance
• Coordinates benefits enrollments and life event changes, including enrolling employees with carriers, processing qualifying life status changes, and distributing benefits enrollment materials
• Conducts quality audits of benefits data to ensure accuracy, compliance, and consistency across systems, vendors, and carriers
• Processes and administers leave-of-absence, workers compensation, and disability programs, including medical, personal, FMLA, and ADA-related leaves, ensuring proper documentation, tracking, and compliance
• Interprets and applies FMLA and ADA requirements as they relate to employee leaves, accommodations, and disability matters, working closely with employees and managers as needed
• Supports retirement and annual enrollment programs, including responding to 401(k) inquiries, processing plan changes, and contribution updates, managing annual catch-up contributions, assisting with new-hire orientations, and supporting the open enrollment process

Qualifications

• Education:
• Associate’s degree in HR or related field OR additional years of equivalent experience (Required)
• Bachelor’s degree in human resources, business administration, or related field of study (Preferred)
• Licensure/Certification: Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS) or Certified Benefits Professional (Preferred)
• Experience:
• 2-4 years of full-time benefits support and/or administration experience (Required)
• Experience supporting open enrollment activities and working directly with brokers, carriers, and third-party administrators (Required)
• Experience administering FMLA, medical, personal, and disability leaves, including documentation tracking and coordination with employees and vendors (Required)
• Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities:
• Knowledge of health and welfare benefits, retirement plans (e.g., 401(k)), and leave of absence programs, including eligibility, enrollment, and administration practices; benefits related laws and regulations such as FMLA, COBRA, ACA, HIPAA, and basic ADA considerations affecting benefits administration; and HRIS and benefits administration systems to maintain accurate employee data, enrollments, and vendor communications (Required)
• Benefits administration skills (benefits open enrollments, qualifying life events, terminations, etc.) (Required)
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills (Required)
• Attention to detail skills in ensuring data accuracy and timely carrier updates and auditing benefits data and identifying discrepancies to ensure compliance, accuracy, and consistency across systems (Required)
• Ability to respond to benefits inquiries, explain plan provisions, and assist with claim or enrollment issues in a clear, service-oriented manner (Required)
• Ability to manage multiple benefits deadlines and processes simultaneously, particularly during open enrollment and high-volume periods (Required)
• Ability to research, resolve, and elevate benefits and leave issues as needed while maintaining confidentiality and follow-through (Required)
• Ability to identify opportunities for improving benefits administration processes, documentation, or tools in a growing organization (Preferred)

Work Environment

• Location: Hybrid
• Schedule: 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Monday through Friday with night and weekend hours on occasion as determined by the needs of the business and cross-facility travel as needed
• Regular meetings with employees and leaders at all levels of the organization across the enterprise. This role may also have meetings with external vendor and consultant partner representatives.

Key Essential Functions

• Must be able to remain in a stationary position for extended periods while writing or reviewing documentation
• Must be able to work on a computer for the entire shift
• Must be able to attend virtual meetings with cross-functional teams.

Employment Classification

Status: Full-time
FLSA: Exempt

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Statement

Gifthealth is an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind. All employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, transgender status, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected status.

We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

Disclaimer

This job description is intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel. Gifthealth reserves the right to modify job duties or descriptions at any time.