Benefits Specialist

Chapman University; Orange (CA); On-site; USD 36,000 - 43,000; Full time

Job summary

Chapman University is seeking a Benefits Specialist to manage enrollment, eligibility, tuition remission, and retirement processing for employees. The role reports to the Senior Benefits Manager and requires precision, customer service orientation, and confidentiality.

The position is on-campus, with open enrollment support and collaboration with brokers, carriers, and Payroll. Candidates should have 2+ years in benefits administration and an associate degree or equivalent.

Qualifications

• Associate degree or equivalent combination of education and experience required.
• Minimum of two years’ experience in benefits administration.
• Working knowledge of health and welfare benefit plans, eligibility rules, and enrollment processes.
• Familiarity with retirement plan enrollment processes (e.g., 403(b)/401(k)) preferred.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills, with the ability to multitask, prioritize, and work independently or as part of a team to deliver a seamless employee experience.
• Communicates with empathy, professionalism, and sound judgment, ensuring consistent follow-through.
• High degree of accuracy and attention to detail; exercises discretion and maintains confidentiality with sensitive information.

Responsibilities

• Process new-hire enrollments, terminations, benefit election changes, and qualifying life events, verifying supporting documentation.
• Verify eligibility for employees and dependents in accordance with plan rules.
• Audit benefit enrollments for accuracy and resolve discrepancies.
• Support all open enrollment activities.
• Process retirement plan enrollments, changes, loans, and distributions, coordinating with the plan vendor.
• Monitor contributions, employer match, and vesting; reconcile with plan recordkeeper.
• Support annual compliance activities including nondiscrimination testing and 5500 audit prep.
• Perform tuition remission data entry and processing; process payroll deduction forms.

Skills

Benefits administration

Organizational skills

Customer service

Attention to detail

Education

Associate degree

Tools

PeopleSoft

Workday

ADP

Job description

Posting Details

Position Information

Position Title

Benefits Specialist

Position Type

Regular

Full or Part Time

full-time 40 hours weekly

Fair Labor Standard Act Classification

Non-Exempt

Anticipated Pay Range

$26.44 - $31.00

Pay Range Information

Chapman University is required to provide a reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this position. This range takes into account a variety of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions, including experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, and other business and organizational needs. Salary offers are determined based on the final candidate’s qualifications and experience, as well as internal equity and other internal factors. The anticipated pay range is not a promise of a particular wage.

Position Summary Information

Job Description Summary

The Benefits Specialist is a hands-on, detail-driven roleresponsible for the accurate, timely administration of ChapmanUniversity’s employee benefits programs — spanning enrollment,eligibility, tuition remission, and retirement processing.

Reporting to the Senior Benefits Manager, this role requiresprecision, sound judgment, and a strong customer-serviceorientation, as the Specialist is often an employee’s first pointof contact for benefits questions and transactions.

Serve as a primary resource for employees with benefits andretirement plan questions, providing guidance on enrollment, planpolicies, eligibility, and contributions.

Chapman University’s mission is centered on serving our studentsand strengthening our campus community. Chapman believes there issignificant value in an in-person workforce. Being present fosterscollaboration, strengthens relationships across departments,enables us to better serve our co-workers and contributes to thestudent experience. It is an important part of the culture thatmakes Chapman a special place to work and learn.

Responsibilities

Benefit Administration

• Process new-hire enrollments, terminations, benefit electionchanges, and qualifying life events (marriage, birth, divorce, lossof coverage), verifying supporting documentation forcompliance.
• Verify eligibility for employees and dependents in accordancewith plan rules and applicable regulations.
• Audit benefit enrollments for accuracy, proactively identifyingand resolving discrepancies.
• Support all open enrollment activities

Retirement Plan Administration

• Process retirement plan enrollments, changes, loans, hardshipwithdrawals, and distribution requests, coordinating with the planvendor and ensuring compliance with plan documents and IRSregulations.
• Monitor employee contributions, employer match calculations,and vesting schedules for accuracy; reconcile contribution filesand payments with the plan recordkeeper on a regular basis.
• Support annual compliance activities, includingnondiscrimination testing, 5500 audit preparation, and requiredemployee notices.

Ancillary Benefits

• Perform tuition remission data entry and processing inaccordance with university policy.
• Support processing biweekly and monthly insurance carrier datafeeds, ensuring accuracy and timely transmission.
• Verify, audit, and reconcile benefit invoices and processpayments on schedule.
• Prepare and process payroll deduction forms, partnering withPayroll to ensure accuracy and timely corrections.

Employee Support & Records

• Conduct proactive outreach to employees on leave of absenceregarding benefit premiums and payment arrangements.
• Maintain accurate, well-organized, audit-ready benefit recordsand documentation.
• Partner with brokers and carriers to resolve employee issuesand discrepancies.
• Respond to employee inquiries in accordance with universitystandard operating procedures and compliance with federal and stateregulations escalating complex issues as needed.

Required Qualifications

• Associate degree or equivalent combination of education andexperience required.
• Minimum of two years’ experience in benefitsadministration.
• Working knowledge of health and welfare benefit plans,eligibility rules, and enrollment processes.
• Familiarity with retirement plan enrollment processes (e.g.,403(b)/401(k)) preferred.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills, with theability to multitask, prioritize, and work independently or as partof a team to deliver a seamless employee experience.
• Communicates with empathy, professionalism, and sound judgment,ensuring consistent follow-through.
• High degree of accuracy and attention to detail; exercisesdiscretion and maintains confidentiality with sensitiveinformation.

Desired Qualifications

• Prior experience with HRIS or benefits administration systems(e.g., PeopleSoft, Workday, ADP, or similar) preferred.
• Comfortable managing competing priorities and shifting businessneeds with composure.
• Knowledge of ACA, COBRA, ERISA, HIPAA, and FMLA preferred;motivated candidates without full regulatory knowledge will besupported through training.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (especially Excel); ableto quickly learn and adapt to HRIS and benefits systems.

Special Instructions to Applicants

At Chapman University, we believe collaboration thrives throughin-person engagement. This position is fully on campus, andemployees work alongside colleagues, faculty, students, and staffeach day to support our vibrant university community.

Chapman University is an equal opportunity employer that providesequal employment opportunities to all individuals, regardless oftheir protected characteristics. All qualified applicants andemployees are encouraged to apply and will receive considerationfor employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex,sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, nationalorigin, ancestry, citizenship status, physical disability, mentaldisability, medical condition, military and veteran status, maritalstatus, pregnancy, genetic information or any other characteristicprotected by state or federal law.

Applicants for Staff and Administrator positions must be currentlyauthorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis.

The offer of employment is contingent upon satisfactory completionand outcomes of a criminal background screening and returning tothe Office of Human Resources a signed original acceptance of theChapman University Agreement to Arbitrate.

Minimum Number of References

2

Maximum Number of References

3

Pre-screening Questions

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).

Applicant Documents

Required Documents

1. Resume

Optional Documents

1. Cover Letter
2. 3 References Listed on One Page