Benefits Specialist

King's Hawaiian Bakery Southeast, Inc; United States; On-site; USD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

King’s Hawaiian is seeking a Benefits Specialist to oversee day-to-day administration of employee benefits and wellness programs across corporate and manufacturing settings. You will help employees understand and use health, retirement, and time-off benefits, coordinate with Payroll and HRIS, and deliver accurate records and responsive support.

The role is onsite at our Oakwood, GA location, with a focus on engaging manufacturing staff, managing enrollment activities, and driving participation

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in HR, Business or related field (or equivalent work experience); benefits certification preferred.
• At least 2 years of experience in HR or benefits administration.
• Knowledge of benefits practices and regulations (ACA, ERISA, COBRA, FMLA, ADA).

Responsibilities

• Administer day-to-day benefits transactions, including enrollments, life event changes, contributions, deductions, COBRA activity, and other updates.
• Review benefits data in HRIS and Payroll systems for accuracy and resolve discrepancies with Payroll, HRIS, and vendors.
• Serve as primary point of contact for benefits and wellness questions with timely, accurate guidance.
• Provide onsite benefits support for manufacturing employees across varied shifts via office hours and group education.
• Support 401(k) and nonqualified deferred compensation plan admin, including enrollment and reporting.
• Coordinate time-off and leave-of-absence activities, including documentation and return-to-work coordination.
• Administer tuition reimbursement, review requests, and support accurate payments.
• Support onboarding with benefits inquiries and initial enrollment.
• Coordinate annual open enrollment activities and communications with internal/external partners.
• Assist with benefits reporting, audits, and compliance activities; maintain documentation.
• Coordinate onsite benefits and wellness events, including health fairs and wellbeing initiatives.

Skills

Benefits administration

Customer service

Communication

Bilingual English/Spanish

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR/Business or related field

Benefits certification preferred

Tools

Workday

Excel

Outlook

Job description

Joining King’s Hawaiian makes you part of our `ohana (family). We are a family‑owned business for over seventy years, respecting our roots while thinking about our future as we continue to grow and care for our customers and the communities we serve. Our `ohana members build an environment of inclusivity as they freely collaborate, pursue learning through curiosity, and explore innovation as critical thinkers. Beyond that, we are also passionate about supporting the long‑term health and well‑being of our employees and their families. If you’re excited to rise with our team, come and join our `ohana! Working under general supervision, the Benefits Specialist supports the day‑to‑day administration of King’s Hawaiian employee benefit and wellness programs, including health and welfare, retirement, time off, leaves of absence, wellbeing initiatives, and onsite employee engagement. Principal outcomes of this position include accurate and timely benefits processing, responsive employee support, effective coordination with internal and external partners, and an elevated participant experience. The Benefits Specialist provides accessible, practical support to employees across corporate and manufacturing environments, including employees working varied shifts, by helping them understand and use their benefits, wellness resources, and leave programs. The role maintains accurate records, supports enrollment and wellness activities, and identifies opportunities to improve participation, communication, and the overall employee experience. This position will interact with their supervisor as needed. Routine activities may be completed without a supervisor’s advance approval.

ESSENTIAL JOB DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Administer day-to-day benefits transactions, including enrollments, life event changes, contributions, deductions, COBRA activity, and other benefit updates.
• Review benefits-related data in King’s Hawaiian People and Payroll systems for accuracy and resolve discrepancies in partnership with Payroll, HRIS, and benefit vendors.
• Serve as a primary point of contact for employee and people leader benefits and wellness questions, providing timely, accurate guidance and facilitating the proper use of elected plans and available resources.
• Provide approachable, onsite support for manufacturing employees across varied shifts through office hours, floor presence, group education, and one‑on‑one assistance.
• Support 401(k) and nonqualified deferred compensation plan administration, including enrollment, payroll deduction review, participant education, and required reporting.
• Coordinate employee time‑off and leave‑of‑absence activities, including case intake, documentation, time tracking, pay status, return‑to‑work coordination, and status updates.
• Administer the tuition reimbursement program, maintain program documentation, coordinate with vendors, review requests and exceptions, and support accurate payments.
• Support talent acquisition and onboarding activities by responding to candidate and new‑hire benefits inquiries, participating in orientation, and assisting with initial enrollment.
• Coordinate with internal and external partners to support accurate and timely annual open enrollment activities and communications.
• Support the implementation and ongoing administration of benefit and wellness programs, including wellbeing campaigns, preventive care education, employee assistance resources, fitness and nutrition initiatives, and activities that encourage healthy behaviors and employee participation.
• Assist with benefits reporting, audits, compliance activities, and ongoing documentation to help ensure plans are administered in accordance with applicable requirements.
• Coordinate and participate in onsite benefits and wellness events, including health fairs, biometric screenings, vaccinations, wellbeing challenges, appreciation events, and educational sessions.
• Schedule activities and communications to reach manufacturing employees across shifts while partnering with site leaders, Safety, Operations, and vendors to support strong participation.
• Develop and distribute clear, accessible benefits and wellness communications for manufacturing employees, using multiple channels such as onsite signage, digital displays, huddles, printed materials, and leader toolkits to reach employees who may have limited access to email or computers during the workday.
• Perform other duties as required or assigned that are reasonably within the scope of this role.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS (EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE)

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in Human Resources, Business, or a related field, or equivalent work experience required; benefits certification preferred
• At least 2 years of experience in Human Resources, benefits administration, or a related function required
• Working knowledge of employee benefits practices, principles, and regulations required; experience in a manufacturing and/or corporate setting preferred

ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS (JOB SKILLS, ABILITIES, KNOWLEDGE)

• Working knowledge of benefits practices and procedures used to administer organization‑wide benefit plans, programs, and policies
• Proficiency with Windows‑based business computers and Microsoft Office programs, particularly Excel and Outlook
• Working knowledge of federal and state requirements affecting employee benefit programs, including ACA, ERISA, COBRA, FMLA, and ADA
• Strong customer service and communication skills, with the ability to explain benefit programs clearly and respond to employee questions with empathy and discretion
• Bilingual proficiency in English and Spanish preferred, but not required
• Ability to build cooperative working relationships with employees, people leaders, internal partners, and external vendors
• Working knowledge of HR management software such as Workday or a similar platform
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to prioritize responsibilities and meet deadlines in an environment with overlapping priorities
• Ability to review benefits data and documentation, identify discrepancies, and coordinate timely resolution
• Ability to use sound judgment, maintain confidentiality, and resolve routine issues within established policies and procedures
• Willingness and ability to embrace King’s Hawaiian’s aloha values of excellence, dignity, and telling it like it is in a way it can be heard
• Ability to demonstrate curiosity, collaboration, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence

Location: Onsite 5 days/wk in Oakwood, GA

King's Hawaiian is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for our ohana. We deliver irresistible Hawaiian food and aloha spirit, that families love everywhere, every day. After introducing Hawaiian foods to the world 70 years ago, we have grown into a company that provides irresistible foods and irresistible career opportunities to many. Our 'Ohana spans the country in our manufacturing plants, corporate locations, and restaurants. Our culture and work environments (both onsite and remote) help us to spread aloha culture as we nourish our employees' lives. We recognize that each of us has our home life and our work life, which is one life, and we strive to provide balance to our employees. We believe in excellence, dignity, and telling it like it is in a way that can be heard. We may not be excellent all the time, but we move toward excellence and embrace the change needed to continuously improve.

• -Dignity and respect are always present.
• -Treat everyone with kindness.
• -Respect ourselves and others.
• -Honor our commitments.
• -Hold each other accountable.
• -Practice what we preach.
• -Appreciate each other’s differences.
• -Exhibit professionalism.