Benefits Specialist I

Gibson Dunn; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health care

Retirement benefits

Paid time off (sick & vacation)

Parental leave

Life insurance

Flexible Spending Accounts

Performance-based bonuses

Job summary

Gibson Dunn seeks a Benefits Specialist I to administer and maintain the firm’s benefit plans for staff and associates. You will handle orientations, payroll deductions, and vendor invoicing while supporting compliance and communications.

Based in Los Angeles or Washington, D.C., you will work with a team to manage open enrollments, eligibility, and leave-related billing, ensuring accurate benefits coverage and timely processes.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of benefits experience or equivalent
• Knowledge of benefits laws and regulations (COBRA, HIPAA, ERISA)
• Excellent MS Office skills (PowerPoint, Outlook, Word, Excel)
• Familiarity with HRIS/Payroll systems is preferred
• Strong analytical and data accuracy skills

Responsibilities

• Administer and maintain Firm's benefit plans across medical, dental, vision and supplemental plans.
• Conduct benefits orientations and respond to employee inquiries.
• Process payroll deductions and journal entries; audit related reports.
• Prepare and audit monthly vendor invoices and BAS activity.
• Coordinate open enrollment and renewals with vendors.
• Track ACA eligibility for part-time staff and ensure proper deductions.
• Draft and update employee benefits communications and training materials.

Skills

Highly organized

Independent & collaborative

Interpersonal skills

Oral & written communication

Rapport building

Integrity

Overtime willingness

Education

PowerPoint

Outlook

Word

Excel

PeopleSoft/Oracle

Workday (nice to have)

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Job description

Gibson Dunn is a leading global law firm, advising clients on significant transactions and disputes. Our exceptional teams craft and deploy creative legal strategies meticulously tailored to every matter, however complex or high stakes.

Based in Los Angeles or Washington D.C., the Benefits Specialist I will be primarily responsible for administering and maintaining the Firm's benefit plans, conducting benefits orientations, processes payroll deduction and journal entries, and creating and auditing spreadsheets used to pay monthly invoices to vendors. The Benefits Specialist I shares a rotation of recurring operational duties and serves as a key point of contact for day-to-day benefits questions.

This role will report to the Manager, Benefits and work closely with the other Benefits Specialists and the Benefits Analyst to ensure department goals are met.

Responsibilities include:

Plan Administration & Employee Service

• Providing day-to-day benefits administration across medical, dental, vision, and supplemental plans.
• Serving on the rotation covering the Benefits inbox, phone line, and BAS activity, responding to benefits and basic retirement plan questions.
• Keeping the Firm's benefits materials and communications updated.
• Coordinating and conducting benefits orientation meetings for staff and associates (generally twice weekly).
• Coordinating and conducting open enrollment meetings and assisting with renewals and vendor implementations.

Payroll, Deductions & Invoicing

• Participating in the deduction-calculation (dedcalc) and journals process on the 15th and end of month, including auditing reports and CMS entries for partners, foreign, and U.S. staff/associates.
• Creating and auditing spreadsheets to process monthly vendor invoices.
• Entering benefit adjustments for employees on leave of absence and verifying new hires are set up for correct payroll deductions.
• Completing weekly carrier transmissions and GVUL imports and confirmation statements on the established monthly schedule.

Leave, Compliance & Reporting

• Administering leave-of-absence premium billing, including invoices to employees on unpaid leave, 100% premium notices, and return-to-work catch-up invoices.
• Tracking hours of part-time employees to determine Affordable Care Act (ACA) eligibility.
• Ensuring benefit eligibility and associated premiums are correctly deducted for eligible employees in the international offices.
• Handling FSA reporting, LTD letters, and the San Francisco Health Care Ordinance filing on the appropriate schedule.
• Supporting compliance requirements, including 5500 filings, audits, and required notices, and maintaining updated desk procedures.

General

• Drafting and updating employee-facing benefits communications and training materials.
• Working on special projects as assigned and performing a variety of tasks as required.

Qualifications

• Highly organized to effectively plan, track, evaluate and follow-up on multiple priorities for multiple people.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively, managing recurring deadlines within a shared rotation.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and sense of urgency around customer service.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to establish rapport and credibility with all levels of management, employees, and vendors.
• High level of integrity and ability to handle confidential information.
• Ability to work overtime as necessary.

Experience

• At least 2 years of employee benefits experience.
• Compliance with legal requirements and knowledge of benefits laws and regulations, including COBRA, HIPAA, and ERISA.
• Strong Microsoft PowerPoint, Outlook, Word, and Excel skills.
• Knowledge of PeopleSoft/Oracle and Microsoft Office applications. Workday experience is a plus.
• Basic accounting skills required.

Gibson Dunn will consider for employment qualified Applicants with Criminal Histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of local law.

The annual compensation range for this position is $70-85k. The salary offered within this range will depend upon qualifications and other operational considerations.

Benefits offered for this position include health care; retirement benefits; paid days off, including sick time, and vacation time; parental leave; basic life insurance; Flexible Spending Accounts; as well as discretionary, performance-based bonuses.