Benefits Strategy Lead — Open Enrollment & Compliance

Octa+ Energie; Orange (CA); On-site; USD 96,000 - 146,000; Full time

Job summary

OCTA is seeking a Benefits Specialist to administer comprehensive programs across health, retirement, and deferred compensation. You will lead enrollment initiatives, advise employees and management, and coordinate with vendors to ensure compliant, cost-effective benefit delivery.

The role offers growth across Specialist, Senior, and Principal levels, with responsibilities expanding to open enrollment, complex plan analysis, and cross-functional collaboration.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Human Resources, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience
• Professional experience administering employee benefit programs
• Knowledge of health and welfare benefits, retirement programs, and deferred compensation plans
• Ability to research, interpret, and apply benefit plan provisions, policies, and regulatory requirements
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to work with benefits data and financial information
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and the ability to explain complex benefit information clearly
• Strong organizational and project management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines
• Ability to build effective working relationships with employees, management, vendors, and third-party administrators
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills are highly desirable for the senior and principal levels
• Experience with Workday is highly desirable

Responsibilities

• Administer employee benefit programs, including medical, dental, vision, flexible spending accounts, retirement, and deferred compensation programs
• Serve as a resource to employees and management regarding benefit plans, eligibility, enrollment, coverage, policies, and procedures
• Support retirement and deferred compensation programs, including 457(b) and 401(a) plans, and provide benefit information to retiring or separating employees
• Coordinate and/or lead the annual open enrollment process, including project planning, employee communications, enrollment activities, and implementation
• Research and resolve benefit issues involving eligibility, qualifying life events, coverage, claims, appeals, and plan provisions
• Develop clear and engaging employee communications and educational materials that help employees understand and maximize their benefits
• Monitor benefit providers, third-party administrators, medical providers, and insurance carriers for performance, compliance, and service delivery
• Reconcile enrollments, invoices, benefit spending, budgets, contracts, and purchase orders
• Support ACA reporting and administration and apply applicable benefits regulations, including COBRA, Section 125, ACA, FMLA, CFRA, HIPAA, and retirement/deferred compensation requirements
• Develop and maintain benefits policies, procedures, administrative processes, reports, and analytical tools
• Analyze benefits data, industry trends, employee feedback, and program performance to identify opportunities for improvement
• Support benefit contracts, Board actions, proposals, negotiations, and vendor coordination
• Collaborate with HR team members, employees, management, vendors, and other partners to successfully implement competitive benefit programs

Skills

Benefits administration

Analytical skills

Communication

Regulatory knowledge

Project management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration / Human Resources / related field

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Workday

Job description

OCTA is seeking a Benefits Specialist to administer comprehensive programs across health, retirement, and deferred compensation. You will lead enrollment initiatives, advise employees and management, and coordinate with vendors to ensure compliant, cost-effective benefit delivery.

The role offers growth across Specialist, Senior, and Principal levels, with responsibilities expanding to open enrollment, complex plan analysis, and cross-functional collaboration.