HR Benefits Specialist I

Education-Development-Center-New; Waltham (MA); On-site; USD 60,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, and vision insurance

Paid holidays

Generous vacation benefits for full- &

Dependent Care Flexible Spending

Robust retirement plan with TIAA/CREF

Paid sick time and personal time

Parental leave

Employee assistance program

Job summary

Education Development Center (EDC) in Waltham, MA is seeking a Benefits Associate I to administer and coordinate a wide range of HR benefits programs, ensuring accurate, confidential service. You will partner with the Senior Benefits Manager to maintain policies, support open enrollment, and handle lifecycle benefits from onboarding to offboarding.

Ideal candidates have 3–5 years in HR administration, 2 years in benefits coordination, and strong knowledge of benefits, compliance, and HRIS

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent required.
• 3–5 years of HR administration and coordination experience.
• 2 years of HR benefits coordination experience required, preferably in a complex, multi-state environment.

Responsibilities

• Administers employee benefits programs including health, dental, life and AD&D, disability, retirement, and flexible spending plans.
• Provides information and assistance to employees regarding benefit eligibility, plan options, and enrollment processes; ensures timely and accurate responses to inquiries.
• Partners with the Senior Benefits Manager to communicate and execute plan changes and enhancements.
• Participates in annual benefit renewals and assists with evaluating new plan options or enhancements.
• Coordinates open enrollment activities, including system updates, employee communications, and collaboration with brokers and carriers.
• Supports employee life cycle benefits processes, including new hire onboarding and employee offboarding.
• Processesbenefitstransactions through HRIS and audits data for accuracy; ensures proper transmission of benefit feeds.
• Confers with payroll and vendors to resolve benefit discrepancies and ensure accurate deductions.
• Assists in the administration of leaves of absence.
• Coordinates with third party provider for COBRA notifications and enrollment processing; maintains compliance with federal and state requirements.
• Administers Workers’ Compensation claims and related reporting, in conjunction with the Senior BenefitsManagerand Office of Legal Affairs.
• Processes unemployment claims and maintains related records.
• Ensures compliance with HIPAA and other confidentiality standards in all benefits-related activities.
• Maintainsthorough, accurate, and up to date benefitsfiles and documentation in compliance with company policy and legal standards.
• Coordinates HR and benefits initiatives, programs, meetings, and events, including scheduling, logistics, agendas, documentation, and follow up actions.
• Generates compliance and audit-related reports and maintains accurate records and documentation.
• Processes HR invoicesand department mail (at the Waltham office 1-2 times/month), maintaining related administrative records
• Serves as first point of contact for the HR department, responding to and routing all employee inquiries as appropriate.
• Collaborates across HR functions to support operational effectiveness and continuous process improvements.
• Performs other duties as assigneddependent upon department needs.

Skills

Communication skills

Judgment & confidentiality

Learning agility

Initiative & adaptability

Benefits knowledge

Organizational & analytical skills

MS Office & HRIS

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent

Job description

Education Development Center (EDC) in Waltham, MA is seeking a Benefits Associate I to administer and coordinate a wide range of HR benefits programs, ensuring accurate, confidential service. You will partner with the Senior Benefits Manager to maintain policies, support open enrollment, and handle lifecycle benefits from onboarding to offboarding.

Ideal candidates have 3–5 years in HR administration, 2 years in benefits coordination, and strong knowledge of benefits, compliance, and HRIS