People Operations & Benefits Specialist

Horizontal Talent; Saint Louis Park (MN); On-site; USD 63,000 - 78,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)

Retirement Plan (401k, IRA)

Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&

Paid Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public

Family Leave (Maternity, Paternity)

Disability (Short Term & Long Term)

Training & Development

Wellness Resources

Job summary

Horizontal Talent in Saint Louis Park, MN is seeking a People Operations & Benefits Specialist to handle daily HR operations with emphasis on benefits administration, HR technology, and employee support. This onsite role serves as the primary HR contact and coordinates benefits activities while maintaining accurate data across systems.

You will oversee benefits enrollment, COBRA, and HR lifecycle transactions, ensuring data accuracy in the Paylocity HRIS and with vendor systems.

Qualifications

• Experience in benefits administration and HR operations.
• 2–4 years of HR or People Operations experience.
• Bachelor’s degree in HR, Business Administration, or related field preferred, or equivalent experience.
• Strong verbal and written communication; detail-oriented.
• Ability to manage multiple workflows and prioritize.
• Familiarity with benefits administration and COBRA a plus.
• Proficiency with Paylocity preferred.

Responsibilities

• Serve as first-line HR support responding to inquiries.
• Triage inquiries, resolve complex issues, and escalate when needed.
• Administer health and welfare benefits, including medical, dental, vision, and other plans.
• Manage benefit enrollments, changes, and terminations, including COBRA.
• Ensure accurate data transfer between HRIS and benefits vendor systems.
• Maintain benefits system configuration and data integrity.
• Plan and execute open enrollment activities.
• Maintain employee records in the Paylocity HRIS and other systems.
• Analyze and process lifecycle transactions including hires, terminations, and changes.
• Audit HR and benefits data and support reporting needs.
• Manage onboarding/offboarding and other HR workflows.
• Administer leave and ADA accommodation processes; coordinate with internal teams and vendors.
• Collaborate with Finance, Staffing Operations, and vendors on timely processing.
• Identify recurring issues and communicate improvements to leadership.
• Build knowledge of benefits compliance requirements (ACA) and related tracking and audits.

Skills

Communication skills

Attention to detail

Organization

Multitasking

Process adherence

Customer-focused

HR practices

MS Office Suite

Paylocity HRIS

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent

2-4 years HR experience

Education

Bachelor’s degree in HR, Business, or related field or equivalent experience

Tools

Paylocity

Microsoft Office Suite

Job description

The People Operations & Benefits Specialist supports day-to-day HR operations with an emphasis on benefits administration, HR technology, and responsive employee support. This onsite role in Saint Louis Park, MN acts as a primary point of contact for HR inquiries, coordinates benefits activities, and helps maintain accurate HR and benefits data across systems.

Role Overview

• First-line support for HR questions through the HR inbox and timely, professional responses.
• Administration of health and welfare benefits, including enrollment changes and terminations.
• Support for HR processes and employee lifecycle transactions, with a focus on data accuracy and reporting needs.
• Coordination of onboarding, offboarding, leave, and accommodation workflows as part of HR operations.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as first-line support for HR-related inquiries, managing the HR inbox and responding to employee questions in a timely and professional manner.
• Triage inquiries, resolve complex or sensitive issues when possible, and elevate unresolved matters as needed.
• Administer health and welfare benefits, including medical, dental, vision, and ancillary plans.
• Manage benefit enrollments, changes, and terminations, including COBRA administration.
• Ensure accurate data transfer and reconciliation between the HRIS and benefit vendor systems.
• Maintain benefits system configuration and support data integrity efforts.
• Plan and execute open enrollment activities.
• Maintain employee records and ensure data accuracy within the HRIS (Paylocity).
• Analyze and process employee lifecycle transactions including hires, terminations, and job changes.
• Conduct audits of HR and benefits data and support reporting needs, including benefit eligibility and ad hoc reports.
• Manage onboarding and offboarding processes and other HR operational workflows.
• Administer employee accommodation requests and support the ADA interactive process, escalating as needed.
• Administer leave processes for the Talent consultant population, coordinating with internal teams and external vendors.
• Partner with Finance, Staffing Operations, and external vendors to support accurate and timely processing.
• Identify recurring issues, trends, or process gaps and communicate them to leadership.
• Build knowledge of benefits compliance requirements, including ACA, and support related tracking, reporting, and audit activities.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong attention to detail and organizational skills.
• Ability to manage multiple workflows and prioritize effectively.
• Ability to follow established processes and use sound judgment within defined guidelines.
• Customer-focused approach to employee support.
• Basic understanding of HR practices, including benefits administration and HR operations.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite or related software.
• Proficient with, or able to quickly learn, HRIS systems Paylocity preferred) and benefits platforms.
• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field preferred, or equivalent experience.
• Approximately 2–4 years of HR or People Operations experience, with exposure to benefits administration and HR systems.

Technologies

• Microsoft Office Suite
• Paylocity

Compensation

Compensation: Competitive base salary of $62,500–$78,000 per year, depending upon experience.

Benefits

• Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
• Retirement Plan (401k, IRA)
• Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
• Paid Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)
• Family Leave (Maternity, Paternity)
• Short Term & Long Term Disability
• Training & Development
• Wellness Resources

Keywords

Human Resources Coordinator, HR Coordinator, HR Admin, Staffing Industry experience, People Operations Specialist, HR Operations Specialist, People Operations Coordinator, Human Resources Specialist, Benefits Administrator