Senior Benefits Analyst

Essex Property Trust; Irvine (CA); Hybrid; USD 94,000 - 117,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/dental/vision insurance

401(k) employer match

Paid parental leave

Wellness programs

Housing discount

12 paid holidays

15 PTO days

Job summary

Essex Property Trust in Irvine, CA is seeking a Senior Benefits Analyst to administer and analyze health and welfare, retirement, and voluntary benefit programs, partnering with HR, Payroll, Finance, and external vendors. You will manage enrollment, vendor interfaces in Workday, support open enrollment, audits, and compliance, and contribute to Total Rewards strategy.

This role requires in-office work with a hybrid schedule (minimum 4 days weekly in Essex’s Irvine offices) and offers a

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in HR, Business, Finance or related field or equivalent experience.
• 3–5+ years in benefits administration and analysis.
• Strong knowledge of health/welfare and retirement plans; ERISA/ACA compliance.

Responsibilities

• Administer health and welfare and retirement plans in compliance with laws.
• Support administration of 401(k) and wellness programs.
• Ensure accurate benefits enrollment, changes and terminations; coordinate with vendors.
• Manage benefits data in Workday and interface with HRIS.
• Collaborate with Total Rewards Director to benchmark and enhance programs.
• Serve as primary contact for plan vendors and third-party administrators.

Skills

Communication

Analytical skills

Project management

Customer service

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources or related field

Tools

Workday

HRIS

Excel

Job description

City

Irvine

State

California

Job Location

Irvine Regional Office (Derian)

Position Type

Regular

The Senior Benefits Analyst plays a key role in the administration, analysis, compliance, and continuous improvement of the company’s employee benefits programs. This position is responsible for supporting the design, implementation, communication, and administration of health and welfare, retirement, wellness, and voluntary benefit programs.

The Senior Benefits Analyst serves as a subject matter expert and strategic partner to Human Resources, Payroll, Finance, external vendors, and employees. This role leverages data and analytics to evaluate program effectiveness, ensure regulatory compliance, improve operational efficiency, and enhance the employee experience while supporting the organization’s Total Rewards strategy.

WHAT YOU WILL DO:

• Administers health and welfare benefit plans per plan documents and federal/state laws, interpreting benefit programs and procedures across all plans.
• Supports the administration of retirement plans, deferred compensation, wellness programs, and other perks.
• Ensures precise and timely processing of benefits enrollment, changes, and terminations, collaborating with external vendors as necessary.
• Oversee benefits, reconciliation, administration, and leave of absence benefits premium matters.
• Respond to associate inquiries regarding benefits, providing exceptional customer service and fostering a positive associate experience.
• Aids in open enrollment, auditing benefit enrollment data, encompassing dependent eligibility, evidence of insurability, compliance, and processing of life, LTD, and other claims.
• Manages the complete vendor file process via Workday, liaising with internal HRIS and external vendors for precise, efficient benefit interfaces.
• Collaborates with the Total Rewards Director to assess existing benefits programs, utilizing benefit trends, benchmarking, and program data analytics to propose plan enhancements.
• Acts as primary contact for plan vendors and third-party administrators to resolve employee inquiries.
• Other duties as assigned .

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Finance, or related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 3-5+ years of progressively responsible benefits administration and analysis experience.
• Strong knowledge of health and welfare and retirement benefit plans.
• Experience administering 401(k) plans and supporting audits and compliance activities.
• Knowledge of ERISA, ACA, COBRA, HIPAA, FMLA, and related regulations.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including: VLOOKUP, pivot tables, etc.
• Experience working with HRIS and benefits administration systems. Workday preferred.
• Knowledge of all pertinent federal and state regulations, filing and compliance requirements, both adopted and pending, affecting employee benefit programs, including federal and state law.

WHAT THE JOB REQUIRES:

• Work is primarily conducted in an office setting. Requires sitting at a desk or workstation for extended periods. Involves the use of standard office equipment such as computers, phones, and printers.
• Requires the ability to work Mondays through Fridays with in-person office requirements for a minimum of 4 days per week: Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays located at Essex’s corporate offices in Irvine, Woodland Hills, San Mateo, and Bellevue.
• Requires the ability to sit or stand for extended periods. Minimal physical effort in the day-to-day tasks.
• This role does not require any travel; work is primarily conducted at the office.

WHAT YOU WILL BRING TO THE TABLE:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Strong organizational and analytical skills. Ability to provide efficient, timely, reliable, and courteous service to customers. Ability to effectively present information.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and project management skills.
• Ability to understand and carry out general instructions in standard situations. Ability to solve problems in standard situations. Requires basic analytical skills.
• Decisions made with a general understanding of procedures and company policies to achieve set results and deadlines. Errors in judgment may have a short-term impact on co-workers and supervisors.

#LI-Hybrid

#LI-AS1

All full-time regular associates are offered competitive salaries, experience career growth, and are eligible for benefit packages that include medical, dental, vision, paid parental leave, 401k employer match, excellence rewards, wellness programs, and much more. With our 12 paid holidays and 15 PTO days, work/life balance is a priority! Additionally, most positions are eligible for a housing discount of 20%.

Essex provides great communities in which to live, work and invest. We are a purpose-driven company, and we pride ourselves on promoting an internal culture of growth and opportunity by engaging, enabling, and empowering our teams. Working at Essex is not a destination. It is a journey where you can confidently build your career.

New hires generally start between $94,000.00 - $117,000.00 per year. The final salary offer will be determined after reviewing relevant factors, including but not limited to skill sets; relevant experience; internal equity; and other business and organizational needs.

This role is also eligible to participate in Essex’s discretionary Annual Bonus program that is commensurate with the level of the position.