Senior Benefits Strategist

University of Utah Health; Salt Lake City (UT); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Utah Health seeks a Senior Benefits Analyst to support the delivery and improvement of health, retirement, and voluntary benefit programs. You will manage enrollments, terminations, and life events, while coordinating with Payroll, Accounting, and external vendors to ensure accurate payroll deductions and compliant operations.

You will lead annual open enrollment, participate in new program implementations, and analyze benefit trends to align with regulatory requirements.

Qualifications

• Advanced knowledge of benefits administration practices.
• Strong analytical and data management skills; ability to audit, reconcile, and produce actionable reports.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain complex information clearly to varied audiences.
• Effective project management and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines.
• Demonstrated ability to build collaborative relationships across departments and with external partners.
• High attention to detail and commitment to accuracy in a compliance-driven environment.

Responsibilities

• Administers core benefit programs, including health, retirement, and life insurance, ensuring accurate enrollments, terminations, and life events.
• Manages transactions, audits, and file feeds with vendors; analyzes and resolves errors to maintain data integrity.
• Collaborates with Payroll and Accounting to confirm accurate payroll deductions and reconciliations.
• Leads aspects of annual open enrollment, including system configuration, testing updates, coordinating communications, and supporting vendor interfaces.
• Participates in the implementation of new benefit programs, system enhancements, and process improvements, contributing to project plans, testing, and rollout activities.
• Tracks benefit trends and legislative changes; assists in aligning programs and processes with compliance requirements.
• Provides guidance to employees on complex benefit matters, with a focus on retirement transitions.
• Responds to escalated inquiries and provides resolution for sensitive or complex issues in line with policy and compliance requirements.
• Partners with external vendors and consultants to support benefit plan administration and service delivery.
• May participate in benefit surveys and use benchmark data to prepare analyses and recommendations.
• Builds effective working relationships across HR, Payroll, Finance, and other stakeholders to ensure coordinated delivery of benefits.

Skills

Benefits administration

Analytical skills

Data management

Communication skills

Project management

Collaboration

Attention to detail

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field

Job description

University of Utah Health seeks a Senior Benefits Analyst to support the delivery and improvement of health, retirement, and voluntary benefit programs. You will manage enrollments, terminations, and life events, while coordinating with Payroll, Accounting, and external vendors to ensure accurate payroll deductions and compliant operations.

You will lead annual open enrollment, participate in new program implementations, and analyze benefit trends to align with regulatory requirements.