Benefits Specialist

PEPL has been engaged to place a Benefits Specialist for a well-established organization located in Marietta, GA. This is a contract position with potential to become permanent. The benefits specialist manages the day‑day administration of qualified and non‑qualified retirement plans, ensuring employees understand their options and that all plans comply with legal, regulatory, and organizational requirements. This role blends customer service, data accuracy, compliance awareness, and cross‑department collaboration.

Safety and Corporate Standards

• Perform all work in a safe manner, encouraging others to do the same, and reporting unsafe situations, environments, and work procedures.
• Abide by all corporate standards, policies, by‑laws, rules, and regulations.
• Complete all assigned work in an accurate, timely, and efficient manner.
• Maintain a neat and orderly work area.

Retiree Benefits

• Address benefit‑related issues, queries, and requests from retirees, providing prompt and effective resolutions.
• Create retiree communication for annual open enrollment.
• Coordinate annual retiree meeting.
• Meet with upcoming retirees to review process and retiree plans.
• Process separation of employment with third‑party vendors (COBRA, NRECA, others).
• Maintain all retiree medical plan enrollments, changes and terminations.
• Accurately maintain data change in HRIS, carrier and vendor systems.
• Support grandfathered benefit plans.
• Coordinate retiree age 65 process.
• Obtain estimate, option and Quasi retirement packages for defined benefit plan participants.
• Oversee life insurance enrollment, beneficiary maintenance and claims processes.
• Maintain manual processes such as beneficiary updates, non‑EDI vendors, affidavits and statements of other coverage.
• Manage benefits billing and reconciliation including invoice review, payment processing, and discrepancy resolution.

Compliance

• Ensure compliance with state and federal regulations (FMLA, ERISA, ACA, ADA, HIPAA, COBRA, Section 125 and DOL requirements).
• Assist with compliance data gathering and reporting.
• Prepare and facilitate mailing of required notices to employees and retirees as needed.

Internal Process

• Compile data needed for periodic actuarial trust sufficiency analysis.
• Assist Benefit Analyst with census and related information to support retirement plan and flexible spending account non‑discrimination testing efforts.
• Assist with annual W‑2 and 11/15 salary reporting and on‑going contributions for pension plan.
• Collaborate with Benefits Analyst on electronic data interface (EDS) file discrepancies.
• Configure HRIS system for benefit plan set up, automated processes, testing, trouble shooting and manage.
• Assist with annual benefit renewal budget projections.
• Prepare and maintain Board of Director benefit and per diem statements.
• Partner with Benefits Analyst to implement and maintain vendor and retiree billing efficiencies.
• Maintain and update SharePoint benefits page.

Other Duties

• Support wellness initiatives and events.
• Reconcile 401(k) eligibility, loans, deferrals, and funding.
• Coordinate events related to quarterly financial advisor appointments, retirement planning seminars, health advocate and Medicare education sessions.
• Oversee and update benefit process mapping.
• Respond to benefit surveys, as appropriate.
• Accurately maintain employee benefit related documents for electronic filing and retrieval in electronic employee document management system.
• Maintain benefit related agreements and contracts in electronic contract management system.
• Participate in HR projects such as wellness initiatives, policy updates, and process improvements.

• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills.
• Appropriately handle confidential information.
• Interpersonal skills for interacting with employees, retirees and vendors.
• Demonstrated excellent cognitive, oral, written, and listening communication skills.
• Strong organizational skills with excellent attention to detail, commitment to quality and efficiency.
• Quick learner, strong analytical and reasoning skills with great attention to details.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision and coordinate the completion of multiple tasks…