What are the responsibilities and job description for the HR Specialist position at Optimal Inc.?
Key Responsibilities
- Benefits BillingPayment Administration
- Receive, review, and process benefit invoices (medical, dental, vision, life, disability, COBRA, HSA/FSA, wellness, etc.).
- Verify billing accuracy against eligibility files, plan enrollments, and contracts.
- Identify, research, and resolve billing discrepancies, overcharges, and missing credits.
- Ensure timely payment of invoices to avoid service disruption or penalties.
- Coordinate with Accounts Payable to process payments according to internal controls.
- Data ReconciliationReporting
- Reconcile carrier invoices against payroll, HRIS, and benefits administration systems.
- Track monthly, quarterly, and annual benefit costs and prepare reconciliation reports.
- Support audits, internal reviews, and financial reporting related to benefit expenses.
- Maintain billing documentation, payment histories, and audit trails.
- VendorStakeholder Coordination
- Serve as primary point of contact for carriers, benefit vendors, brokers, and third party administrators regarding billing issues.
- Collaborate with HR, Payroll, Finance, and Legal teams to resolve discrepancies.
- Support vendor implementations, renewals, and plan changes related to billing setup.
- ComplianceProcess Improvement
- Ensure billing processes align with plan documents, contracts, and regulatory requirements (ERISA, ACA, HIPAA, COBRA).
- Maintain confidentiality of employee health and compensation data.
- Identify opportunities to improve billing accuracy, controls, and process efficiency.
- Assist with benefit year end activities, rate changes, and carrier renewals.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Accounting, Finance, Business, or related field, or equivalent experience.
- 2-4 years of experience in benefits administration, benefits billing, payroll, or finance.
- Strong knowledge of health and welfare benefit plans and billing structures.
- High attention to detail with strong analytical and reconciliation skills.
- Experience working with HRIS and benefits administration systems.
- Proficiency in Excel (pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, data analysis).
- Strong communication skills and ability to work cross functionally.
- Experience with multi carrier or multi entity billing environments.
- Familiarity with vendors such as Aon, Mercer, ADP, Workday, Alight, Fidelity, or similar platforms.
- Understanding of accounting principles related to accruals and expense tracking.
- Experience supporting audits or compliance reviews.
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Knowledge of union or international benefit billing (if applicable).
Working Relationships
Internal: HR/People Team, Payroll, Finance/Accounting, Legal
External: Insurance carriers, brokers, TPAs, benefits vendors
Education
Bachelors Degree