Associate Director, Human Resources & Benefits

Reporting to the AVP, HR, the Associate Director of Benefits provides functional expertise and strategic oversight and hands-on management of the College’s comprehensive benefits programs and related policies including medical, dental, life, STD/LTD and 403(b) retirement programs. The Associate Director will also oversee and manage the leave of absence program and the ADA/disability accommodations process. This role is responsible for ensuring regulatory compliance, managing complex vendor integrations, and serving as the functional lead for benefits systems and technology. The Associate Director also serves as a member of the human resources leadership team and as such will assist the AVP of Human Resources in the management and oversight of the Office of Human Resources and the day-to-day delivery of all general human resources services, programs and support.

Essential Functions:

Benefits Strategy & Administration:

• Direct the administration of all health and welfare plans, including medical, dental, life and LTD plans, tuition programs and workers compensation, ensuring accurate enrollment, changes, and terminations.
• Manage and oversee the benefits budget and all benefit related expenditures. Ensure prompt payment of all benefit invoices.
• Conduct benefits orientations and develop and manage all benefits related communications and resources.
• Lead the annual open enrollment and benefits evaluation and renewal process, from plan design consultation to employee communication and system setup.
• Manage day-to-day vendor relationships and develop and maintain effective partnership with benefits broker.
• Ensure that the College is offering a competitive and cost effective benefits program. Assist in the review of new benefits and programs, implement and communicate new benefit plan offerings.
• Develop ongoing employee education programs that ensure maximum utilization of benefits programs.
• Draft and develop benefits related policies and procedures.
• Ensure appropriate development and maintenance of all plan related records and documents, summary plan descriptions and benefit summaries.
• Oversee the day-to-day administration of 403(b) retirement plan, including managing enrollments and remittance of contributions, employee communication and education, annual audit and testing, and serving on the fiduciary committee.

Leave Administration & ADA/Workplace Accommodation:

• Manage the full lifecycle of leave administration for staff and faculty, including FMLA, MPFML (Massachusetts Paid Medical and Family Leave), Short-Term Disability, and Long-Term Disability. Maintain records and documentation, communicate with employees, coordinate payments and effectively manage a third party vendor.
• Manage the ADA and disability accommodations process including developing processes and procedures, communicating with employees, engaging in interactive processes, and maintaining documentation and records.
• Develop and maintain LOA and ADA related policies and procedures.

Wellness & Benefits Education:

• Develop and lead a comprehensive Employee Wellness Program that promotes physical, mental, and financial well-being, tailoring initiatives to the unique needs of a campus community.
• Design and deliver educational workshops and communications (e.g., “Lunch and Learns,” webinars, and newsletters) to increase employee benefits literacy and understanding.
• Coordinate with vendors (health carriers, retirement advisors, EAP) to bring high-value onsite or virtual wellness programming to faculty and staff.

Systems, Data & Funding:

• Serve as the functional administrator for the benefits administration system (Wex); lead implementation, ensure data integrity, manage upgrades, and troubleshoot technical integrations and file feed errors.
• Develop and maintain SOPs and user documentation of all benefits related systems and processes. Develop training materials and train new HR staff on benefits systems.
• Ensure the timely and accurate transmission of vendor files and funding files to carriers and financial institutions.
• Conduct regular audits of billing and enrollment data to ensure accuracy and fiduciary compliance.
• Develop and maintain regular reports, metrics for assessing and monitoring effectiveness and utilization of benefits and programs and develop dashboards and executive summaries.

Compliance & Reporting:

• Ensure all benefits programs comply with federal and state regulations (e.g., ERISA, ACA, COBRA, HIPAA, and IRS guidelines).
• Coordinate the preparation of required filings, such as Form 5500s and ACA 1094/1095-C reporting.
• Monitor legislative changes affecting benefits and higher education HR to proactively recommend policy adjustments.

Minimum Qualifications:

Education: Bachelor’s degree in HR, Business, or a related field (Master’s or professional certification such as CEBS, SPHR, or SHRM highly preferred).

Experience: 5 years of progressive HR experience in benefits administration; at least 2 years of experience in a supervisory or team-lead capacity, preferably within higher education or non-profit environment.

• Strong knowledge in employee benefits administration and related benefits laws including ERISA/ACA and a deep understanding of 403(b) regulations, FMLA/ADA coordination, and ACA
• compliance.Direct experience managing and configuring HRIS platforms (e.g., Ellucian/Banner, ADP, or UKG) and/or specialized Benefits Administration systems (e.g., Wex, PlanSource, Benefitfocus, or Empyrean).
• Proven ability to manage the implementation and troubleshooting of benefit-related modules, including EDI file feed management and data mapping.
• Advanced proficiency in Excel (pivot tables, complex formulas, and data auditing) to ensure integrity between HRIS data and third-party vendor platforms.
• Broad general knowledge of all HR core functional areas and employment related laws and best practices.
• Exceptional discretion when handling confidential data; the ability to explain complex benefit concepts to a diverse workforce; and a “roll-up-your-sleeves” attitude essential for a small team.
• Attention to detail, strong customer service and organizational skills.
• Ability to work independently and sound judgement are essential.
• Strong interpersonal skills, problem-solving skills and solid oral and written communication skills.

Preferred Qualifcations:

• Previous experience in higher education.
• Experience with Ellucian/Banner HR/Payroll module.