[Hiring] Benefits Manager @CAI

Role Description

We are looking for a Benefits Manager to oversee the administration, compliance, and continuous improvement of employee health, welfare, and retirement benefit programs. The Benefits Manager will lead a team of benefits professionals, partner with carriers and brokers, and ensure benefit offerings remain competitive, compliant, and effectively communicated to employees. This position will be full-time and remote. This position does not offer employment sponsorship. All candidates must be eligible to work without need for sponsorship by employer.

What You'll Do

• Administer health, dental, vision, life, disability, and retirement plans, ensuring accurate plan setup, eligibility, and enrollment in the HRIS (Workday or similar).
• Manage and develop a team of benefits analysts or specialists, including workload distribution, coaching, performance reviews, and goal setting.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for benefit carriers and brokers, overseeing renewals, plan design changes, and escalated claims or eligibility issues.
• Lead annual Open Enrollment planning and execution, including communications, system configuration, and employee education sessions.
• Ensure compliance with ERISA, ACA, HIPAA, COBRA, and other applicable federal and state benefits regulations, including required filings and notices.
• Partner with Finance and Payroll to reconcile benefit invoices, monitor plan costs, and support budget forecasting.
• Analyze plan utilization, cost trends, and benchmarking data to recommend plan design or vendor changes to leadership.
• Respond to escalated employee questions regarding eligibility, claims, leaves of absence, and benefit interpretations.
• Maintain and update benefits policies, procedures, and employee facing documentation, ensuring accuracy and plain language communication.
• Support audits, including 5500 filings, nondiscrimination testing, and financial statement reviews.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 5+ years of progressive experience administering employee benefits programs, including health and welfare and retirement plans.
• 3+ years of experience directly managing or supervising staff, with demonstrated ability to coach, develop, and evaluate team members.
• Strong knowledge of ERISA, ACA, HIPAA, COBRA, and multi-state benefits compliance requirements.
• Experience working with HRIS platforms, preferably Workday or similar systems.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including formulas, pivot tables, reconciliations, and data analysis.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex plan provisions into clear employee-facing language.
• Ability to manage confidential employee information with professionalism and discretion.
• Comfort exploring and integrating AI tools into benefits administration and reporting workflows to drive process improvement.

Preferred

• SHRM-CP, PHR, CEBS, or related professional certification.
• Experience supporting benefits strategy, plan design, and vendor selection initiatives.
• Experience in large, multi-state organizations.

Physical Demands

• Ability to safely and successfully perform the essential job functions.
• Sedentary work that involves sitting or remaining stationary most of the time with occasional need to move around the office to attend meetings, etc.
• Ability to conduct repetitive tasks on a computer, utilizing a mouse, keyboard, and monitor.

Compensation

$110,000 - $115,000 per year. The pay range for this position is listed above. Exact compensation may vary based on several factors, including location, experience, and education. Benefit packages include medical, dental, and vision insurance, as well as 401k retirement account access. Employees in this role receive paid time off and may also be entitled to paid sick leave and/or other paid time off as provided by applicable law.