Benefits Sr Associate

Role Description:

The Senior Associate, Benefits supports the administration, compliance, and daily operations of the Puerto Rico benefits programs. This role ensures seamless employee experience, accurate vendor operations, and adherence to local legal and regulatory requirements. The position partners closely with HR, Payroll, Finance, vendors, and external partners to deliver high-quality service and continuous improvement across Puerto Rico benefit offerings.

Roles & Responsibilities:

Benefit Administration & Operations

• Oversee day-to-day administration of Puerto Rico benefit plans (health, life, disability, retirement, wellness, and other location-specific programs).
• Serve as primary contact for employees and HR partners regarding benefit inquiries, eligibility, and issue resolution.
• Manage enrollment processes, life-event changes, and terminations; ensure timely and accurate updates across systems.
• Coordinate with Payroll on benefit deductions, adjustments, and reconciliations.

Vendor & Partner Management

• Work with benefit providers to resolve service issues, monitor SLAs, and ensure data accuracy.
• Review and validate vendor reporting, invoices, and plan reconciliations.
• Support annual plan renewals, implementations, and system updates.

Compliance & Governance

• Ensure benefit plans comply with Puerto Rico employment law, tax rules, and required filings.
• Maintain documentation, procedures, and audit-ready records.
• Support internal and external audits by providing data and responding to inquiries.

Employee Experience & Communication

• Support the design and execution of employee communications, education sessions, and benefit campaigns.
• Assist in delivering benefits-related onboarding and offboarding activities.
• Identify and propose enhancements to improve employee understanding and utilization of benefits.

Projects & Continuous Improvement

• Contribute to annual Open Enrollment planning and execution.
• Support benefits projects, including technology enhancements, process optimization, and vendor transitions.
• Analyze trends, identify gaps, and recommend improvements to benefit programs and service delivery.

Basic Qualifications and Experience:

• 5+ years of experience in benefit administration, preferably with a focus on US benefit administration.
• In-depth knowledge of Puerto Rico benefit programs and regulations, including ERISA, HIPAA, COBRA, and related regulations.
• Experience with Workday, third party benefit administrator systems and ServiceNow is preferred.

Skills:

• Ability to prioritize tasks, and meet deadlines in a global work environment.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to interact effectively with employees and managers remotely across different time zones.
• Ability to analyze data and translate insights into actionable program improvements.
• Experience working in a large, diverse, global organization.
• Customer-centric mindset with a focus on employee experience.