Benefits Specialist

About North Park

Founded in 1891, North Park University is a Christian university affiliated with the Evangelical Covenant Church. Located in Chicago, North Park serves students from across the country and around the world through education in the liberal arts, professional studies, and theology.

Mission

The mission of North Park University is to prepare students for lives of significance and service through education in the liberal arts, professional studies, and theology.

Vision

Building on our core institutional identity of being Christian, city-centered, and intercultural, our vision is to create a university of uncommon character and enduring excellence, where faith, learning, and service meet.

Position Summary

The Benefits Specialist administers the University's employee benefit, retirement, and leave programs. The position manages benefit enrollments, employee education, vendor and payroll coordination, billing reconciliations, required notices and reporting, plan audits, and benefits records. The Benefits Specialist serves as a primary resource for employees with benefit and leave questions and ensures that transactions are timely, accurate, confidential, and consistent with plan terms and applicable requirements.

Duties and Responsibilities

Benefits Enrollment and Employee Support

• Administer medical, dental, vision, life, disability, flexible spending, dependent care, health savings, parking, transit, and other assigned employee benefit programs.
• Guide new employees through benefit enrollment, respond to questions, monitor enrollment completion, and process elections accurately in the benefits enrollment platform and Ellucian Colleague.
• Process qualifying life event changes, coverage terminations, dependent eligibility changes, beneficiary updates, and other approved benefit transactions.
• Plan and administer annual open enrollment, including system configuration support, employee communications, meetings, benefit guides, deadlines, and completion tracking.
• Monitor and respond to the benefits inbox and provide clear, timely, and confidential assistance to employees, retirees, and eligible dependents.
• Maintain accurate benefits content on HR web pages, enrollment materials, guides, forms, and employee resources.

Retirement and Vendor Administration

• Administer the University's retirement plan processes, including enrollment support, contribution changes, participant communications, required disclosures, and coordination with recordkeepers and payroll.
• Administer the Retiree Benefits Program and maintain accurate retiree eligibility, enrollment, billing, and communication records.
• Serve as a day-to-day liaison with benefit carriers, retirement providers, administrators, brokers, and other vendors to resolve enrollment, eligibility, claims, billing, and data issues.
• Reconcile monthly benefit invoices and enrollment records, research discrepancies, secure corrections, and prepare approved invoices for payment.
• Coordinate with Payroll to validate deductions and funding for insurance, retirement, flexible spending, dependent care, parking, transit, and health savings arrangements.

Leave Administration

• Administer employee leave requests in consultation with the Senior Director, including eligibility review, employee notices, forms, documentation, tracking, and return-to-work coordination.
• Coordinate Family and Medical Leave Act, short-term disability, long-term disability, pregnancy-related leave, and other applicable leave processes under University policies and governing requirements.
• Maintain confidential leave files and provide timely information to employees, supervisors, payroll, insurers, and other authorized parties.
• Notify the Title IX Coordinator of confidential pregnancy-related leave matters when required.

Compliance Audits and Records

• Prepare and process Forms 1095-C and other required benefit-related government documentation and employee notices.
• Serve as the HR lead for benefit plan audits by researching requests, reconciling system discrepancies, producing documents, and tracking completion.
• Prepare and distribute required retirement plan disclosures and other assigned plan notices.
• Maintain accurate and confidential benefit and leave records in enrollment platforms, Ellucian Colleague, and designated document systems.
• Review benefit processes and records for compliance with plan documents, University policies, and applicable federal, state, and local requirements; promptly elevate concerns to the Senior Director.
• Monitor regulatory and plan changes relevant to assigned benefits and leave programs and update procedures, communications, and forms as directed.
• Support benefit renewals, implementation activities, data requests, testing, and other benefits projects assigned by the Senior Director.

Salary range: $55,000 - $65,000

Required

• Personal commitment to and ability to articulate support for North Park University's mission, identity, and Christian faith commitment.
• Bachelor's degree in human resources, business administration, benefits administration, or a related field.
• At least two years of experience in benefits, retirement, leave administration, payroll, human resources, or a closely related field.
• Experience administering benefits in higher education or another complex employer environment.
• Experience administering retirement plans, ACA reporting, vendor billing, and open enrollment administration.
• Working knowledge of benefit enrollment systems and HR information systems; working knowledge of Ellucian Colleague is required.
• Working knowledge of benefit and leave requirements, including the Family and Medical Leave Act, COBRA, HIPAA privacy requirements, and applicable benefits compliance practices.
• Strong reconciliation and documentation skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and related productivity tools.
• Eligible to work in the United States.

Preferred

• Experience with benefits audits.
• Experience providing customer service in an employee-facing or customer-facing role.
• CEBS, SHRM-CP, PHR, or another relevant benefits or HR certification.

• Salary range: $55,000 to $65,000
• Medical Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Prescription Plan
• Flexible Spending Account
• Commuter Benefit
• Life Insurance
• Disability Insurance
• Retirement Plan
• Tuition Remission
• Helwig Recreation Center