We have an immediate opening for a Senior Benefits Specialist to join our Washington, D.C.-based Human Resources team. You will be joining colleagues who are open, collaborative, diverse and curious.  

You will be the lead administrator for our health and wellness benefit programs, 401(k) retirement plan, various domestic and international insurance plans, flexible spending accounts, and workers’ compensation benefits. You will manage key relationships with brokers, record keepers, and providers to ensure a high level of service and that our programs are cost-effective and meet employee needs. You will devise efficient and compliant benefits administration procedures and lead the development of compelling and engaging resources and tools to inform prospective and current employees of the value of APCO’s total rewards programs. 

Additionally, the role involves processing North America payroll under the guidance of the Director of Compensation. This position also includes providing information to new and current employees, providers, and administrators; coordinating employee benefits; managing worker’s compensation; and resolving issues related to employee benefits, retirement, reporting, and reconciliation. 

The Senior Benefits Specialist role is a great opportunity for someone who is self-directed, proactive and has a passion for benefits. You must be able to work effectively in a fast-paced environment with competing priorities. We hope to draw on your strong project management skills and creativity to improve our HR technology and implement new solutions. 

Responsibilities:

• Work with HR leadership and team to ensure benefits and welfare program competitiveness and alignment with organizational priorities and goals 
• Understand various plan designs and documents and interpret those to relevant stakeholders 
• Develop procedures to administer benefits in an efficient and compliant manner that is aligned with industry best practices; 
• Ensure compliance of the 401k plan and identify improvements to plan administration  
• Develop a full-cycle comprehensive communications plan to inform and educate prospective and current employees about APCO’s total rewards 
• Support the North America HR Business Partner in providing leave administration for FMLA, STD, and LTD leaves 
• Manage annual insurance renewal/open enrollment process and education events 
• Work with Global HRIS Manager and Director of Compensation on improvements to the HRIS as it relates to benefits, employee self-service, and open enrollment 
• Partner with Global HR Business Partners and Global Mobility in coordinating local benefit programs for transfer and seconded employees 
• Reconcile benefits accounts by approving billing statements in coordination with shared service team 
• Maintains benefit records by developing recordkeeping systems, initiating new-hire benefits and recording changes 
• Collaborate with HR Assistant and Payroll Specialist to manage payroll changes such as new hires, absences, terminations, and wage increases  
• Prepares a variety of reports (e.g. state and federal reports, benefit and wage statements, etc.) for the purpose of providing written support and/or conveying information to district personnel, local, county, state and/or federal agencies 
• Maintains payroll process (e.g., payroll, benefit deductions, tax withholdings) to ensure accurate records and employee payments. 
• Ensure organization is properly set up to submit employment tax report and payments to various states for current and new geographies 
• Maintaining employee confidence and protects payroll operations by keeping information confidential 

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in human resources management or related field 
• At least 5-7 years of experience in benefits administration including retirement plans, domestic and global health, and dental benefits, STD, LTD, workers’ compensation, flexible spending accounts, COBRA, providing a high level of customer service in a fast-paced deadline driven environment 
• Strong knowledge and understanding of pertinent federal and state regulations and filing and compliance requirements affecting employee benefit programs, including COBRA, ERISA, HIPAA, FMLA, IRS, etc. 
• Prior experience working successfully with colleagues from diverse cultures and backgrounds 
• Ability to understand user needs within and outside of HR and work collaboratively in a team environment 
• Strong customer service orientation with excellent interpersonal communication skills; able to influence and create strong working relationships with employees and a range of stakeholders 
• Must have excellent written, verbal communication skills and strong attention to detail and accuracy 
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite 

Compensation Range:

The US base salary for this position ranges from $70,000/year to $90,000/year. Our compensation range for this role is inclusive of several US geographic markets. APCO targets an employee's pay within this range to be based on several factors, which include but are not limited to relevant education, skills, job-related knowledge, qualifications, work experience, credentials, internal equity and/or geographic location.