Benefits Specialist

Sweetwater Care is a skilled nursing facility committed to providing compassionate care to the community it serves. Our mission is to transition skilled nursing facilities to the preferred care provider in the communities they serve, by building trusting relationships through rigorous and compassionate care.

The Human Resources Benefits Specialist is responsible for the administration, compliance, and day-to-day management of employee benefit programs supporting a 5,000+ employee skilled nursing workforce
, with a strong emphasis on California-based operations
. This role Onsite/Hybrid in Carlsbad office or fully remote depending on experience. This role requires hands-on collaboration with HR Resource, payroll, and facility teams.

The ideal candidate has extensive experience administering healthcare benefits in a high-volume, multi-state environment.

• Administer and manage employee benefit programs including medical, dental, vision, life, disability, FSA, HSA, retirement plans, EAP, and other ancillary benefits
• Process benefit eligibility, enrollments, terminations, and life event changes for 5,000+ employees
• Lead and execute open enrollment for multi-state populations, including system configuration and employee communications
• Ensure accurate benefit setup and ongoing data integrity within the current HRIS and payroll systems (Paylocity)
• Perform routine audits, reconciliations, and reporting to ensure accuracy and compliance

• Serve as a benefits subject matter expert for employees across Resource and all facilities
• Provide in-person or virtual support and guidance to employees navigating benefits, leaves, and qualifying life events
• Conduct benefits training and informational sessions at the Resource office and, as needed, at facilities
• Handle complex benefits and leave cases with professionalism, empathy, and confidentiality
• Act as liaison with benefits brokers, carriers, and third-party administrators
• Support leave administration in coordination with facilities and Resource, ensuring compliance with various state leave laws
• Assist with benefit renewals and plan evaluations

• Identify opportunities to streamline benefits processes and enhance the employee experience
• Analyze benefit trends and utilization data

• 3–5+ years of benefits administration experience
  , preferably in skilled nursing, healthcare
• Demonstrated experience supporting 1,000+ employees (experience with 5,000+ strongly preferred)
• Strong working knowledge of multi-state employment and benefit regulations
• Hands-on experience administering ACA, COBRA/Cal-COBRA, and various state leave programs
• Proficiency with HRIS and benefits administration systems (Paylocity, UKG, Workday, ADP, Ceridian, or similar)
• Ability to Travel

• Skilled nursing or long-term care industry experience
• Benefits and compliance expertise
• Strong attention to detail and organizational skills
• High-touch employee service mindset
• Ability to manage sensitive information with discretion
• Effective communication across all levels of the organization
• Onsite California or Remote
• Occasional local travel to skilled nursing facilities may be required
• Fast-paced healthcare environment with regulatory complexity

Full-Time

• Competitive salary ( $72,000 - $82,000 depending on experience)
• Play a critical role supporting a large clinical workforce
• Competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits
• Opportunity to grow within a collaborative HR leadership team

If you are a motivated professional with a passion for helping people, we encourage you to apply. Please submit a cover letter, resume, and list of references to Katrina.

We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome all qualified candidates to apply.