Benefits Specialist

Job Title: Benefits Specialist

Industry: Higher Education

Location: Chicago, IL – North Side

Assignment Type: Direct Hire

Pay: $55,000–$65,000 / year, with some flexibility based on experience

Work Schedule: Full-time | Onsite for the first 1–2 months of training, followed by a flexible hybrid schedule with up to 2 remote days per week based on team needs

Benefits: This position is eligible for medical, dental, vision, and 401(k).

About The Company:

Our client is an established higher education institution in Chicago offering a collaborative, mission-driven environment. The organization provides a comprehensive benefits package and is seeking a Benefits Specialist to join its Human Resources team in a highly employee-facing role.

Job Description:

We are seeking a Benefits Specialist to manage and support employee benefits, retirement, and leave programs. This position will be responsible for benefit enrollments, employee education, vendor coordination, billing reconciliation, audits, compliance documentation, and ongoing benefits administration.

The ideal candidate has hands‑on benefits experience, strong customer service skills, and exceptional attention to detail.
Prior experience working with Ellucian Colleague is required for consideration.

Key Responsibilities:

• Administer employee benefit programs, including medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurance, spending accounts, commuter benefits, and other offerings.
• Assist new hires with benefit enrollment and ensure elections are accurately entered and maintained within benefits systems and Ellucian Colleague
  .
• Process employee benefit changes related to qualifying life events, dependents, beneficiaries, terminations, and eligibility updates.
• Coordinate annual open enrollment activities, including employee communications, system updates, informational materials, meetings, and enrollment tracking.
• Respond to employee questions regarding benefits, eligibility, coverage, retirement programs, and leave policies.
• Support administration of retirement programs, including enrollments, contribution changes, required communications, and payroll coordination.
• Partner with insurance carriers, benefit providers, brokers, and other vendors to resolve enrollment, billing, eligibility, and coverage discrepancies.
• Review and reconcile benefit invoices and enrollment records, investigate discrepancies, and coordinate necessary corrections.
• Collaborate with payroll to ensure benefit deductions, retirement contributions, and other employee elections are processed accurately.
• Assist with employee leave administration, including eligibility reviews, documentation, tracking, required notices, and return‑to‑work coordination.
• Support FMLA, disability, pregnancy‑related, and other applicable leave programs in accordance with organizational policies and regulatory requirements.
• Maintain confidential and accurate benefits and leave documentation.
• Prepare required benefits‑related reporting, employee notices, and government documentation, including Form 1095-C.
• Assist with benefits plan audits by gathering documentation, reviewing data, researching discrepancies, and responding to audit requests.
• Monitor benefit and leave processes for compliance with plan requirements and applicable employment regulations.
• Support benefit renewals, system testing, implementation projects, reporting requests, and other HR initiatives.

Qualifications:

• Ellucian Colleague experience is required.
• 1–4 years of professional benefits administration experience.
• Bachelor's degree required.
• Experience supporting employee benefit enrollment and ongoing benefits administration.
• Strong employee‑facing customer service and communication skills.
• Ability to handle confidential employee and benefits information with…