Senior Benefits Specialist

The Lead Benefits Specialist is a key, non-managerial role responsible for the effective administration, delivery, compliance, strategic planning, benchmarking, and continuous improvement of employee benefits programs. Serving as a primary subject-matter specialist for benefits operations and plan effectiveness, this role supports the design and evolution of benefit offerings to ensure they are competitive, compliant, cost-effective, and aligned with Vestas’ total rewards philosophy, employee value proposition, and workforce needs across the employee lifecycle

The role partners closely with HR Business Partners, Total Rewards, payroll, vendors, external advisors, leaders, and communications to support the implementation and ongoing management of benefits initiatives. The role contributes data-driven insights, market benchmarking, plan design recommendations, and process improvement ideas to support the evolution of benefits strategy and improve the employee experience. This position requires advanced technical knowledge of benefits programs, well-developed project and vendor management skills, and the ability to collaborate and partner with stakeholders without direct supervisory responsibility

• Design and implement presentations, employee and leadership education, and updates on changing laws, market trends, and benefit plan changes in partnership with communications and relevant stakeholders.
• Resolve employee questions and problems by interpreting benefit policies and procedures
• Reconcile benefits accounts, complete payment with vendor, and look for trends and efficiencies in the data
• Ensure benefit programs are administered in compliance with plan documents and applicable federal and state regulations
• Develop and maintain trusted partnership with line managers to create value and help reach business goals
• Build relationships internally and collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams, i.e. HRIS, Legal, Finance/Accounting department
• Manage day-to-day administration and continuous improvement of medical, dental, vision, disability, life insurance, retirement plan elements, voluntary benefits, FSA/HSA, COBRA, and leave programs
• Act as the primary internal benefits specialist for benefits-related policy interpretation, regulatory compliance (ERISA, ACA, HIPAA, COBRA, FMLA and relevant state laws), and plan documentation
• Manage relationships with benefits vendors and brokers: conduct vendor selection/support, oversee service level agreements, resolve escalations, and ensure high-quality service delivery.
• Serve as project lead for benefits initiatives (open enrollment, plan design changes, vendor implementations, benefit system upgrades, wellness programs), including timeline, stakeholder coordination, testing, communications, and launch.
• Develop and maintain benefits documentation, plan summaries, SPD drafts, and SOPs to reflect current programs and processes.
• Perform benefits analytics, market benchmarking, and reporting, including cost trends, utilization, enrollment, employee needs, and competitive positioning, to inform decision making, budgeting, renewal negotiations, and benefit plan improvement opportunities.
• Support benefits strategy planning by translating benchmarking, utilization, employee feedback, regulatory changes, and business priorities into actionable recommendations for plan design, governance, communications, and continuous improvement.
• Coordinate open enrollment strategy and execution, including plan modeling, decision support tools, communication campaigns, leadership and employee education sessions, and post-enrollment review to identify future improvements.
• Partner with HRIS/payroll teams to maintain accurate benefits data, perform system audits,…