Human Resources & Benefits Specialist

Join WARF, selected as a Best Place to Work, to foster our culture and inclusive employee experience as we partner with University of Wisconsin research to solve the world’s problems.

The HR & Benefits Specialist position will serve as the main point of contact for employees of diverse backgrounds with questions and resources related to total rewards and benefits including payroll, insurance, retirement, and wellbeing, while maintaining a high degree of confidentiality in all employee matters. This position will partner with the Director of HR to model and foster our values of innovation, teamwork, and accountability within our total rewards and benefits programs.

• Develop positive and effective relationships with employees and partner with vendors across a wide variety of identities throughout the organization
• Provide proactive and responsive service, continually look for ways to enhance processes, and be innovative in your approach
• Keep accurate record of important details, and ensure data integrity for reporting of employee data from the HRIS

• Processing and ensuring our benefit plans meet the diverse needs of our employees including enrollments, terminations, and life change events.
• Manage FMLA, personal leaves, Worker’s Compensation, and ADA accommodation requests.
• Be the liaison between employees and insurance providers to resolve benefit related issues and ensure effective relationships.
• Processing payroll and ensuring the managed payroll services through B2E are accurate and incorporate documentation best practices
• Coordinating processes for accurate data and efficient reporting related to employment, performance, and total rewards through our HRIS, UKG Ready and B2E Solutions, our managed payroll provider.
• Conducting new employee orientation sessions for payroll and benefits and providing ongoing support to ensure a smooth transition into WARF and a smooth offboarding process.
• Communicating and responding to inquiries related to organizational policies and procedures as well as assisting in the development, implementation, and maintenance of comprehensive policies to promote an inclusive experience for employees across a wide variety of identities
• Engaging in conversations with managers and employees of diverse backgrounds, assisting with living WARF’s values of teamwork, innovation, and accountability through building trust, engaging employees, communicating, and appropriately addressing and resolving employee matters.

• Benefits administration experience, including familiarity with human resources best practices, payroll, benefits, and regulations including FLSA, FMLA, HIPAA, and ERISA
• Associate degree in a related field such as business, or human resources or equivalent experience, with SHRM-CP or PHR certification preferred; WARF is willing to work with selected candidate to acquire certification
• Experience working with an HRIS or payroll software, UKG Ready experience is strongly preferred, with the ability to learn organization-specific programs and systems
• Teamwork through the ability to effectively communicate and build trust across identities and with all levels of an organization
• Innovation through excellent problem‑solving capabilities, integrating diverse views, finding meaningful alternatives, and settling differences in productive ways
• Accountability through following through on commitments, strong organizational skills, and ability to manage sensitive and personal information with confidentiality

• Competitive pay, including a salary range starting at $62,000.
• Health and wellness benefits, including comprehensive medical and dental health benefits, domestic partner benefits, generous paid time off package, including time off to volunteer and vote, parental leave, employer‑funded defined benefit retirement plan, short‑term and long‑term disability coverage, life insurance policy, and employee assistance and wellness programs.
• Inclusive and accessible work environment, including flexible and hybrid work…