Benefits Manager

Providing a high level of customer service is an important part of the position. Responsibilities include responding to questions, explaining benefit provisions, and resolving issues with professionalism, accuracy, and discretion for employees, managers, retirees, and beneficiaries. The Benefits Manager works closely with the Director of Human Resources, Payroll, Finance, consultants, carriers, and vendors to ensure accurate and compliant administration of SNU's benefit programs.

Success in this position requires independent judgment, strong attention to detail, the ability to interpret plan provisions and resolve complex issues, and a commitment to continuous improvement. Additional responsibilities include employee education, benefit program improvements, and assigned HR initiatives.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Essential Functions:

Benefits Administration: Oversee day-to-day administration of SNU's benefit programs, including health, dental, vision, life, disability, HSA/FSA, and other applicable plans. Manage benefit enrollment, eligibility, qualifying life events, employee onboarding and offboarding, status changes, and retirements.

Open Enrollment: Lead the annual open enrollment process, including planning, coordination with vendors and Payroll, system setup and testing, employee communications and education, enrollment processing, and post-enrollment reconciliation.

Leave & Disability: Administer FMLA, short- and long-term disability, paid and unpaid leave, and other applicable leave programs. Maintain confidential records and coordinate benefit continuation, premium payments, return-to-work, and reinstatement.

Retirement Plans: Oversee the administration of SNU's 403(b) and 457(b) plans in partnership with the Director of Human Resources, plan consultant and vendors. Interpret plan documents, coordinate employee and retiree needs, and ensure processes comply with plan requirements.

COBRA Administration: Administer COBRA qualifying events, notices, elections, and premium records. Ensure accurate benefit changes, deductions, and vendor files for employee separations and other status changes.

HRIS, Reconciliation & Data: Maintain accurate benefits, leave, and retirement information in Paycom and related systems. Oversee carrier bill and payroll deduction reconciliation, audits, reporting, and resolution of discrepancies. Train and provide guidance to the HR/Payroll Specialist on assigned reconciliation processes.

Compliance & Reporting: Stay current on applicable benefits laws and deadlines and ensure timely and accurate completion of notices, disclosures, filings, testing, audits, and reports, including ACA and other regulatory reporting.

Vendor & Program Support: Partner with HR Director, Finance, brokers, consultants, carriers, and vendors on renewals, contracts, invoices, RFPs, vendor performance, and benefit program changes. Analyze benefit information and make recommendations within approved plans, policies, and budgets.

Employee Support & Communication: Provide timely, accurate support to employees, managers, retirees, and beneficiaries. Coordinate new-hire enrollment and provide benefits and retirement education, develop employee communications, and support new benefit initiatives and HR projects.

Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

Southern Nazarene University is an expression of the Church of the Nazarene. According to SNU policy, all faculty and staff must profess faith in Jesus Christ, possess a strong personal Christian commitment and be committed to the SNU mission to make Christlike disciples through higher education in a Christ centered community. As an institution of the Church of the Nazarene, applicants must understand and embrace the biblical principle that all people are created in the image of God and should be treated with dignity and respect, including a belief in equal opportunity to work, contribute, and flourish without discrimination.

Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business, or a related field.

Three (3) years of progressively responsible experience in employee benefits, leave administration, retirement administration, or related HR experience.

Experience administering employee benefit programs and providing benefits-related support to employees.

Working knowledge of FMLA, COBRA, ACA, retirement plans, and other applicable benefits requirements.

Experience using HRIS systems, Microsoft Excel, and other standard office software; ability to work with benefits-related data, reporting, reconciliation, and auditing. Strong organizational, analytical, communication, and customer service skills, with the ability to exercise independent judgment and maintain confidentiality.

Preferred Qualifications:

Three (3) or more years of direct benefits administration experience.

Experience with Paycom or other HRIS.

Higher education experience and/or HR or benefits-related professional certification.

Supervision Received: Receives supervision and work assignments from the Director of Human Resources.

Supervision Exercised: May be responsible for the coordination of work assignments for student employees.

Apply Online for this position at Southern Nazarene Careers

Benefits
Generous benefit structure including family health insurance plan (shared cost), long term disability, dental insurance, group life insurance, retirement matching, tuition remission, vacation, sick leave, personal days, and holidays.

Organization

Southern Nazarene University is a private, Christian, liberal arts university. It is an expression of the educational ministry of the Church of the Nazarene. Based at its main residential campus located just west of Oklahoma City, SNU serves students from around the world at multiple locations in Oklahoma and through online educational opportunities.

Founded in 1899, SNU grew out of several small evangelical colleges committed to training people for service to God and their fellow man. During the later part of the nineteenth century, settlers in Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, New Mexico, and Texas founded these educational institutions to promote the optimistic message that the result of people fully aligning their lives with God's work in the world would be personal holiness and compassionate service.

Southern Nazarene University values each person created in the image of God, therefore, we also desire to be a community that reflects representation of diversity. We care about inclusion and equity through the refining of our character, the way we create culture and the way we serve Christ. Our University values reconciliation through God's love.

Southern Nazarene University policy prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, sex, age, color, creed, national or ethnic origin, marital status, disability, genetic information, veterans status or any other legally protected class in the recruitment and admission of students, in all personnel actions or decisions including, but not necessarily limited to, recruitment, hiring, training, upgrading, promotion, demotion, termination and salary, and in the operation of all university programs, activities, and services.