HR Benefits Manager

The Benefits Manager is responsible for the leadership, administration, and continuous improvement of Rancho Health’s health, welfare, and retirement benefit programs. This role is ideal for an experienced benefits professional who enjoys being both strategic and hands-on: leading the annual benefits cycle, solving complex issues, strengthening processes and controls, and ensuring employees receive a consistent, high-quality benefits experience.

Working closely with the Senior Director, Human Resources, the Benefits Manager serves as the organization’s benefits subject matter expert and primary partner to Payroll, brokers, carriers, retirement plan providers, and other vendors. The role has meaningful ownership of benefits operations and provides analysis and recommendations to support plan strategy, cost management, compliance, and employee experience across a growing, multi-location healthcare organization.

Confidentiality & Information Security

All HR team members must sign and comply with Rancho Health MSO’s HR Department Confidentiality Agreement. This role requires regular access to sensitive employee and company information. A high level of discretion, data protection, and adherence to privacy policies is required at all times, including after employment ends.

Essential Job Duties: Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.  

Benefits Program Leadership & Employee Support

• Serve as Rancho Health’s benefits subject matter expert and lead the day-to-day administration of medical, dental, vision, life, disability, voluntary, and retirement benefit programs.
• Act as the primary escalation point for complex eligibility, enrollment, carrier, payroll deduction, and plan administration issues; evaluate options and drive issues through resolution.
• Establish and maintain benefits processes, annual calendars, internal controls, service standards, and documentation to support accuracy, compliance, and continuity.
• Provide guidance to employees and HR team members on benefit programs, plan provisions, and administrative requirements, and oversee employee-facing benefits communications and education.
• Identify trends, risks, and opportunities within benefits administration and recommend practical solutions to HR leadership.

Retirement Plan Administration

• Lead the operational administration of the company’s 401(k) plan in partnership with the recordkeeper, third-party administrator, Payroll, HR leadership, and other service providers.
• Oversee participant eligibility, contribution and data reconciliation, annual census requests, compliance testing, required notices, Form 5500 preparation, and recurring plan administration activities.
• Research and coordinate resolution of complex retirement plan issues and escalate fiduciary, legal, financial, or plan interpretation matters to HR leadership as appropriate.
• Support retirement plan changes, acquisitions, participant communications, and implementation of approved plan actions.

Reconciliation, Auditing & Data Integrity

• Oversee benefit carrier invoice reconciliation, eligibility and enrollment audits, payroll deduction validation, and data integrity across HRIS and vendor systems.
• Analyze discrepancies and recurring issues, determine root causes, and coordinate corrective action with Payroll, brokers, carriers, and vendors.
• Monitor benefit-related data feeds and system integrations and establish controls to identify and resolve errors timely.
• Develop and monitor benefits metrics, reports, and audit processes to support accuracy, compliance, cost awareness, and decision-making.

Broker, Vendor & HRIS Management

• Lead day-to-day relationships with benefit brokers, carriers, retirement plan providers, and other benefit vendors, including issue escalation, service performance, and follow-through.
• Partner with HR leadership and brokers on annual renewal analysis, plan recommendations, vendor evaluations, and implementation of approved changes.
• Oversee benefit-related configuration and testing in ADP and vendor systems, including rates, eligibility rules, employee contributions, and enrollment workflows.
• Identify opportunities to improve vendor performance, technology, automation, and benefits administration processes.

Open Enrollment & Annual Benefits Cycle

• Lead the annual Open Enrollment process from planning through post-enrollment audit, including project timelines, system configuration, testing, communications, employee education, and issue resolution.
• Partner with HR leadership and the benefits broker to evaluate renewal information, utilization, cost trends, employee feedback, and plan options; prepare analysis and recommendations to support decision-making.
• Ensure approved plan changes are accurately implemented across HRIS, payroll, carrier, and vendor systems.
• Evaluate Open Enrollment results and recurring employee questions to identify opportunities to improve plan communication and the employee experience.

Compliance, Acquisitions & Process Improvement

• Monitor benefits administration for compliance with applicable requirements, including ACA, COBRA, HIPAA, and ERISA, and coordinate required notices, reporting, and documentation.

• Own the annual ACA reporting process and coordinate data validation, preparation, review, corrections, and distribution of Forms 1094-C and 1095-C with applicable vendors.
• Lead benefits-related workstreams for acquisitions and employee transitions, including due diligence support, data review, employee communications, enrollment coordination, and implementation of approved actions.
• Continuously evaluate benefits processes, controls, documentation, and employee experience and implement or recommend improvements.

Team Collaboration & Leadership

The Human Resources team operates with clear ownership and shared accountability. The Benefits Manager is expected to collaborate closely with the HR Operations Manager and other HR team members, provide functional guidance and cross-training on benefits processes, and support continuity during peak workloads, time off, audits, acquisitions, and special initiatives. This role does not require direct reports at hire; people-management responsibilities may be added as the organization and benefits function grow.

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Finance, or a related field preferred; equivalent relevant professional experience will be considered.

Experience:

• 5+ years of progressive employee benefits experience, including significant hands-on responsibility for health and welfare benefits; experience with a mid-size or large, multi-location employer strongly preferred.
• Experience leading Open Enrollment, broker/vendor relationships, benefits compliance activities, reconciliations, and complex employee benefit issue resolution required.
• Experience with ADP Workforce Now strongly preferred; experience with 401(k) administration and healthcare organizations preferred.

Knowledge and Skills:

• Strong knowledge of health, welfare, and retirement benefits and applicable requirements, including ACA, COBRA, HIPAA, and ERISA.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze benefits data, costs, utilization, and operational issues and translate findings into practical recommendations.
• Strong analytical, reconciliation, project management, and Excel skills with exceptional attention to detail.
• Strong judgment, problem-solving, communication, and vendor-management skills with the ability to independently manage competing priorities and complex issues.

• Employee-service mindset with the ability to communicate benefits information clearly and build effective relationships across all levels of the organization.