Senior Benefits Analyst (Leave and Disability)

If you’re passionate about building a better future for individuals, communities, and our country—and you’re committed to working hard to play your part in building that future—consider WGU as the next step in your career. Driven by a mission to expand access to higher education through online, competency-based degree programs, WGU is also committed to being a great place to work for a diverse workforce of student-focused professionals. The university has pioneered a new way to learn in the 21st century, one that has received praise from academic, industry, government, and media leaders. Whatever your role, working for WGU gives you a part to play in helping students graduate, creating a better tomorrow for themselves and their families. The salary range for this position takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs. At WGU, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their position, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current range is: Grade: Professional 309 Pay Range: $82,700.00 - $124,000.00 Job Description The Senior Benefits Analyst will have a dynamic and challenging opportunity to meaningfully impact Western Governors University’s (WGU) total rewards programs. The Senior Benefits Analyst works closely with all areas of People & Talent (WGU’s HR function), Payroll, Finance, and numerous external vendors to assist in ensuring the smooth delivery of all employee benefit plans, programs, and policies. These include retirement, healthcare, wellbeing, EAP, life and disability, paid time off, absence management, recognition, and other ancillary plans. This role provides technical and financial expertise and work in support of the Director of Employee Benefits and Benefits Advisors. Provides day-to-day stewardship of processes, analysis, data reconciliations and auditing, reporting, communications, and project management critical to the operation of the WGU’s employee benefit plans. Supports on-going benchmarking and strategy development in support of our total rewards philosophy, including participation in cross-functional initiatives and coordination with external advisers. Requires substantial prior experience in operational, analytical, financial, and strategic aspects of employee benefits within a large organization. This role operates in a high-pace, high-growth environment and demands positive passion and enthusiasm.   The Senior Benefits Analyst works closely with all areas of People & Talent, Payroll, Finance, and numerous external vendors to assist in ensuring the smooth delivery of all employee benefit plans, programs, and policies. These include retirement, healthcare, wellbeing, EAP, life and disability, paid time off, absence management, recognition, and other ancillary plans. This role provides technical and financial expertise and work in support of the Director of Employee Benefits and Benefits Advisors. They will provide day-to-day stewardship of processes, analysis, data reconciliations and audits, reporting, communications, and project management critical to the operation of the University employee benefit plans. The Senior Analyst also supports on-going benchmarking and strategy development in support of our total rewards philosophy, including participation in cross-functional initiatives and coordination with external advisors. This requires substantial experience in operational, analytical, financial, and strategic aspects of employee benefits within a large organization. This role operates in a high-pace, high-growth environment and demands positive passion and enthusiasm. Job Duties Provides analytical, technical, process, and project support to the Employee Benefits function within the Total Rewards team. Collaborates closely with University People & Talent teammates and other University stakeholders to support the design administration and communication of programs, plans, and policies. Provides hands-on project support or ownership for annual insurance renewals, open enrollment, year-end vendor file updates, routine compliance filings, and other special activity and projects as necessary. Develops and maintains documentation of critical employee benefits processes and procedures. Conducts regular data reconciliations, audits, and configuration reviews of all internal and external administrative systems associated with employee benefits programs and costs. Performs root cause analysis associated with issues or problems from across the organization. Identifies and recommends process or system improvements regarding the same. Reviews benefit claims and utilization data on an ongoing basis; analyzes and interprets data for trends, improvements, and efficiencies. Provides support for tracking of Employee Benefits budget and associated fiscal year planning. Plays an active role in employee benefits education and communication across the organization, including assisting with annual open enrollment meetings, webinars, and wellbeing activities. Comfortable presenting information to employees at all levels of the organization. Fulfills information requests associated with routine audits and government reporting, and governance committee meetings. Assists with peer and industry benchmark analysis, survey responses, and preparation of program design comparisons to other companies. Executes assigned operational and strategic activities with consultants and advisors. Stays abreast of current and emerging market trends to identify and address potential opportunities and gaps. Performs other job-related duties as assigned. Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Knowledge of and demonstrated prior experience with operational a