Benefit director vs benefit specialist

The differences between benefit directors and benefit specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a benefit director and a benefit specialist. Additionally, a benefit director has an average salary of $110,567, which is higher than the $48,756 average annual salary of a benefit specialist.

The top three skills for a benefit director include human resources, oversight and ERISA. The most important skills for a benefit specialist are customer service, HR, and patients.

Benefit director vs benefit specialist overview

	Benefit Director	Benefit Specialist
Yearly salary	$110,567	$48,756
Hourly rate	$53.16	$23.44
Growth rate	2%	7%
Number of jobs	9,650	31,663
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	46	45
Years of experience	6	6

What does a benefit director do?

Benefits directors are professionals who plan and direct the overall design, implementation, and administration of an organization's health and welfare benefits programs. To support the decision making of the management, these directors are required to analyze benefit options and predict future costs. They should study programs so that they can identify benefit options as well as obtain advice from consultants. Benefits directors must study existing and new legislation so that they can comply with federal, state, and legal requirements and advise the management on needed actions.

What does a benefit specialist do?

A benefits specialist is responsible for analyzing and processing the compensation package of an organization, ensuring that the salary and benefits received by an employee adhere to the current legislation procedures. Benefits specialists develop benefits programs, adjusting pension plans and insurance options as needed, and updating the employees on recent updates and changes. A benefits specialist responds to employees' inquiries, addresses their concerns, and manages benefits issues. A benefits specialist must have a clear understanding of benefits policies and processes to educate employees about the benefits structure.

Benefit director vs benefit specialist salary

Benefit directors and benefit specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Benefit Director	Benefit Specialist
Average salary	$110,567	$48,756
Salary range	Between $73,000 And $165,000	Between $34,000 And $68,000
Highest paying City	Portland, ME	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	New Hampshire	Connecticut
Best paying company	Cornerstone Research	Qorvo
Best paying industry	Technology	Finance

Differences between benefit director and benefit specialist education

There are a few differences between a benefit director and a benefit specialist in terms of educational background:

	Benefit Director	Benefit Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Benefit director vs benefit specialist demographics

Here are the differences between benefit directors' and benefit specialists' demographics:

	Benefit Director	Benefit Specialist
Average age	46	45
Gender ratio	Male, 40.0% Female, 60.0%	Male, 21.1% Female, 78.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 10.0% Asian, 7.9% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 7.5% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	35%	9%

Differences between benefit director and benefit specialist duties and responsibilities

Benefit director example responsibilities.

Lead project to implement third-party ACA tax form processing for over 30,000 employee records.
Manage relate HRIS systems, software applications for benefit administration.
Lead departmental PeopleSoft projects and initiatives; involve in systems testing when additional system upgrades are implemented.
Implement HIPAA compliant wellness programs, including biometric testing.
Well verse with ERISA and HIPPA reporting.
Work with outside ERISA counsel on pension issues.

Benefit specialist example responsibilities.

Manage various employee program such as life, medical, dental pension, and HSA accounts.
Examine HMO documents to verify eligibility to process or reject into or from a manage care plan when necessary.
Input daily time and PTO, manage benefits, report new hires, input sales, oversee accounts receivable.
Create reports using SQL database and manage reports, perform from internet-base tools for research projects need for client insight.
Implement new vendor for FSA administration and manage outstanding issues through continuous follow-up and vendor accountability.
Analyze, process and manage FMLA claims to determine eligibility and certification in compliance with state and federal regulations.

Benefit director vs benefit specialist skills

Common benefit director skills

Human Resources, 10%
Oversight, 6%
ERISA, 5%
Open Enrollment, 5%
HIPAA, 5%
HRIS, 4%

Common benefit specialist skills

Customer Service, 13%
HR, 8%
Patients, 5%
HRIS, 5%
Life Insurance, 5%
Cobra, 5%

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Benefit Director
Benefit Director vs Benefit Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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