Benefit director vs senior human resources consultant

The differences between benefit directors and senior human resources consultants 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 senior human resources consultant. Additionally, a benefit director has an average salary of $110,567, which is higher than the $81,131 average annual salary of a senior human resources consultant.

The top three skills for a benefit director include human resources, oversight and ERISA. The most important skills for a senior human resources consultant are healthcare, employee engagement, and workforce planning.

Benefit director vs senior human resources consultant overview

	Benefit Director	Senior Human Resources Consultant
Yearly salary	$110,567	$81,131
Hourly rate	$53.16	$39.01
Growth rate	2%	7%
Number of jobs	9,650	62,899
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age	46	47
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 senior human resources consultant do?

A senior human resources consultant specializes in recommending solutions to optimize a company's human resource operations. Their responsibilities typically revolve around performing research and analysis to identify the strengths and weaknesses of existing procedures, devising strategies to attain the best employment practices, and developing programs for the benefit of employees. They may also implement the company's policies and regulations, creating new ones as needed. Furthermore, as a senior human resources consultant, it is essential to lead and encourage junior consultants and managers to accomplish goals in adherence to the vision and mission of the company.

Benefit director vs senior human resources consultant salary

Benefit directors and senior human resources consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Benefit Director	Senior Human Resources Consultant
Average salary	$110,567	$81,131
Salary range	Between $73,000 And $165,000	Between $60,000 And $108,000
Highest paying City	Portland, ME	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	New Hampshire	New York
Best paying company	Cornerstone Research	Santander Private Banking International
Best paying industry	Technology	Technology

Differences between benefit director and senior human resources consultant education

There are a few differences between a benefit director and a senior human resources consultant in terms of educational background:

	Benefit Director	Senior Human Resources Consultant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Northwestern University

Benefit director vs senior human resources consultant demographics

Here are the differences between benefit directors' and senior human resources consultants' demographics:

	Benefit Director	Senior Human Resources Consultant
Average age	46	47
Gender ratio	Male, 40.0% Female, 60.0%	Male, 36.3% Female, 63.7%
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, 7.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 5.7% White, 70.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	35%	18%

Differences between benefit director and senior human resources consultant 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.

Senior human resources consultant example responsibilities.

Manage AAP plan development, modification, implementation, and reporting requirements.
Project leader on Lawson HRIS performance management implementation.
Investigate civil/federal FMLA misuse and represent the organization with a positive outcome.
Develop FMLA administration/case management process where none exist that receive endorsement by the DOL.
Correct and reinforce desire performance improvement behaviors while coaching leaders and associates on newly implement HRIS system.
Reduce employment litigation from multiple claims to minimal exposure providing counseling and leadership coaching and partnering with management on resolutions.

Benefit director vs senior human resources consultant skills

Common benefit director skills

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

Common senior human resources consultant skills

Healthcare, 7%
Employee Engagement, 7%
Workforce Planning, 6%
Payroll, 6%
Project Management, 5%
SR, 4%

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Benefit Director
Benefit Director vs Senior Human Resources Consultant

Updated January 8, 2025

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