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Benefits manager skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025
6 min read
Benefits manager example skills
Below we've compiled a list of the most critical benefits manager skills. We ranked the top skills for benefits managers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 10.0% of benefits manager resumes contained hr as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a benefits manager needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 benefits manager skills for your resume and career

1. HR

HR stands for human resources and is used to describe the set of people who work for a company or an organization. HR responsibilities revolve around updating employee records and carrying out management processes like planning, recruitment, evaluation, and selection processes. HR is a key contributor to any company or organization's growth as they are in charge of hiring the right employees, processing payrolls, conducting disciplinary actions, etc.

Here's how benefits managers use hr:
  • Communicated actively and effectively with Information Technology, Accounting, HR and Audit to review cross-departmental impacts and reconciled data sharing.
  • Develop and deliver company-wide and specialized education programs to increase awareness of HR policies, procedures, and regulatory compliance.

2. Customer Service

Customer service is the process of offering assistance to all the current and potential customers -- answering questions, fixing problems, and providing excellent service. The main goal of customer service is to build a strong relationship with the customers so that they keep coming back for more business.

Here's how benefits managers use customer service:
  • Review Customer Service Guidelines in order to prioritize work on daily basis meeting regulatory-related, sensitive, and changing time-lines.
  • Communicate effectively with policy holders and other departments to foster positive relationships and ensure superior customer service.

3. HRIS

Here's how benefits managers use hris:
  • Catalyzed cross-departmental communication by facilitating technical discussions among HRIS, payroll, and vendors while gathering requirements and reporting across departments.
  • Coordinated annual open enrollment, updated benefits within HRIS, reconciled monthly statements and approved premium statements for payment.

4. HIPAA

Here's how benefits managers use hipaa:
  • Maintained strict confidentiality of sensitive information regarding employee relations, including grievance proceedings and HIPAA regulations.
  • Granted company ability to help clients with HIPAA documentation for auditing and investigative processes.

5. Life Insurance

Here's how benefits managers use life insurance:
  • Managed daily administrative duties including medical premium payments, appeals, exempt employee life insurance claims certification and problem resolution.
  • Coordinated programs involving life insurance, self-funded/administered short- and long-term disability, cafeteria plan, COBRA/OSHA reporting and relocation.

6. Open Enrollment

Open enrollment means a duration that comes every year that a person can sign up for health insurance or change the plan that a person has, for instance, if a person needs to deregister. The activity always features in a few weeks or months within a year. It allows workers to alter their benefit plans, including vision, dental, health insurance, life insurance, and disability.

Here's how benefits managers use open enrollment:
  • Coordinated all annual benefit open enrollment activities including analyzing benefit plan options, training employees and processing all open enrollment material.
  • Administered benefits program for approximately 2100 employees including mandatory open enrollment annually for five consecutive years with vendor changes.

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7. Cobra

COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985) is a federal law that allows employers of 20 or more employees who provide health care benefits to offer the option of continuing this coverage to individuals who would otherwise lose their benefits due to termination of employment, reduction in hours or certain other events. It is a temporary coverage that provides cash for medical expenses up to 18 months. The policy is helpful for retirees, former employees, former spouses, dependent children and spouses, workers laid off, on strike, fired for work, etc.

Here's how benefits managers use cobra:
  • Executed a new and improved COBRA administration process designed for efficiency and timely processing.
  • Process terminations including termination payments and providing COBRA election forms to COBRA Administrator.

8. ERISA

Here's how benefits managers use erisa:
  • Worked with Principal to reduce their administration fees and create ERISA budget to fund plan expenses, reducing bank expenses.
  • Worked closely with attorneys, actuaries, and benefit plan providers (ERISA and 401k retirement plans).

9. FMLA

Here's how benefits managers use fmla:
  • Coached managers regarding FMLA legal requirements to increase awareness of their responsibility and potential liability.
  • Process all FMLA and Disability requests Maintain accurate and legally compliant records

10. Long-Term Disability

Long-term disability is a kind of insurance policy that protects the income of workers when they sustain severe injuries or are bedridden with sicknesses that keeps them out of work for more than 3 months or more. The insurance scheme also covers a situation where the worker is permanently disabled and can no longer resume work.

Here's how benefits managers use long-term disability:
  • Coordinated all activities related to short and long-term disability and workers compensation claims.
  • Designed and implemented a uniform and integrated short term and long-term disability program.

11. Benefits Administration

Here's how benefits managers use benefits administration:
  • Managed activities to effectively coordinate Benefits Administration initiatives across a platform of diverse insurance, compensation, health and safety programs.
  • Provide end-to-end benefits administration support specific to client needs, to include ongoing benefits administration as well as one-time benefit projects.

12. ACA

Here's how benefits managers use aca:
  • Streamlined and reduced internal controls on benefits eligibility for ACA compliance.
  • Owned continuous monitoring of all variable hour associates to accurately provide benefits to those deemed eligible under the ACA.

13. Payroll System

Here's how benefits managers use payroll system:
  • Spearheaded use of new payroll system that produced significant savings and streamlined payroll procedures with regards to benefits
  • Worked closely with incoming executive management to transition benefit plans and payroll system.

14. Benefit Programs

Here's how benefits managers use benefit programs:
  • Assumed all responsibilities for our clients benefit programs, including communication of bill reconciliation, enrollment/Terminations, 401K allocation of funds.
  • Evaluated existing benefit programs for cost effectiveness and benefit adequacy, and then researched and implemented new benefit programs as needed.

15. Federal Laws

The laws formed and upheld by the federal administrating body of a country are known as federal laws. A federal administrating body or government is formed by a political party after being elected by the general public.

Here's how benefits managers use federal laws:
  • Review and analyze changes to state and federal laws pertaining to benefits, and reports necessary or suggested changes to management.
  • Provided advice to field management teams regarding benefits plans, administration, and the applicable State and Federal laws.
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List of benefits manager skills to add to your resume

Benefits manager skills

The most important skills for a benefits manager resume and required skills for a benefits manager to have include:

  • HR
  • Customer Service
  • HRIS
  • HIPAA
  • Life Insurance
  • Open Enrollment
  • Cobra
  • ERISA
  • FMLA
  • Long-Term Disability
  • Benefits Administration
  • ACA
  • Payroll System
  • Benefit Programs
  • Federal Laws
  • Health Insurance
  • Strong Analytical
  • Workers Compensation
  • Plan Design
  • Vendor Management
  • Wellness Programs
  • Insurance Carriers
  • Vendor Relationships
  • FSA
  • HSA
  • DOL
  • State Regulations
  • Hippa
  • Due Diligence
  • Party Administrators
  • IRS
  • Federal Regulations
  • Leave Management
  • ADP
  • Summary Plan Descriptions
  • PTO
  • Discrimination Testing
  • State Laws
  • Appeals
  • Shared Services
  • Direct Reports
  • Plan Changes
  • Regulatory Compliance
  • PeopleSoft
  • Cost Savings
  • Leave Administration
  • Welfare Programs

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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