How To Become An Employee Benefits Director: What It Is and Career Path

What is an employee benefits director and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

The average employee benefits director salary is $94,698. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an business major. It usually takes 4-6 years of experience to become an employee benefits director. Employee benefits directors with a Certified Professional - Human Resource (IPMA-CP) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 2% and produce 200 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreEmployee Benefits DirectorUS Average

Salary

7.4

Avg. Salary $94,698

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.0

Growth rate 2%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.44%

Asian 8.31%

Black or African American 11.05%

Hispanic or Latino 9.91%

Unknown 3.42%

White 66.87%

Gender

female 54.23%

male 45.77%

Age - 46

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 46

Stress level

6.0

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.6

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.5

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an employee benefits director

Explore employee benefits director education requirements

Most common employee benefits director degrees

Bachelor's

75.5 %

Master's

13.8 %

Associate

7.6 %

Start to develop specific employee benefits director skills

Skills	Percentages
Human Resources	10.27%
Payroll	5.94%
Wellness Programs	5.64%
HIPAA	5.38%
HRIS	4.10%

Complete relevant employee benefits director training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New employee benefits directors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an employee benefits director based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real employee benefits director resumes.

Research employee benefits director duties and responsibilities

Create reports using SQL database and manage reports, perform from internet-base tools for research projects need for client insight.
Interpret complex rules and laws for FMLA leave actions.
Dispatch FMLA forms for completion by employees and approve requests for leave.
Assist over 150 small businesses convert traditional insurance plans through ACA compliant programs.

Get employee benefits director experience

Generally, it takes 4-6 years to become an employee benefits director. The most common roles before becoming an employee benefits director include benefit specialist, employee benefits manager team lead and account executive.

Prepare your employee benefits director resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your employee benefits director resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an employee benefits director resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable employee benefits director resume templates

Build a professional employee benefits director resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your employee benefits director resume.