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

What is an employee benefits manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

An employee benefits manager is an individual who oversees an organization's employee benefits program. They are responsible for researching, selecting, and implementing benefits plans that align with the company's overall goals and budget. The role involves analyzing benefits data to ensure competitive offerings, negotiating contracts with insurance providers, and communicating benefit options to employees. Employee benefits managers advise on health and wellness programs, retirement plans, and other perks that can help attract and retain employees.

ScoreEmployee Benefits ManagerUS Average

Salary

6.7

Avg. Salary $85,621

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.0

Growth rate 2%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.44%

Asian 8.23%

Black or African American 10.86%

Hispanic or Latino 9.81%

Unknown 3.42%

White 67.24%

Gender

female 68.30%

male 31.70%

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

What are the pros and cons of being an employee benefits manager?

Pros

Competitive salary and benefits package
Opportunity to positively impact employee well-being
Variety of tasks and responsibilities
Job security and stability
Potential for career advancement

Cons

High levels of responsibility and stress
Dealing with complex legal and regulatory requirements
Balancing the needs of employees with company budget constraints
Constantly changing healthcare landscape
Limited control over employee decisions

Key steps to become an employee benefits manager

Explore employee benefits manager education requirements

Most common employee benefits manager degrees

Bachelor's

67.2 %

Associate

12.7 %

Master's

9.6 %

Start to develop specific employee benefits manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	12.62%
HR	9.15%
Client Relationships	6.42%
Senior Level Management	5.98%
Due Diligence	4.83%

Complete relevant employee benefits manager training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New employee benefits managers 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 manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real employee benefits manager resumes.

Research employee benefits manager duties and responsibilities

Lead the RFP process to select a new global payroll provider; balancing the needs of all global stakeholders.
Create reports using SQL database and manage reports, perform from internet-base tools for research projects need for client insight.
Advise executive committee on design of benefit plans and compliance with applicable IRC and ERISA regulations and DOL guidelines.
Upload electronic data interchanges, for FSA, H.S.A , 403b , 457b.

Prepare your employee benefits manager resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your employee benefits manager 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 manager 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 manager resume templates

Build a professional employee benefits manager 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 manager resume.