How To Become A Senior Benefits Specialist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a senior benefits specialist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Desmond Doulatram

As a Senior Benefits Specialist, you will oversee and manage payroll-related duties and benefits duties. You will maintain compliance with employment regulations and laws, review practices and policies, and work with insurance brokers, among others.

You will most likely work in an office environment and do full-time work. You need to meet the goals and objectives set by your company or organization and submit quality outputs. Being a Senior Benefits Specialist can make you earn around $71,276 per year on average. There is also a job growth rate of 6%, so you do not need to worry about the job not being in demand.

As a Senior Benefits Specialist, you can still further your career. You can become a Benefits Manager, a Human Resources Manager, and a Director of Human Resources. It is all up to you and the path you plan to pursue in life. As long as you meet the requirements and skillset, you have the chance to take on other roles.

What general advice would you give to a senior benefits specialist?

Desmond Doulatram

Co-Chair of Liberal Arts Department, College of the Marshall Islands

The world is becoming a more global and interdependent place and this diversity can add to your resume. I would encourage our new graduates to take on the challenge of engaging with work that takes them from place to place, city to city, and country to country. Place based learning informs understanding of case by case informed solutions to common problems we face as a society. In this light, you diversify your human experience by increasing your social capital as you engage with audiences across the human spectrum from all backgrounds, cultures, religions, ethnicities, and nationalities. Don't underestimate the value of the human experience from a wide array of sources being people that come from a multitude of experiences that are equally valuable to understand and gain valuable insight from. It will definitely help you grow into yourself as a competent worker that works not for one's self but for a greater purpose. It really is one's purpose in life that increases passion in the workplace and I hope you align yourself with that purpose which will give you value in the workplace and beyond. Remember the four I's being Intelligence, Integrity, Initiative, and Innovation. Be the intelligent person you are and practice integrity while taking the initiative to innovate. As an educator from an indigenous Marshallese background, I believe in the Four R's also being Respect, Relevance, Reciprocity, and Responsibility. Regardless of your ethnic, religious, national, and cultural background; always remember to respect others while doing relevant work to reciprocate your employers and the community you work with for that is your responsibility.

ScoreSenior Benefits SpecialistUS Average

Salary

3.9

Avg. Salary $50,211

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.0

Growth rate 7%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.34%

Asian 7.26%

Black or African American 10.65%

Hispanic or Latino 15.64%

Unknown 3.64%

White 62.47%

Gender

female 74.63%

male 25.37%

Age - 45

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 - 45

Stress level

6.0

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.1

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.1

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a senior benefits specialist

Explore senior benefits specialist education requirements

Most common senior benefits specialist degrees

Bachelor's

66.5 %

Associate

15.6 %

Master's

9.2 %

Start to develop specific senior benefits specialist skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	11.22%
HR	9.43%
HRIS	7.37%
Life Insurance	4.45%
Benefits Administration	4.34%

Complete relevant senior benefits specialist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New senior benefits specialists 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 a senior benefits specialist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real senior benefits specialist resumes.

Research senior benefits specialist duties and responsibilities

Develop and manage leave of absence program in accordance with company policy, FMLA and applicable state laws.
Create reports using SQL database and manage reports, perform from internet-base tools for research projects need for client insight.
Coordinate with STD/FMLA carrier and payroll to process disability and FMLA claims.
Set up new hires in Kronos time & labor system as well as work schedules.

Get senior benefits specialist experience

Generally, it takes 4-6 years to become a senior benefits specialist. The most common roles before becoming a senior benefits specialist include benefit specialist, human resources coordinator team lead and customer service representative.

Prepare your senior benefits specialist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your senior benefits specialist 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 a senior benefits specialist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable senior benefits specialist resume templates

Build a professional senior benefits specialist 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 senior benefits specialist resume.