Swarthmore College is a highly selective liberal arts college located in the suburbs of Philadelphia, whose mission combines academic rigor with social responsibility. Swarthmore has a strong institutional commitment to inclusive excellence and nondiscrimination in its educational program and employment practices and encourages candidates who will further advance the goal of fostering a diverse and inclusive community. As one of the nation’s finest institutions of higher learning, Swarthmore College is global in outlook and draws students from around the nation and world. The 425‐acre campus is a designated arboretum, complete with gardens, rolling lawns, a creek, wooded hills, and hiking trails in the Crum Woods.

Who We Are:

The Human Resources department is a proactive, strategic partner to our campus community; attracting, retaining, developing and engaging talent to create a positive and respectful workplace. We support and advocate for our faculty and staff, advancing the mission of the College by fostering a diverse, equitable, inclusive and sustainable environment. We commit to this mission by:

• Delivering exemplary service by acknowledging and responding to employee inquiries promptly
• Creating and assessing competitive and equitable compensation and benefits programs to address the needs of our diverse workforce
• Partnering with managers to develop a culture of mutual respect, integrity and professionalism
• Serving as subject matter experts with respect to Human Resources best practices, compliance and risk management
• Providing opportunities to encourage professional growth and development and ensuring adherence to regulatory requirements
• Addressing employee well-being and mental health needs by encouraging a supportive and flexible work environment
• Being prepared and available to shift priorities and act in the face of urgent matters including providing crisis management support and direction as needed
• Providing timely communications regarding changes to human resources policies, programs and procedures.

The opportunity:

Under the direction of the Director of Benefits and Wellness, the Benefits Specialist is responsible for benefits administration. The Benefits Specialist provides exceptional customer service to College faculty, staff and retirees, while partnering with internal and external constituents. The individual will be a subject matter expert in benefits administration and should have a thorough understanding of state and federal employment regulations (e.g., ERISA, Affordable Care Act (ACA), HIPAA, COBRA and FMLA). The qualified candidate will have keen attention to detail and strong analytical skills.

Essential Responsibilities:

• Responds promptly to benefits inquiries from employees and retirees on plan provisions, benefits enrollments, status changes and other general inquiries.
• When necessary, ensures that issues are escalated to carriers and to system administrators and provides status updates to employees until issues are resolved.
• Responds to 403(b)/457(b) inquiries from employees relating to enrollments, plan changes and contribution amounts.
• Ensures the accuracy of benefits enrollments in the benefits platform in order to provide vendors with accurate eligibility and contribution information
• Conducts new-hire benefits orientation and other small group presentations.
• Manages data within the benefit portal; including but not limited to updating benefit changes and employee information.
• In partnership with the HRIS Manager, ensure benefits carrier feeds and reports are accurately transmitted to vendors.
• Responsible for transmitting retirement contributions to TIAA/Vanguard and HSA file uploads for each pay period (monthly and bi-weekly).
• Reconciles and pays insurance bills.
• Assist Director of Benefits and Wellness with Open Enrollment planning and implementation.
• Provides support in processing retirement plan enrollment, changes and related transactions.
• Assists in the administration of benefits and retirement programs, including plan audits, filing of 5500’s and other tax related documents.
• Works regularly with benefits brokers and benefits vendors to reconcile issues.
• Serves as liaison and point of contact to insurance brokers, providers, carriers, and vendors both current and potential.
• Provides oversight to vendor management of the 1095-C creation, accuracy and distribution with BenefitFocus.

Who you are:

• Demonstrated experience in outstanding customer service with strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent accuracy and attention to detail with the ability to handle confidential information.
• Ability to work in a team-based environment and collaborate, influence and establish trust with campus partners.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with demonstrated success managing multiple projects and competing priorities.
• Flexibility to shift directions quickly when priorities change, recommend creative solutions to problems, and deliver against tight deadlines.

What you bring:

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with five or more years of benefits experience or an equivalent combination of education and/or experience.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and/or Google Suite.
• Subject matter expert in benefits including but not limited to health and welfare plans, 403b/457 plans and applicable regulations.
• Experience with benefits administration systems and HR information systems including electronic data interchange.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Ellucian Banner, Benefitfocus or similar benefits administration system.
• Higher education experience.

What You Will Get:

You’ll work at one of the world's most renowned liberal arts Colleges, with incredible benefits, a stunning 420-acre campus and collaborative work environment. And you will join a team of passionate, creative, and supportive people who work hard and have fun supporting the College community.

Review the Swarthmore Benefits Guidebook, we offer benefit plans starting at $0 per month! Upon benefit eligibility, the College contributes 10% of an employee’s salary to their retirement account. Employees are 100% vested in their accounts on the date participation begins.

Swarthmore Benefits Flyer

Paid Time Off (Staff)

Holiday Schedule

For full consideration, submit applications by January 31, 2023. If you are excited about this role, we want to hear from you!

Swarthmore College actively seeks and welcomes applications from candidates with exceptional qualifications, particularly those with demonstrable commitments to a more inclusive society and world. Swarthmore College is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.