The posting
At Heritage Grocers Group, LLC, how we work is defined by shared values that include absolute integrity, respect, and collaboration. But it is more than that, it is smart and highly driven people united in purpose to serve one another.
Bring your energy and unique perspective and you will have the opportunity to grow with us professionally, personally, and financially. You will be part of a team that genuinely cares about helping you succeed, and you will work alongside talented colleagues, while making a difference in our communities.
POSITION SUMMARY: The Senior Benefits Manager reports to the Senior Director, Total Rewards and leads the delivery of health, welfare, and wellness programs with an employee-first approach. This role ensures employees and their families can understand, access, and confidently use their benefits by providing clear communication, responsive support, and fair, compassionate resolution of concerns. The position leads benefits administration, compliance, vendor service, employee education, and the benefits team while partnering with Operations, Payroll, HR, Legal, brokers, carriers, and other vendors to create a consistent and supportive benefits experience for a diverse, multi-site retail grocery workforce.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: The essential duties and responsibilities of this position include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Champion an employee-first approach to health and welfare programs, including medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, life, disability, supplemental benefits, flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts, and employee assistance programs.
- Ensure employees and their families receive compassionate, accurate, and timely support when navigating benefits, claims, eligibility questions, life events, and available resources.
- Lead wellness programs that make preventive care, physical and behavioral health resources, financial well-being support, and healthy workplace practices practical and accessible across stores, distribution operations, and support locations.
- Manage and develop the benefits team to deliver responsive, respectful, and consistent employee service; establish clear service expectations, coach performance, and remove barriers to resolution.
- Listen to employee feedback and partner with retail and field HR business partners to identify pain points, improve processes, and ensure programs meet the needs of hourly, salaried, union, nonunion, full-time, and part-time employee populations, as applicable.
- Lead benefits communications and education across multiple languages, shifts, and locations, using simple, inclusive, employee-centered materials and channels that support informed decisions.
- Hold brokers, carriers, wellness partners, and third-party administrators accountable for service quality, responsiveness, issue resolution, and a positive employee experience.
- Ensure accurate and timely benefits eligibility, enrollment, qualified life event, dependent verification, evidence-of-insurability, and COBRA administration so employees receive the coverage and support they expect.
- Serve as a senior escalation resource for complex benefits concerns, claims issues, leave of absence cases, eligibility disputes, and employee inquiries, advocating for equitable, confidential, and timely resolution.
- Regularly review employee questions, service trends, and feedback to simplify processes, close communication gaps, and improve the overall benefits experience.
- Oversee benefits configuration and administration within the HRIS ADP Vantage and related platforms; partner with HR technology and Payroll to resolve defects, protect data integrity, and reduce employee-facing errors.
- Coordinate annual enrollment, renewals, and program changes with a focus on clear guidance, easy access, and minimal disruption for employees and their families.
- Use enrollment, utilization, service, and employee experience data to identify barriers, improve participation, and strengthen program effectiveness.
- Manage benefits budgets, forecasts, invoices, funding, payroll deduction audits, reconciliations, and financial controls while protecting program quality and employee value.
- Maintain compliance with ERISA, ACA, HIPAA, COBRA, Section 125, mental health parity requirements, applicable state and local laws, plan document requirements, reporting obligations, and nondiscrimination testing.
- Coordinate required notices, Summary Plan Descriptions, plan amendments, Form 5500 support, ACA reporting, audit responses, and other benefits documentation in clear and accessible formats.
- Collaborate with Leave and Disability, Workers' Compensation, Safety, Operations, and HR partners to provide coordinated support during significant employee health and life events.
- Develop and maintain service standards, procedures, controls, calendars, and documentation that promote consistent, reliable, and employee-friendly benefits administration.
- Support new locations, market expansions, acquisitions, and other business changes by helping employees understand transitions and maintain access to benefits.
- Preserve the confidentiality and security of employee health, benefits, and personal information.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Health Administration, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
- Minimum of seven years of progressive experience in employee benefits, including health and welfare plan administration, with at least three years of people leadership or significant program leadership responsibility.
- Experience supporting a large, geographically dispersed workforce; retail, grocery, distribution, hospitality, or another high-volume hourly workforce environment is strongly preferred.
- Demonstrated commitment to employee service, advocacy, empathy, inclusion, and equitable access to benefits and wellness resources.
- Proven ability to resolve sensitive and complex employee issues with sound judgment, discretion, urgency, and compassion.
- Experience leading benefits administration, open enrollment, vendor management, employee communications, and wellness initiatives.
- Strong working knowledge of ERISA, ACA, HIPAA, COBRA, Section 125, mental health parity requirements, and other federal, state, and local laws governing health and welfare plans.
- Ability to use employee feedback, service data, and benefits metrics to identify barriers and improve processes and the employee experience.
- Proven ability to lead and coach teams, collaborate across functions, manage complex projects, and hold vendors accountable for responsive employee service.
- Excellent written, verbal, presentation, and facilitation skills, with the ability to explain complex benefits information in clear, practical, and inclusive language.
- Proficiency with HRIS and benefits administration platforms and Microsoft Excel; experience with ADP or comparable systems is preferred.
- Professional certification such as CEBS, CBP, PHR, SPHR, SHRM-CP, or SHRM-SCP is preferred.
- Bilingual English/Spanish capability is preferred to support a diverse workforce.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK CONDITIONS: The physical demands and work conditions below represent those that must be met to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Some requirements may be modified to accommodate individuals with disabilities:
- While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, stand, and use the hands to handle objects, tools or controls.
- Successful performance requires vision abilities that include close vision and the ability to adjust focus.
- The work environment is typical of an office.
- Ability to lift up to 15 lbs.
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER NOTICE The job duties, elements, responsibilities, skills, functions, experience, educational factors, and the requirements and conditions listed in this job description are representative only and not exhaustive of the tasks that an employee may be required to perform. The Employer reserves the right to revise this job description at any time and to require employees to perform other tasks as circumstances or conditions of its business or the work environment change.
Disclaimer:
Pay Scale 110K-115K
The pay scale above is a good faith estimate of the salary or hourly wage range that the employer reasonably expects to pay for the position. Within this range, individual pay is determined by multiple factors including, but not limited to, specific skills, relevant work experience, and relevant education and/or training. This information is provided to applicants in accordance with California Labor Code § 432.3 and state and local minimum wage standards.
