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Barnard College

Liberal arts college in New York, NY

Benefits Manager

Full-TimeUpdated on 10/23/2026
$90k - $105k
Mid
Bachelor's
New York, NY, USA
HybridHybrid: 3 days in office and 2 days remote; schedule may change due to operational needs.
People & HRCompensation & Benefits

About the job

Requirements
  • A bachelor’s degree and a minimum of four years of progressive experience in Benefits, Work Life, or Employee Wellness are required.
  • Provide accurate, timely, and responsive support on complex problems and coach employees and management through complex, difficult, and emotional issues.
  • Use sound judgment consistent with standards, practices, policies, procedures, regulations, and government law when recommending resolutions to employee-related problems or issues.
  • Prioritize multiple projects and deliverables, work with urgency, and meet deadlines.
  • Demonstrate strong customer service skills and the ability to collaborate with faculty, staff, external visitors, vendors, and campus partners.
  • Demonstrate strong organizational skills, self-motivation, and the ability to plan, schedule, and work independently and in teams.
  • Maintain professionalism and discretion in contacts with management and team members.
  • Demonstrate sound judgment and an open, collaborative style that encourages teamwork and cooperation; serve as a role model and coach.
  • Have excellent computing skills, including experience with a comprehensive human resources information system and Microsoft Office.
  • Partner with stakeholders to move projects and programs forward independently and collaboratively.
Responsibilities
  • Manage day-to-day health and total rewards plans and enhance workflow processes and procedures.
  • Coordinate benefits and fiscal items with the benefits broker, external vendors and benefit partners, the Associate Director, HR client services, Payroll, Finance, and other departments.
  • Manage leaves of absence, including Family and Medical Leave, workers’ compensation, Paid Family Leave, and short- and long-term disability, and ensure employees understand eligibility responsibilities and required documentation and notices.
  • Manage and coordinate medical reasonable accommodation requests under the Americans with Disabilities Act and liaise on the interactive process with vendors, departments, employees, and other parties.
  • Serve as the primary contact for leave requests and communicate updates and information to facilitate timely leave starts and returns to work; relay communications between employees and managers and provide managers with relevant updates.
  • Oversee return-to-work processes for employees returning from extended Family and Medical Leave, Paid Family Leave, workers’ compensation, disability, or other leaves.
  • Coordinate other leave requests, including communications, documentation, wage verifications, insurance information, and status updates.
  • Coordinate employee contributions while employees are on paid leave and arrange direct payments or arrears for employees on unpaid leave.
  • Coordinate with the human resources information system team to ensure proper payment of employees on leave, including use of sick time.
  • Answer time-off and absence-management questions about eligibility and use of vacation, sick time, floating holidays, bereavement leave, and jury duty.
  • Ensure high-quality service for all parties in the leave and absence-management process.
  • Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local regulations, including the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, Family and Medical Leave Act, Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, and Occupational Safety and Health Administration requirements; prepare legally required reports and applications for agencies such as the Internal Revenue Service, Department of Labor, insurance commissioners, and other regulators.
  • Monitor, review, and analyze changes to state and federal benefits laws and report necessary or suggested changes to senior leadership, including the impact of changes such as the Defense of Marriage Act and Affordable Care Act.
  • Prepare and execute benefit documentation with legal consultation, including original and amended plan texts, summary plan descriptions, benefit agreements, and insurance policies; instruct insurers and administrative agencies to implement benefit program changes and ensure compliance.
  • Administer employee benefits programs for faculty and staff, including retirement, medical, dental, disability, life insurance, tuition, flexible spending accounts, workers’ compensation, COBRA, and unemployment; oversee plan administration according to plan provisions, documentation, and legal and regulatory requirements.
  • Manage the Open Enrollment process with the Associate Director, Benefits and Employee Wellbeing, including preparing communications, following up on human resources information system tasks, monitoring enrollment, engaging employees in active or passive enrollment, and coordinating updated census and enrollment files with human resources information system staff and vendors.
  • Conduct new-hire orientation for administrative, faculty, staff, and union employee groups; provide information and support, answer questions, and follow up as needed.
  • Provide subject-matter expertise, advice, and guidance on benefits matters and build partnerships across the College to align benefits offerings with employee wellness, organizational goals, and human resources strategies.
  • Ensure high-quality benefits customer service through plan administration, communications, education, and service activities.
  • Research and analyze benefits packages with the Associate Director, Benefits and Employee Wellbeing, recommend financially sound and cost-effective offerings that meet employee needs, and work with consultants and benefits providers to formulate proposals and solve problems.
  • Manage vendor relationships and serve as point of contact for benefit billing across benefit plans and ancillary benefits vendors; download invoices, reconcile bills, review mail, and process payments through purchase orders or Workday service invoice requests.
  • Serve as the primary contact for employee and dependent tuition inquiries; process invoices and requests, follow workflows, educate and instruct employees, follow up on outstanding issues, and coordinate reimbursement requests and status with Finance.
  • Work with the Associate Director, Benefits and Employee Wellbeing, and vendors on wellness initiatives throughout the year.
  • Work with the Associate Director, Benefits and Employee Wellbeing, to share information with the Retirement Committee and Joint Faculty and Administrators Benefits group about proposed critical benefit changes.
  • Participate as needed in the quarterly 403(b) Investment Committee with nominated human resources, Finance, faculty participants, and the investment advisor.
  • Serve as the point of contact for retirement plan queries and paperwork, verify employment, and educate employees about employee and employer contributions and retirement plan design.
  • Coordinate and manage workers’ compensation queries, wage requests, and incident reports.
  • Perform special projects and related duties assigned by the Associate Director, Benefits and Employee Wellbeing.
Desired Qualifications
  • Professional in Human Resources, Senior Professional in Human Resources, SHRM Certified Professional, SHRM Senior Certified Professional, or Certified Employee Benefits Specialist certification is preferred.
  • An advanced degree in a relevant field is preferred.
  • Experience in higher education is preferred.

About the company

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Barnard College

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Barnard College is a private liberal arts college for women in New York City. It offers undergraduate education and is affiliated with Columbia University.

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