About the Compensation and Benefits Specialist role
A Compensation and Benefits Specialist designs and administers the reward side of employment. They benchmark salaries against the market, maintain pay structures and salary bands, run annual review and bonus cycles, and manage benefits programs such as health insurance, retirement plans, and leave policies. Their work determines whether the company attracts and keeps the talent it needs by paying competitively without overspending the people budget.
The role blends analysis with administration. Specialists evaluate jobs, participate in salary surveys, and model the cost of pay changes before leadership approves them. They also handle the operational side of rewards: enrolling employees in benefits, answering questions about coverage and eligibility, working with brokers and vendors on annual renewals, and keeping every program compliant with regulations such as FLSA, ERISA, and ACA requirements.
In your posting, describe your compensation philosophy, the size of the employee population the specialist will support, and the systems you use for HRIS and benefits administration. Also state whether the role leans more toward compensation analytics or benefits operations, since candidates tend to be stronger on one side, and mention upcoming projects such as a job architecture redesign or a benefits overhaul.
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Job brief
We are hiring a Compensation and Benefits Specialist to put structure behind what we pay and what we offer. You will benchmark our salaries against the market, maintain the pay bands, run the analysis behind our annual review cycles, and manage benefits from enrollment through renewal.
The job suits somebody comfortable inside a model and equally comfortable explaining that model to an employee asking why their offer looks the way it does. Done well, it shows up as pay decisions we can defend and benefits people actually understand.
Responsibilities
- Benchmark salaries using market data and salary surveys to keep pay competitive
- Build and maintain salary structures, pay bands, and job leveling frameworks
- Support annual merit, bonus, and promotion cycles with analysis and modeling
- Administer benefits programs including health insurance, retirement plans, and leave policies
- Manage benefits enrollment, life event changes, and employee questions about coverage
- Work with brokers, carriers, and vendors on renewals and program improvements
- Ensure compensation and benefits practices comply with FLSA, ERISA, ACA, and local regulations
- Prepare cost analyses and reports for HR leadership and finance
- Conduct job evaluations and review job descriptions so roles sit at the right level
- Communicate reward programs clearly so employees understand their total compensation
Requirements and skills
- Several years in compensation, benefits, or another analytical human resources role
- Comfortable with job evaluation, salary benchmarking, and the design of a pay structure
- Has administered benefits programs hands-on, open enrollment included
- Knows the regulations that govern pay and benefits well enough to spot a problem early
- Strong in Excel, including modeling and working with large datasets without breaking them
- Has worked inside an HRIS and a benefits administration platform
- Discreet with confidential pay data, without exception
- Explains a complicated program to an employee in language they can act on
- A degree in human resources, business, or finance, or equivalent practical experience
Nice to have
- CCP, CEBS, SHRM-CP, or similar certification
- Experience with equity compensation or sales incentive plans
- Experience supporting pay equity analyses or pay transparency compliance
- Exposure to international or multi-state benefits administration
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