Benefits Specialist III

VISA- no-h1b 

TITLE- Benefits Specialist III

LOCATION- Remote, US (in-office is optional in Needham, MA); EST time zone preferred, flexible for the right candidate

DURATION- 3+ months

INTERVIEW  video

Urgency & Submission Process

• Employee goes on leave of absence Wednesday — speed is the priority.
• Submit qualified candidates to Ornella; prioritize current, gap-free LOA experience.
• Direct follow-up questions to Ornella via email; she will relay to Serena and respond to suppliers.
• Interview process: one round with Serena only; she will test leave of absence knowledge directly.
• Company ships a laptop; Ornella is ordering equipment.

Team & Scope

• Team is just Serena and the employee going out, supporting ~5,000 employees globally.
• North America benefits are handled entirely by these two.
• Serena is entering open enrollment season (renewals, comms, contracts), so the contractor must run LOA independently.
• HRIS: UltiPro now, migrating to Oracle as of January 1 (no contractor support needed on the migration).
• Leave vendors: Prudential (U.S. claims, medical certs, FMLA paperwork); Canada Life (Canada; parental leave goes direct to government).
• ADA accommodations are managed in-house; Serena will handle if the candidate lacks experience.

What They'll Do

• Serve as primary point of contact for all North America LOA cases, including STD, LTD, PFL, FMLA, ADA, and Reasonable Accommodation requests (primary, most time-intensive duty).
• Track U.S. and Canada LOAs start to return on a spreadsheet tracker, keeping records of employee comings and goings current.
• Meet with employees going on leave and walk them through packets and instructions.
• Explain leave policies, eligibility, and processes clearly to employees and managers.
• Create the biweekly Excel payroll file for employees starting, ending, and on leave, including regular hours, time off, and parental leave top-ups using accrued time off.
• Process and review benefits invoicing and billing via the AP system (cheat sheet provided).
• Answer general employee benefits questions, triaging complex cases to Serena.
• Coordinate with external vendors and carriers on leave and benefits administration.
• Maintain compliance with federal and state leave regulations.

Ideal Candidate Profile

• 3+ years of hands-on North America leave administration (STD, LTD, PFL, FMLA, ADA) — a must, not a nice-to-have.
• Deep knowledge of state paid family/medical leave, including NY and Rhode Island; no need to explain basic leave types to this person.
• Current and not rusty; no major resume gaps (explained gaps such as parental leave are acceptable).
• Prior benefits invoicing/billing and vendor coordination experience.
• Picks up company-specific tools and processes quickly; Serena will train and double-check the payroll file process.
• Strong communicator who explains complex leave policies in plain, reassuring terms.
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and comfortable managing multiple concurrent leave cases.

Next Steps

• Source and screen for current, hands-on LOA administrators with multi-state leave depth.
• Submit strongest candidates to Ornella quickly given the Wednesday start of leave.
• Route any fit questions to Ornella via email before submitting.