Senior Specialist- Benefits Administration

This role sits within the People Services function and is responsible for the administration and delivery of employee benefits and retirement programmes, including health and welfare, pension/savings plans, and wellbeing initiatives. The successful candidate will ensure the efficient day-to-day operation of benefits programmes while delivering an excellent employee experience and supporting continuous process improvement.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage the end-to-end administration of employee benefits programmes across assigned markets, ensuring operational excellence and a positive employee experience.
• Act as the escalation point for complex benefits enquiries, providing guidance on benefit plans, policies, processes, and procedures to HR teams, employees, and key stakeholders.
• Develop and maintain process documentation, local work instructions, training materials, and knowledge articles, while identifying opportunities to streamline processes.
• Support the implementation of new benefit programmes, plan design changes, and process improvements within operational systems.
• Administer day-to-day benefits activities, including eligibility, enrolments, life event changes, terminations, and claims.
• Liaise with external vendors, brokers, and system providers to ensure the smooth delivery of benefits services.
• Manage updates within provider portals and reconcile system reports, integrations, and data feeds.
• Support vendor management activities, including purchase orders, invoice validation, payment tracking, and service level monitoring.
• Coordinate enrolment periods, maintaining annual activity calendars alongside internal stakeholders and external providers.
• Investigate and resolve benefits-related issues raised by employees, HR teams, and third-party vendors.
• Review employee communications, HR portal content, and vendor websites to ensure information remains accurate, up to date, and supports employee self-service.
• Support compliance and governance activities, including audits, risk identification, and corrective actions.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders to implement enterprise-wide benefits solutions and improve operational processes.
• Recommend and support enhancements to benefits administration systems, including testing new functionality, system changes, and upgrades.
• Deliver training to HR colleagues and team members on benefits processes and system changes.
• Complete annual benefits surveys and support the administration and communication of employee wellbeing programmes.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience.
• Proven experience in employee benefits administration in Life Sciences.
• Strong analytical skills with excellent attention to detail.
• Good understanding of HR policies, employment legislation, and employee benefits regulations.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills (including Pivot Tables and VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP) and proficiency across Microsoft Office.
• Experience working in a fast-paced, complex environment with the ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Strong problem-solving skills and sound business judgement.
• Experience working within multinational or multicultural organisations.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to explain complex information clearly.
• Continuous improvement mindset with a proactive approach to enhancing processes.
• Fluent English is essential. Italian or Spanish language skills would be advantageous.
• Experience across wider HR functions such as payroll, recruitment, or performance management.
• Experience working within an HR Shared Services environment.
• Familiarity with HR and benefits systems such as Workday, ServiceNow, Darwin, Ariel, or similar platforms.
• Experience coaching or mentoring colleagues and supporting capability development.