Benefits & Leave Specialist

Company OverviewBuildASign aims to make it easy and affordable for people to share their message or tell their story with custom and personalized products. We continuously innovate and improve to provide customers with exceptional value and an experience that fosters a long-lasting relationship. The Austin, Texas-based organization has grown since the company’s inception in 2005 to include more than 700 employees. BuildASign also operates EasyCanvasPrints.com and AlliedShirts.com. We’re committed to building a team where talented people can do meaningful work, continue developing their skills, and contribute new ideas. As BuildASign continues to grow, we’re looking for people with different experiences and perspectives who can help us make our products and customer experience even better.The Role

As the Benefits & Leave Specialist, you will be responsible for administering employee health and welfare benefits programs, coordinating annual open enrollment, and managing leaves of absence, workplace accommodations, and workers' compensation claims for our Manufacturing facility and Office teams.

You will serve as a key resource for team members and managers, providing guidance on benefits, leave policies, and applicable employment laws while ensuring timely, accurate, and compliant administration of programs. Your attention to detail, customer service mindset, and ability to navigate complex situations will play an important role in supporting our team members and improving the overall employee experience.

Key Responsibilities

Benefits Administration

• Administer employee health and welfare benefits programs, including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, disability, and other company-sponsored benefits.

• Coordinate annual benefits open enrollment, including employee communications, enrollment materials, educational sessions, system updates, and employee support.

• Administer the company's 401(k) retirement plan, including employee eligibility, enrollment, contribution coordination, vendor management, compliance activities, and employee support.

• Serve as the primary point of contact for team members regarding benefits eligibility, enrollment, qualifying life events, coverage questions, and claims-related concerns.

• Partner with benefits brokers, insurance carriers, and third-party administrators to resolve issues and support effective benefits administration.

• Process and audit benefits enrollments, employee changes, and terminations; partner with Payroll to ensure accurate deductions and benefit records.

• Review, reconcile, and process benefits-related invoices, ensuring accurate billing, timely payments, and resolution of discrepancies with vendors and internal teams. 

• Support benefits compliance activities, including COBRA, ACA, HIPAA, ERISA, and other applicable benefits requirements.

• Identify opportunities to improve benefits programs, processes, employee communications, and the overall benefits experience.

Leave Administration & Workplace Accommodations

• Manage the administration of FMLA, ADA accommodations, and other leaves of absence, ensuring compliance with applicable laws and company policies.

• Serve as the primary point of contact for team members and managers regarding leave requests, eligibility, required documentation, accommodations, and return-to-work processes.

• Facilitate the ADA interactive process, partnering with team members and managers to evaluate accommodation requests and identify reasonable accommodations.

• Track and maintain accurate leave records, including eligibility, leave balances, required certifications, employee communications, and return-to-work status.

• Coordinate return-to-work processes, including medical documentation, work restrictions, and any necessary workplace accommodations.

• Partner with the HR team and managers to ensure consistent application of leave policies and appropriate handling of attendance-related matters involving protected leave.

Workers' Compensation

• Manage workers' compensation claims, including injury reporting, coordination with insurance carriers, claim tracking, and return-to-work planning.

• Partner with Manufacturing leadership and Safety teams on workplace injuries, modified-duty assignments, and applicable OSHA reporting requirements.

• Monitor claim status, employee work restrictions, and return-to-work progress to ensure timely follow-up and resolution.

• Maintain accurate workers' compensation documentation and identify opportunities to improve claims management processes.

HR Operations & Process Improvement

• Maintain accurate documentation and confidentiality across all benefits, leave, accommodation, and workers' compensation activities.

• Process benefits- and leave-related HR transactions in a timely manner, ensuring accurate employee records and system updates.

• Identify trends and opportunities to improve HR policies, processes, programs, and initiatives.

• Assist with HR projects, including employee education, benefits communications, and process improvement.

Key Qualities and Skills

• Strong working knowledge of employee benefits administration, FMLA, ADA, workers' compensation, and applicable employment laws.

• Excellent customer service skills and the ability to clearly communicate complex benefits and leave information to team members and managers.

• Ability to build rapport, establish trust, and collaborate effectively with employees, managers, and external partners.

• Strong multitasking, administrative, and prioritization skills, with exceptional attention to detail.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify discrepancies, understand root causes, and recommend solutions.

• Ability to manage sensitive employee situations with empathy, professionalism, and sound judgment.

• Proactive approach to managing deadlines, tracking employee cases, and ensuring timely follow-up.

• Passion for helping others navigate benefits, leave programs, and employment law requirements.

• Ability to maintain confidentiality and appropriately handle sensitive employee and medical information.

Qualifications/Requirements

• 2+ years of Human Resources experience, with a focus on benefits administration, leave management, and/or workers' compensation.