A benefits administrator is a senior executive with a high level of responsibility in a company. This person is usually in charge of an organization’s retirement benefits and, in some cases, its healthcare benefits. A person can advance through the ranks of human resources or personnel management, or become a senior member of a corporation’s finance department, to become a benefits administrator. If a company has the resources to dedicate an entire division to benefits, a professional could advance to the administrator role after starting as a team member and working under a more senior person until a promotion opportunity arises.
A college degree in human resources or a related field is required to become a benefits administrator and begin handling sensitive financial and personal information about employees in an organization. Employers will expect candidates for this position to have completed college, and a related degree will add to your credentials. Work experience in personnel management, payroll, or finance could also help you prepare for a career as a benefits administrator.
Human resource professionals are frequently in charge of an organization’s retirement, healthcare, disability, and various types of employee leave benefits. Gaining experience in the human resources department may lead to a position as a benefits administrator. To be hired by a new employer, you may need some prior experience as a benefits administrator, so it may be to your advantage to excel through the human resource division of a single company until you reach the administrator designation. If this is not feasible, you can make yourself a more appealing candidate for an administrative position at another company by becoming as involved in the benefits procedures as possible while working as a team member. You can, for example, take part in open enrollment, when decisions about employer benefits for the coming year are made.
In the private sector, there is a distinction between overseeing benefits in the public sector and serving as a benefits administrator. While both sectors are accountable to a board of directors for major decisions, the public sector is frequently governed by regional laws and policies concerning employee benefits. Employers in the private sector may have more flexibility and room to be more assertive when it comes to implementing and managing benefits. To work as a benefits administrator, you may need prior experience in the industry where you will be managing a retirement plan, a health-care plan, or both. Choose which group you’d like to be a part of so that your work experience is still relevant to the industry.