Sr Benefits Analyst

At Instructure, we believe in the power of people to grow and succeed throughout their lives. Our goal is to amplify that power by creating intuitive products that simplify learning and personal development, facilitate meaningful relationships, and inspire people to go further in their education and careers. We do this by giving smart, creative, passionate people opportunities to create awesome. And that's where you come in: The Sr Benefits Analyst is the subject-matter expert for our U.S. health, welfare, retirement, and leave programs. Reporting to the Sr Manager, Total Rewards, you will own the day-to-day administration, compliance, and continuous improvement of U.S. benefits, and serve as the primary point of contact for U.S. employees, brokers, and carriers. Key Responsibilities - U.S. Program Administration: Own the daily operations of U.S. benefits programs, including medical, dental, vision, HSA/FSA, life and AD&D, short- and long-term disability, 401(k), wellness, and voluntary benefits. This includes a strong focus on self-insurance. - Leave Management: Administer U.S. leave programs end-to-end, including FMLA, state paid family/medical leave, parental leave, PTO, short- and long-term disability, workers’ compensation, and ADA accommodations. - Vendor & Broker Management: Serve as the primary point of contact for U.S. benefits brokers, carriers, and third-party administrators; manage service levels, escalations, and renewals. - Compliance & Audit: Ensure full compliance with federal and state regulations, including ERISA, ACA, HIPAA, COBRA, Section 125, and IRS/DOL requirements. Lead 5500 filings, non-discrimination testing, SAR distribution, and annual audits. - Open Enrollment: Lead the annual U.S. open enrollment cycle, including HRIS configuration and testing, communications, employee education sessions, and post-enrollment auditing. - Employee Experience: Be the trusted go-to for U.S. employees on benefits questions; develop clear communications and education that help employees use their benefits with confidence. - Data & Analytics: Analyze enrollment, utilization, and cost data to identify trends; produce regular dashboards and ad-hoc analyses that inform renewal strategy and plan design. - Fiscal Oversight: Reconcile monthly carrier invoices and self-bill files; partner with Finance and Payroll on accruals, GL coding, and budget tracking for U.S. benefits spend. - Process & Systems: Identify and implement improvements in Workday and with vendor partners to automate enrollments, EOI workflows, evidence-of-coverage tracking, and reporting. - Escalated Support: Serve as the final point of escalation for complex U.S. employee benefits issues and claims disputes; coordinate with carriers and brokers to drive resolution. - Cross-Region Partnership: Partner with global Total Rewards Partners to maintain a coherent global benefits philosophy, share best practices, and support consistent employee experience across regions. Qualifications - Education: Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Finance, or a related field; CEBS, CBP, or PHR/SHRM-CP certification is a plus. - Experience: 3–5 years of progressive experience in U.S. benefits administration, including direct ownership of self-insurance, open enrollment, compliance filings, and vendor management. - Regulatory Knowledge: Strong working knowledge of ERISA, ACA, HIPAA, COBRA, FMLA, ADA, Section 125, and IRS/DOL benefits regulations. - Technical Skills: Proficiency in Workday HRIS (Benefits module preferred) and advanced Excel skills (pivots, lookups, modeling) for analysis and reconciliation. - Communication: Ability to explain complex benefits concepts to employees and senior stakeholders with empathy, clarity, and discretion. Soft Skills: High attention to detail, strong project management instincts, and the ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment. Get in on all the awesome at Instructure! We offer competitive, m