Benefits Analyst

Our Global Support Center/ Corporate Office is located in the Energy Corridor- off I10 and N Eldridge. Address:1390 Enclave Pkwy, Houston, TX 77077 Hybrid Role: In-office Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. Work from home on Thursday and Friday. Job Profile Summary: The Benefits Analyst is a critical role in managing the day-to-day plan management of Sysco’s benefit. The position reports to the Director of North American Health & Welfare and will support the benefits team and Sysco’s HR community as needed. Exceptional customer service when responding to and resolving benefits-related questions from current and former associates and HR leaders is critical. Primary Responsibilities: • Manage the day to day administration of US health and core benefit programs including retirement/ pension, medical, dental, spending accounts, life, disability, and other ancillary benefit plans, and policies for union and non-union associates. • Evaluate and implement and manage day to day of wellbeing programs to support overall health of associates • Oversee, promote and support ancillary programs as required. • Develop and manage vendor relationships, including consultants and third-party administrators, to gather data and understand benefit plan dynamics. • Oversee vendor contractual adherence and renewals in coordination with procurement team to ensure timely invoice remittance within annual budget. • Responsible for research and feedback to escalated customer service issues with third party suppliers. • Identifies trends and develops solutions to improve customer experience. • Assist with plan design review including driving open enrollment process, partnering for Workday configuration, testing and implementing communications. • Support ongoing benefit activities, including oversee and review data flow, file feeds and collaborate with the Workday team on configuration updates. • Collect, analyze, and summarize employee benefit data and trends. • Assist in tracking benefit costs and preparing benefit cost analysis. • Assist in identifying process improvements, including data quality, reporting and other opportunities to improve overall service and satisfaction levels for both associates and the Benefits management team. • Assist the Benefits team and other stakeholders (i.e., Labor Relations, HRBPs) in gathering, organizing, and analyzing data from multiple sources using Excel spreadsheets and other analytical tools. • Analyze results, interpret data and summarize findings and implications using PowerPoint, Word, and other written communication formats. • Prepare initial cost projections to support plan design decisions and budget impact for multiple benefit plans. • Research external sources of information, including healthcare costs and benefit plan trends to fully inform management decisions. • Maintain/oversee compliance with company policies, state and federal regulations such as HIPAA, FMLA, COBRA, and ERISA. • Assists in identifying new, emerging regulatory compliance matters. • Responsible for non-discrimination testing with third party suppliers/consultants. • Leads interactions with plans’ auditors, tax department, consultants and legal counsel to ensure timely and accurate preparation of plan filings and reports required by governmental regulations. • Ad hoc projects as required, assigned, or requested to continue optimizing plans effectiveness and efficiency. Minimum Qualifications: • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent relevant experience preferred • 3-5 years of experience analyzing benefit plans • Advanced knowledge in MS applications, including Excel, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint • An understanding federal and state regulations governing benefits plans • Knowledge of health/ welfare, retirement and leave benefit products, services and tools Preferred Qualifications: • 5-7 years of experience analyzing benefit plans • Project management experience preferred • Workday HCM & Payroll experience • Experience with vendor systems such ADP ACA and/or Alight • Experience working with Collective Bargaining Agreements and associated benefits • Experience working with Fidelity as 401k recordkeeper Technical Skills & Abilities: • Excellent interpersonal skills; strong oral and written communication skills • Ability to prioritize and handle multiple tasks in a demanding work environment • Ability to work independently and on a team • Able to identify and analyze data, discern trends, and draw relevant conclusions • Critical thinking and strong analytical capabilities • Strong attention to detail • Able to simply illustrate technical concepts and create reports that can be clearly interpreted by non-technical users • Process orientation Decision-Making Authority: • Able to self-direct work priorities in order to meet deadlines • Independent decisions on the best use of available information and tools to effectively complete daily work tasks • Able to determine when to escalate issues/decisions and partner with appropriate leaders • Ability to provide directions to external vendors • Format of reports and related materials (presentations, etc.) • Communicating or sharing data and information outside of immediate workgroup • Uses of available data to be shared with other stakeholders