Senior Human Resources Specialist - Benefits

Wood Mackenzie is the global leader in analytics, insights and proprietary data across the entire energy and natural resources landscape.

For over 50 years our work has guided the decisions of the world’s most influential energy producers, utilities companies, financial institutions and governments.

Now, with the world’s energy system more complex and interconnected than ever before, sector-specific views are no longer enough. That’s why we’ve redefined what’s possible with Intelligence Connected.

By fusing our unparalleled proprietary data with the sharpest analytical minds, all supercharged by Synoptic AI, we deliver a clear, interconnected view of the entire value chain. Our trusted team of 2,700 experts across 30 countries breaks siloes and connects industries, markets and regions across the globe.

This empowers our customers to identify risk sooner, spot opportunities faster and recalibrate strategy with confidence – whether planning days, weeks, months or decades ahead.

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Wood Mackenzie Values

• Inclusive – we succeed together
• Trusting – we choose to trust each other
• Customer committed – we put customers at the heart of our decisions
• Future Focused – we accelerate change
• Curious – we turn knowledge into action

Role Purpose

As part of the Global Colleague Experience function, the Senior Specialist - Human Resources (Benefits) is responsible for the administration and delivery of employee benefits programs across the Americas.

This role serves as the subject matter expert for day-to-day benefits operations, including enrollments, life events, leave administration, payroll integration, vendor management, employee support, and benefits compliance. The position also plays a key role in annual benefits activities such as renewals, open enrollment, audits, system testing, and process improvements.

Key Responsibilities

Benefits Administration

• Administer employee benefit programs across the Americas, including health, welfare, retirement, and voluntary benefit plans.

• Manage employee enrollments, life event changes, dependent updates, and benefit terminations.

• Review and approve qualifying life event requests, ensuring compliance with eligibility requirements and enrollment deadlines.

• Coordinate benefits administration activities related to employee leaves of absence, including collaboration with employees, managers, payroll, and third-party vendors.

• Administer COBRA and continuation coverage processes through external providers.

• Ensure benefit coverage, deductions, and employer contributions are administered accurately and in a timely manner.

• Support annual open enrollment activities, including testing, employee communications, issue resolution, and post-enrollment audits.

Employee Support & Case Management

• Serve as the primary point of contact for employee benefit inquiries and escalations.

• Provide guidance on plan options, eligibility requirements, enrollment processes, and coverage changes.

• Investigate and resolve complex benefit-related issues involving employees, vendors, payroll, and HR stakeholders.

• Partner with benefit providers to resolve enrollment discrepancies, claim issues, coverage disputes, and service concerns.

• Deliver a high-quality employee experience through proactive communication and timely resolution of inquiries.

Leave Administration

• Manage and coordinate employee leave programs, including statutory and company-sponsored leave plans.

• Partner with payroll and leave vendors to ensure accurate pay administration and benefit continuation during periods of leave.

• Support employees and managers throughout the leave lifecycle, including leave initiation, extensions, and return-to-work processes.

• Ensure employee premiums and benefit deductions are administered correctly while on leave.

Vendor & Payroll Administration

• Manage day-to-day relationships with benefit providers, brokers, and leave administration vendors.

• Lead issue resolution and escalation management with external vendors.

• Review carrier invoices and perform regular eligibility and billing reconciliations.

• Partner with Payroll to ensure accurate benefit deductions, contributions, funding activities, retroactive adjustments, and corrections.

• Monitor and validate data exchanges between Workday, payroll systems, and benefit vendors to ensure data integrity.

• Identify discrepancies and coordinate corrective actions with relevant stakeholders.

Compliance & Governance

• Ensure benefits programs are administered in accordance with applicable federal, state, provincial, and local regulations.

• Support audits, compliance reporting, statutory filings, and documentation requests.

• Maintain accurate records and required employee communications related to benefits administration.

• Stay informed of regulatory changes impacting benefits programs and administration processes.

Operational Excellence

• Maintain accurate employee benefit data within Workday and related systems.

• Participate in testing and implementation activities related to benefit plan changes, annual renewals, and system enhancements.

• Develop and maintain benefits procedures, job aids, process documentation, and knowledge articles.

• Identify opportunities to improve processes, controls, and the employee experience.

• Support broader HR Operations initiatives and projects as required.

About You

The ideal candidate brings strong hands-on experience supporting US and Canadian benefits programs in a fast-paced, complex environment and has the ability to quickly learn and support additional markets across Latin America, including Mexico and Brazil.

• 4+ years of experience administering employee benefits and leave programs in the United States and Canada.

• Demonstrated experience supporting health and welfare plans, retirement programs, leave administration, and employee benefit enrollments.

• Strong understanding of benefits-related payroll processes, deductions, funding, reconciliations, and vendor integrations.

• Experience managing complex employee benefit inquiries and vendor escalations.

• Experience supporting benefits compliance, audits, and regulatory reporting.

• Exposure to benefits administration in Mexico, Brazil, or other Latin American countries is preferred.

• Proven ability to partner effectively with Payroll, HR, Finance, and third-party providers.

• Experience working with HRIS platforms, preferably Workday.

• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and organizational skills with a high level of attention to detail.

• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver results in a fast-paced, customer-focused environment.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Expectations

• Acts as a trusted subject matter expert for benefits administration, providing guidance on complex benefits-related matters.

• Demonstrates ownership and accountability for the delivery of high-quality benefits services and employee support across the Americas region.

• Builds strong partnerships with HR, Payroll, Finance, vendors, and other stakeholders to ensure effective service delivery.

• Exercises sound judgment when handling sensitive employee matters and escalations.

• Maintains a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail while managing multiple priorities and meeting deadlines.

• Identifies opportunities to improve processes, controls, and the employee experience, and actively contributes to continuous improvement initiatives.

• Supports knowledge sharing and helps build capability within the broader Colleague Experience team.

• Adapts effectively to changing business needs, regulatory requirements, and organizational priorities.

We are a hybrid working company and the successful applicant will be expected to be physically present in the office at least 2 days per week to foster and contribute to a collaborative environment, but this may be subject to change in the future. 

While this is expected to be a full-time role, part-time or flexible working arrangements will be considered. Due to the global nature of the team, a degree of flexible working will be required to accommodate different time zones.

The salary range for this position is $90,000- $100,000, which represents base pay only and does not include short-term incentive compensation or commission. When determining base pay, as part of a final compensation package, we consider several factors such as location, experience, qualifications, and training. This base salary maps to the Boston Location.

Equal Opportunities

We are an equal opportunities employer. This means we are committed to recruiting the best people regardless of their race, colour, religion, age, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), national origin, disability or protected veteran status. You can find out more about your rights under the law at www.eeoc.gov