Assistant Director, Benefits

Boston College Introduction

Founded in 1863, Boston College is a Jesuit, Catholic university located six miles from downtown Boston with an enrollment of 9,654 full-time undergraduates and 5,072 graduate and professional students. Ranked 37 among national universities, Boston College has 923 full-time and 1,336 FTE faculty, 2,822 non-faculty employees, an operating budget of $1.4 billion, and an endowment in excess of $3.9 billion.

Job Description

Boston College HR is seeking an Assistant Director, Benefits, to play an important operational and strategic role in the management, administration, and oversight of the University’s benefit programs and communications.

Interacting with over 3,500 active faculty and staff and supporting benefits for more than 1,000 retirees and spouses, this role serves as a subject-matter expert for health, welfare, leaves of absence, and retirement benefits. The Assistant Director ensures seamless automated benefits processing, oversees vendor billing reconciliations, and delivers benefits counseling to the Boston College community.

Key Responsibilities:

Plan Administration and Operations:

Assist with day-to-day administrative oversight for insured and other benefit plans, including medical, dental, life, vision, disability, and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA). Process life insurance and related benefit claims for deceased participants. Run diagnostic queries, perform data integrity audits, and process weekly/monthly retirement plan contribution files (TIAA, Fidelity). Reconcile vendor billing with Accounts Payable and the Controller’s Office.

Leave Management and Statutory Compliance

Assist with administering Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leaves (MA PFML), Short-Term Disability (STD), Long-Term Disability (LTD), and other leaves in coordination with third-party vendors. Audit leave arrears and coordinate COBRA and retiree billing with external vendor.

Retirement and Retiree Medical Oversight

Conduct retirement counseling and orientation meetings covering 401(k), 403(b), and 457(b) plans, Social Security and Medicare integration, and retiree medical plans. Support the Benefits Director in the administration of University retirement plans.

Assist with Retiree Medical Savings Account (RMSA) administration and assist in monitoring annual IRS retirement contribution limits. Annually update retiree benefit brochures to reflect cost and other changes.

Employee Orientation and Communication

Serve as a liaison and advocate between employees, retirees, and insurance carriers to resolve claims and other issues. Assist in updating employee handbook links, HR website content, Open Enrollment materials, and general benefits communications.

Conduct New Hire Employee Benefit Orientations as needed.

Supervisory and Administrative Support

Provide functional supervision, task assignment, and training to non-exempt Benefits Specialists/Assistants (1–2 staff members) and student employees. Review and approve Employee Change Request (ECR) forms and payment vouchers. Assist the Benefits Director with annual budget preparation, FAS 106 actuarial census data collection, and plan design reviews. Schedule: Standard in-person office hours with occasional extra hours required.

This is an in-office position.

Full-Time Equivalent Hiring Range: $76,250 to $95,300; salary commensurate with relevant experience.

Requirements

Education:

Bachelor’s degree preferred, or an equivalent combination of education and

experience.

Experience: 3–5 years of progressively responsible benefits administration experience.

Experience in a higher education or non-profit environment is strongly preferred.

Technical and Functional Skills

Systems Expertise: PeopleSoft HR (specifically the Benefits Administration module).

Software Proficiency: Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint; experience with database

tools (e.g., FileMaker Pro) preferred.

Analytical Skills: Capabilities for analyzing and interpreting benefits statistics, census

data, and payroll/billing reports.

Customer Focus: Strong interpersonal, advocacy, and customer service skills to resolve

inquiries and benefits-related issues.

Closing Statement

Boston College offers a broad and competitive range of benefits depending on your job classification eligibility:

• Tuition remission for Employees

• Tuition remission for Spouses and Children who meet eligibility requirements

• Generous Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance

• Low-Cost Life Insurance

• Eligibility for both University-Funded 401k and Employer-Sponsored 403b Retirement Plans

• Paid Holidays Annually

• Generous Sick and Vacation Pay

• Additional benefits can be found on https://www.bc.edu/employeehandbook

Boston College conducts pre-employment background checks as part of the hiring process.

Boston College is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of any legally protected category, including disability and protected veteran status. Boston College's Notice of Nondiscrimination can be viewed at https://www.bc.edu/nondiscrimination .