Senior Benefits Analyst

Overview

The Senior Benefits Analyst supports private equity clients and their portfolio companies by managing benefits vendor relationships, coordinating M&A‑related benefits activities, and delivering detailed financial and operational analysis. This role plays a critical part in diligence, day‑one readiness, integration planning, and post‑close optimization of benefits programs. The Senior Analyst partners closely with consultants, vendors, internal operations, and portfolio company HR/finance teams to ensure efficient, compliant, and cost‑effective benefits administration during complex transactions.

Key Responsibilities

M&A & Private Equity Support

• Assist with benefits due diligence for acquisitions and divestitures, including plan documentation review, vendor contracts, funding arrangements, compliance risks, and cost structures.
• Support benefits transition strategies for deals of varying complexity: carve‑outs, add‑ons, roll‑ups, platform launches, and global acquisitions.
• Build day‑one readiness deliverables: benefits summaries, enrollment instructions, vendor onboarding timelines, and compliance checklists.
• Track and manage post‑close integration activities, ensuring alignment with PE firm guidelines and portfolio company goals.

Vendor Management & Operations

• Serve as the primary contact for carriers and vendors (medical, dental, vision, life/AD&D/LTD, COBRA, FSA/HSA, HRIS/ben‑admin, wellbeing, PBM).
• Review vendor performance, SLAs, file feeds, issue logs, and escalation cases; drive timely resolution to ensure operational stability during transitions.
• Support contract renewals, marketing/RFPs, pricing analyses, and performance guarantee tracking.
• Maintain vendor scorecards and participate in quarterly business reviews.

Financial Analysis & Reporting

• Prepare benefits cost models for M&A scenarios, including pre‑ and post‑transaction cost comparisons, funding strategies, and vendor pricing evaluations.
• Analyze claims data, contribution strategies, eligibility impacts, and employee cost implications.
• Manage monthly and quarterly reporting packages for PE oversight teams and portfolio company finance/HR leadership.
• Support renewal analysis, underwriting validation, and negotiation prep.

Compliance & Risk Management

• Review plan documents, SPDs, SBCs, contracts, and compliance reporting requirements (ACA, ERISA, COBRA, HIPAA).
• Support 5500 filing coordination and remediation of compliance findings from diligence.
• Ensure benefits operational processes meet regulatory standards across multiple states and business units.

Client & Stakeholder Support

• Act as a trusted day‑to‑day resource for portfolio company HR teams, providing clear guidance on plan administration, vendor navigation, and process timelines.
• Coordinate with consultants and project managers to keep PE deal teams informed on milestones, risks, and deliverables.
• Prepare client‑ready presentations and documentation for PE operating partners and HR leadership.

Project Management

• Lead workstreams across due diligence, implementations, and transitions, ensuring deadlines are met and documentation is audit‑ready.
• Manage project trackers, status reports, and operational workflows for multiple concurrent M&A projects.
• Maintain a high level of organization in a fast‑paced, constantly shifting deal environment.

Qualifications

• 4-7+ years of experience in benefits analytics, vendor management, brokerage/consulting, or HR operations.
• Experience supporting private equity, M&A, or corporate transactions strongly preferred.
• Strong understanding of health & welfare plans, vendor ecosystems, funding arrangements, and benefits compliance.
• Advanced Excel and strong analytical/problem‑solving skills; comfort with financial models and claims data.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to translate technical details for HR, finance, and PE deal teams.
• Ability to manage multiple high‑urgency deadlines and keep stakeholders aligned during fast‑moving transaction cycles.
• Bachelor's degree in HR, Finance, Business, Public Health, or related field.

Preferred Skills

• Experience with benefits RFPs, renewals, and marketings.
• Familiarity with ben‑admin platforms (Workday, ADP, UKG, bswift, PlanSource, Darwin, etc.).
• Understanding of carve‑out complexities (eligibility mapping, payroll feeds, EDI).
• Exposure to global benefits or cross‑border transactions (optional).
• CEBS, GBA/RPA, or similar certifications a plus.