Senior Benefits Specialist

Kyowa Kirin is a fast-growing global specialty pharmaceutical company that applies state-of-the-art biotechnologies to discover and deliver novel medicines in four disease areas: bone and mineral; intractable hematologic; hematology oncology; and rare disease.  A Japan-based company, our goal is to translate science into smiles by delivering therapies where no adequate treatments currently exist, working from drug discovery to product development and commercialization. In North America, we are headquartered in Princeton, NJ, with offices in California, North Carolina, and Mississauga, Ontario.

Job Summary: 

Kyowa Kirin is seeking a Senior Benefits Specialist to support North America (U.S. and Canada) by administering health, welfare, and retirement programs. This role ensures compliance with federal and state regulations, delivers exceptional employee experience, and partners with vendors to optimize benefit offerings. Reporting to the Head of Total Rewards, this position will play a key role in aligning benefits strategy with organizational goals. The Benefits Specialist ensures compliance with relevant laws and company policies while maintaining accurate records.

Key responsibilities: 

• Lead Open Enrollment and ongoing new hire benefits enrollment, including developing strategy, planning, communications, system updates and configuration, creating materials, and delivering employee presentations.
• Serve as the primary contact for employee benefit inquiries and maintain the benefits communication channel.  Ensure timely responses and organization of benefits-related communications.
• Manage and coordinate the company’s wellness strategy, events, and communications, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and employee engagement.
• Partner with benefit vendors and brokers to resolve issues and improve service delivery.
• Manage qualified life event changes and benefit terminations, ensuring timely and accurate processing, recordkeeping, and compliance.
• Maintain the benefits communication calendar, scheduling and tracking important deadlines, events, and updates to ensure timely dissemination of benefits information to employees. Develop communications to engage employees in the benefits programs.
• Manage the leave, disability, and ADA processes. Partner with third-party vendors to ensure smooth administration. Educate employees and managers on leave procedures, provide payroll with necessary updates, and manage premium collection during unpaid leaves.
• Administer and monitor the organization's retirement plans. Review and audit reports from the recordkeeper and highlight any issues to payroll to be addressed.
• Serve as the liaison between employees and retirement plan recordkeepers and plan consultants, addressing questions on plan features, investment options, and plan provisions. Coordinate and lead the quarterly investment committee meetings.
• Manage annual nondiscrimination testing and required filings to ensure 401(k) plan compliance with federal regulations.
• Prepare reports and analyze benefits data to support decision-making and ensure the competitiveness of benefits offerings.
• Manage all benefit compliance requirements and filings such as Form 5500, coordinate non-discrimination testing with vendors, and distribute all required notices on time to ensure compliance with health and welfare regulations (COBRA, HIPAA, ACA, etc.).
• Coordinate with vendors to prepare, verify accuracy, and distribute SBCs, SPDs, and other required plan documents in compliance with federal and state regulations.
• Manage the benefits portal and keep documents up to date.
• Maintain confidential employee benefit records and ensure compliance with applicable regulations.
• Oversee benefits invoicing by guiding HR Admin, ensuring accurate and audited data, and collaborating with vendors to resolve discrepancies.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field preferred.
• 5+ years of experience in benefits administration, leave administration, and human resources, with increasing responsibility in complex environments.
• Thorough understanding and knowledge of federal and state benefits regulations.
• Clear understanding of 401(k) plan administration and related compliance requirements.
• Excellent communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Proficiency with HRIS systems and Microsoft Office Suite.
• Ability to handle sensitive information confidentially and professionally.
• Demonstrated ability to deal with ambiguity and complexity, adapting to changing priorities and requirements.
• Collaborative skills to work effectively across HR, Finance, and external vendors.
• Project management experience, including planning, execution, and meeting deadlines for benefits programs and initiatives.
• Critical thinking and analytical skills to interpret data, identify trends, and provide actionable insights for benefits strategy.

 

Physical Demands:

Normal office environment with prolonged sitting and extensive computer work.

 

The anticipated salary for this position will be $92,000 to $115,000.  The actual salary offered for this role at commencement of employment may vary based on several factors including but not limited to relevant experience, skill set, qualifications, education (including applicable licenses and certifications, job-based knowledge, location, and other business and organizational needs.

The listed salary is just one component of the overall compensation package. At Kyowa Kirin North America we provide a comprehensive range of benefits including:

• 401K with company match
• Annual Bonus Program (Sales Bonus for Sales Jobs)
• Generous PTO and Holiday Schedule which includes Summer and Winter Shut-Downs, Sick Days and, Volunteer Days
• Healthcare Benefits (Medical, Dental, Prescription Drugs and Vision)
• HSA & FSA Programs
• Well-Being and Work/Life Programs
• Life & Disability Insurance
• Concierge Services
• Long Term Incentive Program (subject to job level and performance)
• Pet Insurance
• Tuition Assistance
• Employee Referral Awards

The compensation and benefits information set forth in this posting applies to candidates hired in the United States. Candidates hired outside the United States will be eligible for compensation and benefits in accordance with their local market.

KKNA and all of its employees have an obligation to act in accordance with the law and with integrity in all our operations and interactions

It is the policy of Kyowa Kirin North America, Inc. to provide equal employment opportunity to all qualified persons without regard to race, religion, creed, color, pregnancy, sex, age, national origin, disability, genetic trait or predisposition, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation or affection preference or citizenship status or any other category protected by law.

When you apply to a job on this site, the personal data contained in your application will be collected and stored by Kyowa Kirin, Inc. (“Controller”), which is located at 510 Carnegie Center Dr. Princeton, NJ 08540 USA and can be contacted by emailing kkus.talentacquisition.8h@kyowakirin.com. Controller’s data protection officer can be contacted at usprivacyoffice@kyowakirin.com. Your personal data will be processed for the purposes of managing Controller’s recruitment related activities, which include setting up and conducting interviews and tests for applicants, evaluating and assessing the results thereto, and as is otherwise needed in the recruitment and hiring processes. Such processing is legally permissible under Art. 6(1)(f) of General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (“GDPR”) as necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by the Controller, which are the solicitation, evaluation, and selection of applicants for employment. 

Your personal data will be shared with Greenhouse Software, Inc., a cloud services provider located in the United States of America and engaged by Controller to help manage its recruitment and hiring process on Controller’s behalf. Accordingly, if you are located outside of the United States, your personal data will be transferred to the United States once you submit it through this site. The transfer will be made using appropriate additional safeguards under the standard contractual clauses approved by regulators for transfers of personal data outside the European Union.

Your personal data will be retained by Controller as long as Controller determines it is necessary to evaluate your application for employment.  Under the GDPR, if you are located in the European Union, you have the right to request access to your personal data, to request that your personal data be rectified or erased, and to request that processing of your personal data be restricted. You also have the right to data portability, and to lodge a complaint with an EU supervisory authority. If you have any questions about our use of your data, you may contact us by email at usprivacyoffice@kyowakirin.com.

Recruitment & Staffing Agencies

Kyowa Kirin does not accept agency resumes unless contacted directly by internal Kyowa Kirin Talent Acquisition. Please do not forward resumes to Kyowa Kirin employees or any other company location; Kyowa Kirin is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.

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