Benefits Specialist job description: duties, skills and qualifications.

Core duties

6

O*NET task statements

O*NET occupation

Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists

O*NET-SOC 13-1141.00

Preparation

Job Zone 4 of 5

considerable preparation

Typical entry education

Bachelor's degree

BLS 2025–35

Median pay

$78,210

BLS May 2025

Data Government data groups this job as Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists (O*NET-SOC 13-1141.00). O*NET 31.0 lists “Benefits Specialist” as a job title for this occupation only (evidence: O*NET's Sample of Reported Titles (titles job holders report), O*NET job-incumbent data, the SOC Index, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and employer job postings). Figures on this page are for that occupation. TryHired has no separate career page for this title yet.

1. Administer employee insurance, pension, and savings plans, working with insurance brokers and plan carriers. importance 4.5 of 5
2. Ensure company compliance with federal and state laws, including reporting requirements. importance 4.4 of 5
3. Research employee benefit and health and safety practices, and recommend changes or modifications to existing policies. importance 4.1 of 5
4. Advise managers and employees on state and federal employment regulations, collective agreements, benefit and compensation policies, personnel procedures, and classification programs. importance 3.8 of 5
5. Plan and develop curricula and materials for training programs and conduct training. importance 3.0 of 5
6. Assist in preparing and maintaining personnel records and handbooks. importance 3.0 of 5

Work activities O*NET rates most important here: Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards, Getting Information, Working with Computers, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates and Analyzing Data or Information.

Also part of the job

Supplemental tasks O*NET lists for this occupation: less central than the core duties above, and not done in every job.

• Develop and administer compensation programs, such as merit or incentive pay.
• Evaluate job positions, determining classification, exempt or non-exempt status, and salary.
• Prepare occupational classifications, job descriptions, and salary scales.
• Consult with, or serve as, technical liaison between business, industry, government, and union officials.
• Perform multifactor data and cost analyses that may be used in areas such as support of collective bargaining agreements.
• Develop, implement, administer, and evaluate personnel and labor relations programs, including performance appraisal, affirmative action, and employment equity programs.

Knowledge areas: Personnel and Human Resources, English Language, Customer and Personal Service, Mathematics and Administration and Management.

Software O*NET lists for this occupation: Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Workday software, Oracle HRIS. These are examples O*NET records for the job, not a list of tools every employer uses or a checklist of what you must know.

• Education: BLS lists a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education.
• Experience: BLS lists less than 5 years of work experience in a related occupation as typical.
• Training on the job: BLS lists no typical on-the-job training once hired.
• Preparation: O*NET places the job in Job Zone 4 of 5 (considerable preparation). A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations.
• Licenses and certifications: not listed here. A license is a legal requirement set by a state; a certification is a credential from a private or professional body. Rules vary by state and employer, and a missing entry on this page does not mean none is required: check with your state's licensing board.

Most O*NET's occupation experts for this occupation (86%) name a bachelor's degree as the education the job requires.

Job title: Benefits Specialist
[Company] · [City, State] · [Full-time or part-time] · [Pay range, where your state requires one]

About the role
[Company] is hiring a Benefits Specialist to conduct programs of compensation and benefits and job analysis for employer.
[One sentence on your team and why this role matters.]

What you will do
- Administer employee insurance, pension, and savings plans, working with insurance brokers and plan carriers.
- Ensure company compliance with federal and state laws, including reporting requirements.
- Research employee benefit and health and safety practices, and recommend changes or modifications to existing policies.
- Advise managers and employees on state and federal employment regulations, collective agreements, benefit and compensation policies, personnel procedures, and classification programs.
- Plan and develop curricula and materials for training programs and conduct training.
- Assist in preparing and maintaining personnel records and handbooks.

What we are looking for
- [Education: BLS lists a bachelor's degree as typical for this occupation; set the level this role truly needs]
- [Experience: BLS lists less than 5 years in a related occupation as typical; adjust to this role]
- Strength in reading comprehension, active listening and speaking
- Working knowledge of Personnel and Human Resources and English Language
- [Software your team uses, e.g. Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Office software]
- [Any license or certification your state or company requires]

[Schedule, benefits and how to apply]

Illustrative: every name, employer, school, date and number in these samples is fictional or a bracketed placeholder. Replace each bracket with your own true details; never copy a result you did not achieve.

Not a real job posting. This template is TryHired's illustration built from government occupational data. It is not an opening at any employer, and no employer wrote it.

For Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists, the median annual wage was $78,210 in May 2025. The median hourly wage was $37.60. BLS estimates about 112,380 jobs in this occupation in the U.S.

BLS projects employment of Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists to grow 6.0% from 2025 to 2035, with about 9,000 openings a year over that period, including openings to replace workers who leave.

• Read a real benefits specialist posting next to the core duties above. Duties it repeats, such as “Administer employee insurance, pension, and savings plans, working…”, tell you what that employer weighs most; anything it adds is specific to that team.
• Tailor your resume to the posting, not to this page: describe only benefits specialist work you have actually done, with your own results.
• Prepare a story for each of the top-rated skills (reading comprehension and active listening): a real situation, what you did and what changed.