Job Summary:

Good pay! Good benefits! Good people! At Knife River, we take care of our team because we know it’s our people who make us successful. We are one of the 10 largest construction materials producers/contractors in the Country, and we are a PEOPLE-first company. Our team members are the key to our success, and we are committed to giving them the tools, training, and time to do their jobs productively and safely each day. Our goal is to build strong teams that, in turn, build strong communities. We are also a publicly traded company on the NYSE with the ticker symbol KNF and part of the S&P MidCap 400 index. We are seeking an experienced and engaged individual to be part of the Knife River Human Resources team. Please consider joining our growing team today!

The Benefits Manager will collaborate as part of the Corporate Human Resources team and work closely with the regional HR departments on benefits matters and Corporate Accounting team on required reporting requirements and plan administration as well as collect, compile, analyze and report on HR data, metrics, and statistics related to executive compensation and benefits. The Benefits Manager will be responsible for functional administration, service delivery, cost management, reporting and compliance processes for employer-sponsored insurance and retirement benefit programs.

This position will be based in Bismarck, ND or Bend, Oregon, with travel required.

Minimum Qualifications:

1.  5+ years directly related full-cycle benefits experience in a Human Resources department setting required (ideally with self-funded health plans).
2. 5+ years’ directly related retirement plan administration experience required.
3. 3+ years’ supervisory experience required.
4. Experience administrating open enrollment cycles required.
5. Bachelor’s degree in accounting, Finance, Human Resources, or equivalent combination of relevant college-level coursework and applied experience required.
6. SHRM-CP/SCP or PHR/SPHR or CPA or CBP/CEBS preferred.
7. 3+ years’ experience in related areas such executive compensation, job classification and compensation, multi-employer pension plans and/or public company HR/Accounting reporting.
8. Preferred experience with benefits related reporting including 5500’s, non-discrimination testing, ACA reporting.

Duties and/or Responsibilities:

1. Responsible for leading open enrollment, optimizing plan performance, and playing a key role in RFP processes and decision-making for benefit offerings.
2. Plays a key role in facilitating monthly, quarterly, and annual reporting requirements.
3.  Manage communication, education, direction and assistance to employees and program participants to optimize program utilization and ROI.
4. Manage vendor relationships to ensure quality of service delivery in overall benefit administration and resolve employee issues.
5. Conduct annual review of insurance vendors, coverage, and services, renewal and initiation of carrier service contracts, and development of employee and employer cost modeling for each plan year.
6. Lead, develop and manage benefits team members, emphasizing service delivery, communication, subject matter expertise and strong and accountable administrative practice.
7. Triage, investigate, and resolve complex employee benefit issues in conjunction with applicable benefits partners and/or insurance broker.
8. Collaborates as part of HR with corporate accounting team on required reporting requirements and plan administration.
9. Analyze key HR metrics and data from a variety of sources, including human resource information systems (HRIS), benefits enrollment records, surveys, government labor statistics, market offerings, industry practices, and other sources.
10. Manage and/or prepare required HR and benefit information, in coordination with corporate accounting, for SEC and other compliance reporting.
11. Perform due diligence and integration work related to mergers and acquisition activities.
12. Perform strategic review of various benefit plans, negotiations, and transitions around benefits renewals.
13. Prepare materials for quarterly Board of Directors Compensation Committee reports.
14. Coordinate agenda and materials with respect to employee benefit committee matters.
15. Oversee the preparation and updates of various plan documents.
16. Prepares reports of data results, presenting and explaining findings to senior leadership.
17. Identifies and recommends reasonable short- and long-term goals, milestones, and benchmarks for key performance metrics.
18. Based on metrics and analysis, makes recommendations for policies and activities to improve existing metrics including changes to benefits and compensation offerings.
19. Research or coordinate with appropriate benefits administration staff to research alternatives for compensation and retirement plans and benefit providers.
20. Responsible for compliance on Health & Welfare plans including testing and reporting, i.e., Form 5500’s, non-discrimination testing, ACA Testing and Form 1095 reporting, etc.
21. Review Service Organization Controls (SOC) reports from vendors and update and review internal controls.
22. Ensures compliance with HIPPA, data privacy regulations and best practices.
23. Oversee duties related to retiree benefits administration.
24. Performs other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

1. Deep knowledge of federal and state regulations governing employee benefits and the ability to interpret data on benefit usage, costs, and satisfaction.
2.  Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
3. Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
4.  Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
5.  Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite or related software.
6. Proficient with or the ability to quickly learn the organization’s HRIS, payroll, and similar human resource management software and practices.
7. Ability to work in a fast-paced environment.
8. Familiarity with the audit process and responding to the needs of auditors.

Additional Information:

The ideal candidate will be a self-starter with a strong work ethic, detail-oriented, well organized, and will exercise discretion and maintain confidentiality at all times. Providing excellent customer service, the ability to prioritize workload while working in a fast-paced environment, good decision-making ability, and working both independently as well as with people at all levels of the Company are required. The candidate will have in depth corporate benefits experience, prior supervision experience, possess knowledge of all pertinent federal and state regulations, as well as filing and compliance requirements, for all employee benefit programs, and experience with HRIS systems and experience budgeting/forecasting.

Experience using UKG Pro strongly desired. This job requires certain mental demands, including the ability to use judgement and withstand moderate amount of stress while maintaining attention to detail. Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite required.

How To Apply

Knife River is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, age, color, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status or any other protected category under applicable state/federal law.

Subject to pre-employment drug testing and background checks.

If unable to apply online, please mail completed application to:
Knife River Corporation
Box 5568
Bismarck, ND 58506