The People & Culture Sr. Benefits Specialist supports the employee’s experience by serving as the subject matter expert while providing an expert level of administration, analysis, and optimization of AV’s health and welfare, retirement and wellness programs. This role serves as the subject matter expert, ensuring compliance with federal and state regulations, managing vendor relationships, analyzing plan performance and costs while supporting organizational objectives. The Sr. Benefits Specialist partners closely with Payroll, Finance, Legal, HR Business Partners, and external vendors to ensure accurate plan administration and regulatory compliance.

The Sr. Benefits Specialist serves as a point of contact for employees supporting day-to-day administration of health & welfare and retirement benefit programs. This position plays a critical role in safeguarding the organization’s compliance obligations, supporting employee

Position Responsibilities

Benefit Administration & Operations

• Supports day-to- day administration of health & welfare and retirement benefit programs.
• Monitors day-to-day vendor management, including escalations, performance monitoring, and service delivery reviews.
• Ensures timely and accurate processing of enrollments, changes, terminations, and life events. Includes monitoring payroll deductions.
• Partners with HR, Payroll, and third-party vendors to resolve complex benefit matters.
• Ensures compliance with ERISA, ACA, COBRA, HIPAA, Section 125, and other federal/state regulations.
• Coordinates preparation and posting of required notices (e.g. SPD, SBC, 1095-C, COBRA notices).
• Assists with management and monitoring of the Benefits mailbox, while ensuring timely, accurate, and professional responses to employee’s inquiries.
• Handles requests related to enrollments, eligibility, life event changes, payroll deductions, and retirement plan questions.
• Supports audits (internal and external, 401(k), ACA) and regulatory filings including Form 5500.
• Maintain plan documentation and ensure alignment with plan design and policy.
• Analyze benefits utilization, trends, and cost data; prepare reports and dashboards for leadership.
• Lead or support annual open enrollment planning and execution.

401(k) & Retirement Plan Management:

• Serves as subject matter expert (SME) for retirement plan questions and administration.
• 401(k) administration - Monitor participation rates, deferral trends, employer match utilization, and plan engagement.
• Assists with nondiscrimination testing (ADP/ACP), compliance activities, and audit support.
• Coordinates with recordkeepers and payroll to resolve eligibility and contribution discrepancies.
• Strong knowledge of: ERISA and fiduciary responsibilities, Safe Harbor plan structures, Employer match formulas, IRS and DOL regulations.
• Familiarity with recordkeeper platforms and retirement plan administration processes.

Benefits Data Analysis & Metrics Development:

• Tracks, categorize, and analyze employee inquiries to develop actionable operational metrics, including: Volume trends, Response time and service levels, Recurring issues and root causes
• Develops monthly and quarterly dashboards summarizing benefit performance and service data.
• Analyze enrollment, participation, and cost trends across benefit programs.
• Reconciles vendor reports with payroll and internal data to ensure accuracy.
• Identifies process improvement opportunities based on data insights.
• Summarizes plan performance: Present operational metrics and Highlight cost and participation trends

Employee Support & Communication

• Provides compassionate, high-quality service to employees.
• Maintains timely, professional, and accurate communication using phone, email, and vendor platforms.
• Develops and deliver benefit communications and educational materials.
• Provides escalated support for complex employee benefits inquiries.
• Assists with benefits training sessions and information meetings as needed.

Basic Qualifications (Required Skills & Experience)

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Finance, Human Resources, related field, or equivalent combination of education, training, and experience is required.
• 5-8 years’ experience of progressive benefits administration and analysis.
• Experience managing employee benefit inquiries in a high-volume environment.
• Experienced with Workday HCM and third-party benefits applications.
• Advanced analytical skills with proficiency using Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams) and reporting tools.

Other Qualifications & Desired Competencies

• Excellent verbal and written communications skills to collaborate and develop partnerships across multiple functional areas, with vendors, and with all team members.
• Effective time management, strong project management and organizational skills.
• Strong initiative and drive to accomplish goals and meet company objectives.
• Self-directed with the ability to adapt to rapidly changing priorities.
• Consistently exhibits good judgment and discretion when dealing with sensitive information.
• Takes ownership and responsibility for current and past work products.
• Experience in a Technology, Engineering and/or Aerospace and Defense company is preferred.
• Attention to detail, follow-through, a sense of urgency, strong teamwork, collaborative skills, and a demonstrated ability to manage multiple benefits projects with competing demands in a growing organization is required.

Physical Demands

• Ability to work in an office environment (Hybrid)
• Required to sit and stand for long periods; talk, hear, and use hands and fingers to operate a computer and telephone keyboard (Frequent)

Special Requirements

• U.S. Citizen, U.S. Permanent Resident (Green Card holder) or asylee/refugee status as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3) required.

Clearance Level

 

AeroVironment considers several factors, including but not limited to, the location, the role and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, education/training, and key skills.

ITAR Requirement:

This position requires access to information that is subject to compliance with the International Traffic Arms Regulations (“ITAR”) and/or the Export Administration Regulations (“EAR”). In order to comply with the requirements of the ITAR and/or the EAR, applicants must qualify as a U.S. person under the ITAR and the EAR, or a person to be approved for an export license by the governing agency whose technology comes under its jurisdiction. Please understand that any job offer that requires approval of an export license will be conditional on AeroVironment’s determination that it will be able to obtain an export license in a time frame consistent with AeroVironment’s business requirements. A “U.S. person” according to the ITAR definition is a U.S. citizen, U.S. lawful permanent resident (green card holder), or protected individual such as a refugee or asylee. See 22 CFR 120.15. Some positions will require current U.S. Citizenship due to contract requirements.

Benefits:  AV offers an excellent benefits package including medical, dental vision, 401K with company matching, a 9/80 work schedule and a paid holiday shutdown.  For more information about our company benefit offerings please visit:  http://www.avinc.com/myavbenefits.

We also encourage you to review our company website at http://www.avinc.com to learn more about us.

Principals only need apply.  NO agencies please.

Who We Are

Based in California, AeroVironment (AVAV) is a global leader in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and tactical missile systems. Founded in 1971 by celebrated physicist and engineer, Dr. Paul MacCready, we’ve been at the leading edge of technical innovation for more than 45 years. Be a part of the team that developed the world’s most widely used military drones and created the first submarine-launched reconnaissance drone, and has seven innovative vehicles that are part of the Smithsonian Institution’s permanent collection in Washington, DC.

Join us today in developing the next generation of small UAS and tactical missile systems that will deliver more actionable intelligence to our customers so they can proceed with certainty – and succeed.

What We Do

Building on a history of technological innovation, AeroVironment designs, develops, produces, and supports an advanced portfolio of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and tactical missile systems.  Agencies of the U.S. Department of Defense and allied military services use the company’s hand-launched UAS to provide situational awareness to tactical operating units through real-time, airborne reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition.

We are proud to be an EEO/AA Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability/veterans. AeroVironment, Inc. is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer and welcomes all qualified applicants. Qualified applicants will receive fair and impartial consideration without regard to race, sex, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, genetic data, sexual orientation, gender identity or other legally protected status.

ITAR

U.S. Citizenship required