Merchants Distributors, LLC

Benefits Specialist

Merchants Distributors, LLC  •  Hickory, NC (Onsite)  •  4 hours ago
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Job Description

Benefits Specialist:

Responsible for administering all employee leave programs, including FMLA (paid and unpaid), personal, military, and college leaves. This role ensures adherence to federal and state regulations as well as organizational policies, providing support to both employees and leadership throughout the leave process. In addition, this position assists with employee benefits administration by responding to benefit-related inquiries, managing changes related to qualifying events, and collaborating with vendors to ensure accurate and timely processing.

Responsibilities

  • Own and oversee all leaves of absence requests, including FMLA, personal, military, and college leave.
  • Handle all required FMLA and STD/LTD documentation and maintain accurate records of leave days for all wholesale companies. (MDI, Alex Lee corporate, Souto Foods, WLF, Import Mex)
    • Prepare and distribute 12-week FMLA notifications and all necessary correspondence.
    • Communicate with employees regarding approvals, denials, and additional information needed for vendor processing or claim extensions.
    • Collaborate with vendors on payroll processing for Short-Term and Long-Term disability payments
    • Facilitate transitions from STD to LTD, including coordination with insurance carriers and administration of COBRA and ancillary coverage porting.
    • Provide leadership updates regarding leave statuses, anticipated return-to-work dates, FMLA usage, and recommended next actions.

  • Assist employees with benefit enrollments, changes, and general benefit inquiries.
  • Apply AI‑enabled tools and advanced analytics to enhance reporting efficiency, pattern recognition, and insight generation.
  • Design, interpret, and maintain dashboards, scorecards, and recurring management reports that monitor performance trends, risk indicators, and compliance metrics.
  • Process benefit changes related to qualifying life events and ensure accurate HRIS updates.
  • Support annual open enrollment activities, including employee communication, troubleshooting, and data auditing.
  • Partner with benefit vendors to resolve employee concerns, coverage discrepancies, and billing issues.
  • Maintain compliance with benefit related regulations, such as COBRA, HIPAA, and Affordable Care Act (ACA) requirements.
  • Monitor benefit deductions, report errors, and coordinate corrections as needed with payroll.
  • Plan, coordinate, and execute all employee engagement events at MDI.
  • Assist Payroll Coordinator with wellness advocate program initiatives.
  • Serve as a backup payroll coordinator and assist with payroll-related tasks.
  • Manage the CA Short YOS reward program for MDI, Alex Lee, WLF Wholesale, Import Mex and Souto Foods
  • Carry out any additional responsibilities or tasks as required.

    • Qualifications

    • Bachelor’s degree in human resources, Business Administration, or related field, or equivalent experience.
    • Minimum 2-3 years of experience in HR related field, with FMLA compliance and disability claims management preferred.
    • SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP certification preferred.
    • Experience with payroll processes and vendor coordination preferred.
    • Knowledge of FMLA regulations and leave administration best practices.
    • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills for employee and leadership interactions.
    • Detail-oriented with strong organizational and time management abilities.
    • Excellent in HRIS systems and Microsoft Office Suite.
    • Confidentiality and integrity in handling sensitive employee information.
    • Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines.
    • Collaborative team player with a proactive approach to problem-solving.
    Merchants Distributors, LLC

    About Merchants Distributors, LLC

    Merchants Distributors (MDI) is a privately-owned wholesale grocery store distributor headquartered in Hickory, NC. MDI supplies over 600 retail food stores with food and non-food items in NC, SC, GA, TN, VA, AL, WV, OH, FL, PA, MD, and KY.

    MDI celebrated its 85th anniversary on September 21, 2016. MDI's 85 year history is an interesting story of sacrifice, growth and success. It began as a small family business in the small town of Hickory, North Carolina, and as one local newspaper described it, "With little more than a bag of peanuts, an apple, and a stick of candy."​ What Lebanese immigrant Moses George and his sons purchased in 1931 for $17,000 has since grown to become a multimillion-dollar wholesale grocery company.

    Merchants Distributors is a great American success story but it is a company that has never forgotten its roots. Its success is based on:

    - Its values, its facilities, its variety, its Advertising programs, its cost of goods, and its innovations

    - The one thing that distinguishes MDI as superior to other distribution companies - leadership. MDI's owners have created a leadership style that supports the organization as one family working together for one common goal and a culture in its people that is impossible to duplicate.

    Industry
    Wholesale & Distribution
    Company Size
    501-1,000 employees
    Headquarters
    Hickory, NC
    Year Founded
    1931
    Website
    mdi.com
    Social Media