Mercer International Inc.

Benefits Specialist

Mercer International Inc.  •  $100k - $110k/yr  •  Seattle, WA (Onsite)  •  3 hours ago
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Job Description

Position Summary

The Benefits Specialist plays a critical operational and analytical role in managing the quantitative, financial, and compliance workflows of our total rewards program. Reporting to the Benefits Manager, this position is heavily focused on hands-on retirement plan administration, serving as the primary operator for 401(k) and Supplemental Executive Retirement Plans (SERP), alongside HSA funding, complex billing reconciliations, missed deduction tracking, and ACA compliance. Additionally, this role leads Benefits Hub system configuration (UKG Pro), performs routine benefit audits, and provides operational support for core health, welfare, and leave of absence programs.

Responsibilities

  • Advanced 401(k) and Executive Retirement (SERP) Administration
  • Execute 401(k) contribution funding, upload payroll files, and perform line-by-line payroll-to-recordkeeper reconciliations.
  • Monitor and track Long-Term, Part-Time (LTPT) employee eligibility and automatic enrollment/escalation features.
  • Audit participant status flags and deferral rate changes.
  • Oversee administration and recordkeeping for Supplemental Executive Retirement Plans (SERP), tracking executive contributions, employer credits, deferral elections, vesting schedules, and payout distributions.
  • Coordinate and support non-discrimination testing (NDT).
  • Calculate and audit annual discretionary match.
  • Oversee missed benefits deduction processes, tracking arrears, setting up payroll catch-up deductions, and resolving balance discrepancies.
  • Maintain and distribute retirement communications such as plan documents, Summary Plan Descriptions (SPDs), Summary of Material Modifications (SMMs), and required annual employee notices
  • Lead annual 401(k) plan audits, year-end census data validation, and Form 5500 filings.
  • Manage employee and employer Health Savings Account (HSA) funding files, error corrections, and payroll reconciliations.
  • Lead ongoing Affordable Care Act (ACA) administration, including full-time employee measurement period tracking, eligibility determination, annual 1094-C/1095-C filings, and employee distribution.
  • Conduct routine and request-based benefit enrollment audits across internal systems and carrier portals to ensure zero data drift.
  • Support employee education programs related to benefits.
  • Serve as a subject matter expert for escalated employee inquiries regarding health, welfare, retirement, and wellness programs.
  • Interact directly with benefit brokers, recordkeepers, third-party administrators (TPAs), and insurance carriers to resolve administrative and service issues.
  • Perform special HR/benefits projects and additional duties as assigned.

Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, plus 4–6+ years of direct experience in employee benefits administration with strong exposure to retirement plan operations and financial reconciliation.
  • High proficiency in UKG Pro (specifically Benefits Setup/Admin modules) and advanced Microsoft Excel skills.
  • Deep operational knowledge of 401(k) mechanics, SERP/deferred compensation rules, and NDT concepts.
  • Comprehensive understanding of ACA reporting rules, Form 5500 preparation, ERISA compliance, and payroll deduction structures.
  • Demonstrated experience handling complex billing reconciliations, accounting GL feeds, and leave of absence laws (FMLA/ADA).
  • Meticulous attention to detail, strong quantitative aptitude, and ability to handle confidential executive and financial data with discretion.
  • CEBS (Certified Employee Benefit Specialist), CBP, SHRM-CP/SCP, or PHR/SPHR, preferred.

Annual base compensation range for candidates in Seattle, WA: $100,000 to $110,000

Actual base compensation offered will be determined based on multiple factors which include relevant skills and experience. In addition to base compensation, full-time employees will be offered the following benefits:

  • Medical
  • Dental
  • Vision
  • Life Insurance
  • Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
  • Long-Term Disability coverage
  • Short-Term Disability coverage
  • Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
  • 401(k) with employer matching
  • Generous Paid Time Off

Moran Environmental Recovery is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Mercer International Inc.

About Mercer International Inc.

Pulp. Mass timber. Lumber. Pallets. Bioenergy. Biochemicals. All from one input — responsibly sourced wood fibre, converted at scale into the materials a low-carbon economy needs.

Mercer International Inc. (NASDAQ: MERC) is a global forest products company with operations across Germany, Canada, and the United States, and approximately 3,580 team members. We operate four of the most modern pulp mills in Europe and North America, three mass timber facilities, two major sawmill and pallet operations in Germany, and a lignin pilot plant at Rosenthal turning a byproduct of pulp-making into a renewable alternative to fossil chemicals.

The numbers: 2.1 million ADMTs of kraft pulp a year, 86% of it NBSK. 960 MMfbm of lumber. 17 million Euro-pallets. 210,000 m³ of cross-laminated timber — roughly 20% of North American CLT capacity from our Spokane plant alone. 45,000 m³ of glulam. 230,000 tonnes of wood pellets and briquettes. 398 MW of cogenerated electricity feeding our mills and the regional grids around them. Fibre certified under FSC, PEFC, and SFI chain-of-custody standards.

Stendal. Rosenthal. Celgar. Peace River. Friesau. Torgau. Spokane. Conway. Okanagan Falls. Nine operating sites, each a long-term employer and industrial partner in the community around it. In Canada, that includes enduring relationships with First Nations, Métis Settlements, and Indigenous communities whose lands, governance, and partnerships are central to how we operate.

Our vision is to transform biomass into bioproducts for a more sustainable world. Our values — Be Safe & Healthy, Be Sustainable, Be Respectful, Be Bold — shape how we work every day. Our Vision 2030 strategy commits us to doing more with every tree: more bioproducts, more circularity, more value to the places where we operate.

Follow Mercer for what wood fibre can become next.

mercerint.com

Industry
Unknown
Company Size
201-500 employees
Headquarters
Vancouver, CA
Year Founded
1968
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