Benefit & Total Rewards Specialist

At Cracker Barrel, our mission is Pleasing People. This is evident from the moment you walk through our doors, with the first smile that greets you, from the items in our retail store to the food on the table, we welcome you home!

Our Benefits Team is seeking a Total Rewards guru to join the team!

The Total Rewards Specialist is responsible for the end-to-end administration and support of assigned benefit program(s), with heavy focus on the 401(k) Plan, Nonqualified Plan, HSA Plan, FSA Plans and Life Insurance Plans. Primary responsibilities include vendor management, compliance, reporting, analysis, education, communications, and providing support to employees, managers, and leadership. Additional responsibilities include preparing reports, auditing programs/processes to identify opportunities for quality and compliance improvements and/or cost reduction and bringing recommendations to management and implementing agreed upon projects. 

Vendor Management and Internal Business Partner Interaction

•Serves as Subject Matter Expert and point of contact for vendors, consultants, internal business partners and leadership.

• Manages vendor relationships and program performance:

• Works with leadership and consultants in vendor selection process, including RFP, implementation, performance and contracting.

• Monitors vendor and provides feedback and recommendations as needed to ensure compliance, resolve issues and improve performance.

• Participates in ongoing meetings/calls, as well as annual review and strategic planning/design meetings with leadership and vendors.

• Partners closely with internal business partners (i.e. HR, ER, Legal, Finance, IS, Operations, Payroll, HRIS, Audit and Accounting) regarding all aspects of assigned programs.

Employee Consultation, Program Design and Communication

• Provides input and ideas to leadership regarding improvements to program design and administrative processes.

• Works with communications specialist and vendor to create, distribute and maintain accurate, comprehensive and user-friendly program communications.

• Serves as the Subject Matter Expert and supports employee understanding and utilization of assigned benefit programs.

• Educates employees, managers, internal business partners, and vendors on program policies, procedures, and systems.

• Ensures timely and accurate responses to benefit-related employee appeals.

Transactional Input/System Administration

• Updates and maintains the Benefit/HR systems of record with any necessary information.

• Works within the vendor systems as needed.

• Ensures that any tasks required for the ongoing administration occur timely and efficiently.

Benefit Program Reporting and Analysis

• Ensures timely and accurate filing and/or posting of compliance-related items, including but not limited to Form 5500s, Summary Plan Descriptions and Summary Annual Reports.

• Acts as the main point of contact for the annual 401(k) audit process and SOC compliance procedures.

• Produces and manages reporting metrics and analytics to track program statistics, detect trends and identify opportunities to improve program design, compliance or administrative processes.

• Participates in and performs periodic benchmarking studies to ensure benefit program is competitive with industry peers.

• Shares findings of reporting and benchmarking with leadership and provides recommendations to assist with strategic planning.

Experience and Education

• Minimum of 3-5 years of relevant experience.

• Bachelor's degree in business administration, human resources or related field preferred.

Working Environment

•Hyrbid, mix of onsite and remote work.In Office days are Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, remote flexibility Thursday and Friday.

NOTE: Racism, either overt or perpetuated through unconscious bias, has no place at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, and both our Mission and People Promise are firmly rooted in the principle of valuing what everyone brings to the table. Our employees work hard to ensure that our brand, which is grounded in genuine hospitality and nostalgia, represents only what is good about those things. While our décor and food may harken back to earlier times, our inclusive culture and beliefs about equality and diversity do not.