Life As a Compensation and Benefits Manager
Career Description Plan, direct, or coordinate compensation and benefits activities of an organization.
Life As a Benefits Manager: What Do They Do?
- Plan, direct, supervise, and coordinate work activities of subordinates and staff relating to employment, compensation, labor relations, and employee relations.
- Advise management on such matters as equal employment opportunity, sexual harassment, and discrimination.
- Prepare detailed job descriptions and classification systems and define job levels and families, in partnership with other managers.
- Direct preparation and distribution of written and verbal information to inform employees of benefits, compensation, and personnel policies.
- Design, evaluate and modify benefits policies to ensure that programs are current, competitive, and in compliance with legal requirements.
- Analyze statistical data and reports to identify and determine causes of personnel problems and develop recommendations for improvement of organization’s personnel policies and practices.
Featured schools near , edit
Skills Needed to be a Benefits Manager
These are the skills Compensation and Benefits Managers say are the most useful in their careers:
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Types of Compensation and Benefits Manager
- Benefits Administrator
- Field Reimbursement Manager
- Benefits Manager
- Payroll Manager
- Compensation Manager
Job Opportunities for Compensation and Benefits Managers
In the United States, there were 15,800 jobs for Compensation and Benefits Manager in 2016. New jobs are being produced at a rate of 5.1% which is below the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 800 new jobs for Compensation and Benefits Manager by 2026. There will be an estimated 1,200 positions for Benefits Manager per year.

The states with the most job growth for Benefits Manager are Utah, Washington, and Arkansas. Watch out if you plan on working in Rhode Island, North Dakota, or New Mexico. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Salary for a Benefits Manager
The typical yearly salary for Compensation and Benefits Managers is somewhere between $70,560 and $205,470.

Compensation and Benefits Managers who work in Delaware, New Jersey, or Colorado, make the highest salaries.
How much do Compensation and Benefits Managers make in different U.S. states?
State | Annual Mean Salary |
---|---|
Alabama | $108,580 |
Alaska | $101,670 |
Arizona | $105,980 |
Arkansas | $103,740 |
California | $150,480 |
Colorado | $155,570 |
Connecticut | $164,240 |
Delaware | $174,380 |
District of Columbia | $136,050 |
Florida | $108,330 |
Georgia | $125,710 |
Idaho | $87,100 |
Illinois | $126,470 |
Indiana | $102,850 |
Iowa | $113,390 |
Kansas | $112,330 |
Kentucky | $95,820 |
Louisiana | $84,970 |
Maine | $106,200 |
Maryland | $149,160 |
Massachusetts | $131,250 |
Michigan | $133,450 |
Minnesota | $139,350 |
Mississippi | $86,740 |
Missouri | $126,480 |
Nebraska | $118,870 |
Nevada | $121,620 |
New Hampshire | $123,170 |
New Jersey | $174,730 |
New Mexico | $119,050 |
New York | $161,950 |
North Carolina | $128,400 |
Ohio | $128,020 |
Oklahoma | $104,800 |
Oregon | $108,130 |
Pennsylvania | $144,320 |
South Carolina | $102,540 |
Tennessee | $102,550 |
Texas | $118,400 |
Utah | $100,330 |
Virginia | $148,800 |
Washington | $143,180 |
West Virginia | $117,970 |
Wisconsin | $114,280 |
Tools & Technologies Used by Compensation and Benefits Managers
Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Compensation and Benefits Managers:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Outlook
- Web browser software
- Microsoft Access
- SAP
- Microsoft Project
- Microsoft Visio
- Microsoft SharePoint
- Adobe Systems Adobe Photoshop
- Structured query language SQL
- IBM Notes
- Adobe Systems Adobe Illustrator
- Microsoft SQL Server
- Intuit QuickBooks
- Oracle PeopleSoft
- Oracle JD Edwards EnterpriseOne
- Adobe Systems Adobe Dreamweaver
How to Become a Benefits Manager
Education needed to be a Compensation and Benefits Manager:

How many years of work experience do I need?

Where Compensation and Benefits Managers Are Employed

The table below shows the approximate number of Compensation and Benefits Managers employed by various industries.

Related Careers
Career changers with experience as a Compensation and Benefits Manager sometimes find work in one of the following fields:
References:
Image Credit: Arunkumar Umapathy via Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International
More about our data sources and methodologies.
Featured Schools
You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs.
Visit School