OPT Benefits Manager Jobs
Benefits Manager jobs are open to F-1 OPT students with degrees in human resources, business administration, or a related field. Most roles qualify as specialty occupations for H-1B visa sponsorship. Your 12-month OPT window, or 24-month STEM extension if eligible, gives you time to prove your value and secure long-term sponsorship.
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Get Access To All JobsINTRODUCTION
At PGE, our work involves dreaming about, planning for, and realizing a smarter, cleaner, more enduring Oregon neighborhood. Its core to our DNA and we haven’t stopped since we started in 1888. We energize lives, strengthen communities and drive advancements in energy that promote social, economic and environmental progress. We’re always on the lookout for people passionate about leading and being a part of teams that are advancing innovative clean energy solutions that are also affordable and accessible to all.
Help employees navigate the benefits that matter most
We're looking for a thoughtful, organized, and service-minded professional to join PGE's Benefits team. In this role, you'll help employees and managers navigate benefits, leaves of absence, workplace accommodations, disability programs, and workers' compensation while keeping important administrative processes accurate and moving forward.
This is a strong opportunity for someone who enjoys helping people, solving problems, working with data and financial details, and collaborating with employees, managers, HR partners, and vendors. You'll balance employee-facing support with the behind-the-scenes work that keeps benefit programs running accurately, including reporting, invoice and payment administration, data review, vendor coordination, and employee records.
The position may be filled at the P1 or P2 level based on the selected candidate's experience, knowledge, and demonstrated ability to work independently. If you're motivated by meaningful employee support and practical problem-solving, we'd love to meet you.
Career level
P1 - Entry: Performs first-tier professional assignments involving recurring benefits and leave administration. Applies established procedures and professional knowledge to assigned work and receives ongoing guidance on more complex or unfamiliar matters.
P2 - Intermediate: Applies expanded professional knowledge to a broader range of benefits and leave matters. Independently resolves routine and moderately complex issues using established procedures and judgment, with guidance on higher-risk or novel situations.
What you will work on
Leave, accommodation, disability, and workers' compensation support (approximately 35%): Support the administration and case management of leaves of absence, workplace accommodations, short- and long-term disability, return-to-work matters, and workers' compensation claims. Coordinate with employees, managers, HR partners, vendors, and other internal partners; monitor case status; support accurate timecard and paid-time administration; review documentation; and help employees and managers navigate applicable processes.
Benefits and operational administration (approximately 35%): Support day-to-day administration of benefit programs for represented and non-represented employees with different benefit programs and eligibility requirements. Monitor and respond to employee inquiries and escalations; support eligibility, enrollment, and status changes; process and reconcile vendor invoices and benefit payments; review benefit and payroll data for accuracy; run reports; monitor vendor data interfaces; identify and resolve discrepancies; and maintain accurate, audit-ready records.
Wellness, vendors, and employee resources (approximately 30%): Coordinate wellness programs and activities; support vendor relationships and issue resolution; maintain benefit plan documents, policies, procedures, intranet content, templates, and other employee-facing resources; and assist with employee communications, Open Enrollment, audits, and program improvements.
Additional responsibilities
- Provide practical, timely, and respectful support to employees and managers.
- Interpret and apply established benefit plan provisions, policies, procedures, and collective bargaining agreement requirements within the role's authority; escalate complex or unusual matters.
- Partner with vendors and internal subject matter experts to resolve routine eligibility, enrollment, claim, payment, reporting, and data issues.
- Identify recurring issues, process gaps, or service trends and recommend practical improvements.
- Support benefit communications, educational materials, presentations, Open Enrollment, annual notices, audits, and other recurring program activities.
- Cross-train with Benefits team members and provide backup coverage for assigned programs and processes.
- Protect confidential employee and medical information and follow applicable privacy, documentation, and records-retention requirements.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Education, experience, and certifications
Typically a bachelor's degree in business, psychology, sociology, finance, human resources, or another related field, or equivalent experience.
P1 experience: Typically two or fewer years of human resources or closely related experience.
P2 experience: Typically two or more years of human resources or closely related experience, including experience independently administering programs, resolving employee or vendor issues, or supporting leave, benefits, disability, accommodation, or workers' compensation processes.
Preferred certifications: Benefits or HR certifications are a plus, including PHR, SPHR, SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, CEBS, or CBP.
What we are looking for
- Customer-focused judgment and the ability to communicate clearly and empathetically with employees and managers.
- Strong organization, prioritization, follow-through, and attention to detail in a deadline-driven environment.
- Comfort working with invoices, payments, payroll deductions, reports, and data reconciliations where accuracy matters.
- Analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to research issues, identify discrepancies, and determine when to escalate.
- Ability to handle sensitive and confidential employee, medical, and financial information with discretion.
- Working knowledge of, or the ability to learn, employment laws and practices related to benefits, leave, disability, accommodation, and workers' compensation.
- Ability to use HR information systems, reporting tools, spreadsheets, shared inboxes, and vendor platforms to retrieve information and manage work.
- Ability to learn and accurately apply benefit eligibility rules for represented and non-represented employee groups.
- Ability to collaborate effectively with employees, managers, HR partners, Legal Services, Payroll, vendors, and other stakeholders.
- Clear written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain benefits and processes in plain language.
- Ability to manage changing priorities, meet response-time expectations, and complete accurate work under time constraints.
Level-Specific Expectations:
P1 - Entry
Guidance: Receives ongoing guidance on unfamiliar or more complex assignments.
Leave, disability, accommodation, and workers' compensation: Supports routine case administration, researches issues, and escalates more complex situations.
Benefit administration: Administers assigned processes under defined procedures and plan documents.
Payments and data: Processes standard invoices, reports, and reconciliations; identifies and escalates discrepancies.
Program contribution: Supports materials, enrollment, wellness, communications, documentation, and Open Enrollment activities.
P2 - Intermediate
Guidance: Works independently on routine and moderately complex assignments, with guidance on higher-risk or novel matters.
Leave, disability, accommodation, and workers' compensation: Independently supports routine and lower-complexity cases, recommends solutions, coordinates with stakeholders, and appropriately escalates higher-risk matters.
Benefit administration: Interprets standard provisions, resolves participant and vendor issues, and recommends enhancements.
Payments and data: Resolves routine payment and data discrepancies, identifies trends, and recommends corrective action or process improvements.
Program contribution: Coordinates implementation, communications, vendor activities, and process improvements with greater independence.
Physical and cognitive demands
- Consistent use of relevant principles and procedures to solve practical problems and address a variety of situations.
- Ability to meet deadlines and response-time expectations, follow accuracy standards, and complete time-sensitive work.
- Ability to process new information, adapt to changing priorities, collaborate within a team, and communicate effectively under stress.
- Regular computer use throughout the workday.
- Occasional travel within the service territory may be required.
- Ability to lift, carry, push, or pull up to 10 pounds.
Schedule and work environment
- Regular, reliable, and predictable full-time attendance is required.
- Ability to adhere to an established schedule and work additional or variable hours when business needs require.
- Office environment.
Actual total compensation, including a performance based incentive bonus, is commensurate with experience, skills, qualifications, education, training, and internal equity.
PGE believes in rewarding dedicated performance. We provide a total rewards package that is designed to reward your contributions to the company, and, at the same time, support your well-being and professional development, both now and into the future.
Join us today and power your potential!
Assisting with storms or other Company emergencies is a part of all positions at Portland General Electric.
PGE is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to fostering a workplace where employees feel connected, valued, and empowered to thrive. PGE will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment based on race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, religion, disability, protected veteran status, or other characteristics protected by law.
PGE does not discriminate on the basis of disability. We recognize individuals have a variety of abilities to offer and we believe there is much to value and celebrate by incorporating different abilities into the work we do. One very important way we live this out is in our application and interview process. We work hard to support individuals who may need an accommodation to fully participate in these processes. If you feel you may need an accommodation, or would like to request one, please notify the Recruiter associated with the job posting. You may also make this request by contacting talentacquisition@pgn.com or by calling 503-464-7250. The Recruiter will provide information and next steps for the accommodation process.
To be considered for this position, please complete the following employment application by the posting close date. Posting closes at midnight (Pacific Time) on the closing date below. If no date is listed, job is open until filled.
INTRODUCTION
At PGE, our work involves dreaming about, planning for, and realizing a smarter, cleaner, more enduring Oregon neighborhood. Its core to our DNA and we haven’t stopped since we started in 1888. We energize lives, strengthen communities and drive advancements in energy that promote social, economic and environmental progress. We’re always on the lookout for people passionate about leading and being a part of teams that are advancing innovative clean energy solutions that are also affordable and accessible to all.
Help employees navigate the benefits that matter most
We're looking for a thoughtful, organized, and service-minded professional to join PGE's Benefits team. In this role, you'll help employees and managers navigate benefits, leaves of absence, workplace accommodations, disability programs, and workers' compensation while keeping important administrative processes accurate and moving forward.
This is a strong opportunity for someone who enjoys helping people, solving problems, working with data and financial details, and collaborating with employees, managers, HR partners, and vendors. You'll balance employee-facing support with the behind-the-scenes work that keeps benefit programs running accurately, including reporting, invoice and payment administration, data review, vendor coordination, and employee records.
The position may be filled at the P1 or P2 level based on the selected candidate's experience, knowledge, and demonstrated ability to work independently. If you're motivated by meaningful employee support and practical problem-solving, we'd love to meet you.
Career level
P1 - Entry: Performs first-tier professional assignments involving recurring benefits and leave administration. Applies established procedures and professional knowledge to assigned work and receives ongoing guidance on more complex or unfamiliar matters.
P2 - Intermediate: Applies expanded professional knowledge to a broader range of benefits and leave matters. Independently resolves routine and moderately complex issues using established procedures and judgment, with guidance on higher-risk or novel situations.
What you will work on
Leave, accommodation, disability, and workers' compensation support (approximately 35%): Support the administration and case management of leaves of absence, workplace accommodations, short- and long-term disability, return-to-work matters, and workers' compensation claims. Coordinate with employees, managers, HR partners, vendors, and other internal partners; monitor case status; support accurate timecard and paid-time administration; review documentation; and help employees and managers navigate applicable processes.
Benefits and operational administration (approximately 35%): Support day-to-day administration of benefit programs for represented and non-represented employees with different benefit programs and eligibility requirements. Monitor and respond to employee inquiries and escalations; support eligibility, enrollment, and status changes; process and reconcile vendor invoices and benefit payments; review benefit and payroll data for accuracy; run reports; monitor vendor data interfaces; identify and resolve discrepancies; and maintain accurate, audit-ready records.
Wellness, vendors, and employee resources (approximately 30%): Coordinate wellness programs and activities; support vendor relationships and issue resolution; maintain benefit plan documents, policies, procedures, intranet content, templates, and other employee-facing resources; and assist with employee communications, Open Enrollment, audits, and program improvements.
Additional responsibilities
- Provide practical, timely, and respectful support to employees and managers.
- Interpret and apply established benefit plan provisions, policies, procedures, and collective bargaining agreement requirements within the role's authority; escalate complex or unusual matters.
- Partner with vendors and internal subject matter experts to resolve routine eligibility, enrollment, claim, payment, reporting, and data issues.
- Identify recurring issues, process gaps, or service trends and recommend practical improvements.
- Support benefit communications, educational materials, presentations, Open Enrollment, annual notices, audits, and other recurring program activities.
- Cross-train with Benefits team members and provide backup coverage for assigned programs and processes.
- Protect confidential employee and medical information and follow applicable privacy, documentation, and records-retention requirements.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Education, experience, and certifications
Typically a bachelor's degree in business, psychology, sociology, finance, human resources, or another related field, or equivalent experience.
P1 experience: Typically two or fewer years of human resources or closely related experience.
P2 experience: Typically two or more years of human resources or closely related experience, including experience independently administering programs, resolving employee or vendor issues, or supporting leave, benefits, disability, accommodation, or workers' compensation processes.
Preferred certifications: Benefits or HR certifications are a plus, including PHR, SPHR, SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, CEBS, or CBP.
What we are looking for
- Customer-focused judgment and the ability to communicate clearly and empathetically with employees and managers.
- Strong organization, prioritization, follow-through, and attention to detail in a deadline-driven environment.
- Comfort working with invoices, payments, payroll deductions, reports, and data reconciliations where accuracy matters.
- Analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to research issues, identify discrepancies, and determine when to escalate.
- Ability to handle sensitive and confidential employee, medical, and financial information with discretion.
- Working knowledge of, or the ability to learn, employment laws and practices related to benefits, leave, disability, accommodation, and workers' compensation.
- Ability to use HR information systems, reporting tools, spreadsheets, shared inboxes, and vendor platforms to retrieve information and manage work.
- Ability to learn and accurately apply benefit eligibility rules for represented and non-represented employee groups.
- Ability to collaborate effectively with employees, managers, HR partners, Legal Services, Payroll, vendors, and other stakeholders.
- Clear written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain benefits and processes in plain language.
- Ability to manage changing priorities, meet response-time expectations, and complete accurate work under time constraints.
Level-Specific Expectations:
P1 - Entry
Guidance: Receives ongoing guidance on unfamiliar or more complex assignments.
Leave, disability, accommodation, and workers' compensation: Supports routine case administration, researches issues, and escalates more complex situations.
Benefit administration: Administers assigned processes under defined procedures and plan documents.
Payments and data: Processes standard invoices, reports, and reconciliations; identifies and escalates discrepancies.
Program contribution: Supports materials, enrollment, wellness, communications, documentation, and Open Enrollment activities.
P2 - Intermediate
Guidance: Works independently on routine and moderately complex assignments, with guidance on higher-risk or novel matters.
Leave, disability, accommodation, and workers' compensation: Independently supports routine and lower-complexity cases, recommends solutions, coordinates with stakeholders, and appropriately escalates higher-risk matters.
Benefit administration: Interprets standard provisions, resolves participant and vendor issues, and recommends enhancements.
Payments and data: Resolves routine payment and data discrepancies, identifies trends, and recommends corrective action or process improvements.
Program contribution: Coordinates implementation, communications, vendor activities, and process improvements with greater independence.
Physical and cognitive demands
- Consistent use of relevant principles and procedures to solve practical problems and address a variety of situations.
- Ability to meet deadlines and response-time expectations, follow accuracy standards, and complete time-sensitive work.
- Ability to process new information, adapt to changing priorities, collaborate within a team, and communicate effectively under stress.
- Regular computer use throughout the workday.
- Occasional travel within the service territory may be required.
- Ability to lift, carry, push, or pull up to 10 pounds.
Schedule and work environment
- Regular, reliable, and predictable full-time attendance is required.
- Ability to adhere to an established schedule and work additional or variable hours when business needs require.
- Office environment.
Actual total compensation, including a performance based incentive bonus, is commensurate with experience, skills, qualifications, education, training, and internal equity.
PGE believes in rewarding dedicated performance. We provide a total rewards package that is designed to reward your contributions to the company, and, at the same time, support your well-being and professional development, both now and into the future.
Join us today and power your potential!
Assisting with storms or other Company emergencies is a part of all positions at Portland General Electric.
PGE is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to fostering a workplace where employees feel connected, valued, and empowered to thrive. PGE will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment based on race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, religion, disability, protected veteran status, or other characteristics protected by law.
PGE does not discriminate on the basis of disability. We recognize individuals have a variety of abilities to offer and we believe there is much to value and celebrate by incorporating different abilities into the work we do. One very important way we live this out is in our application and interview process. We work hard to support individuals who may need an accommodation to fully participate in these processes. If you feel you may need an accommodation, or would like to request one, please notify the Recruiter associated with the job posting. You may also make this request by contacting talentacquisition@pgn.com or by calling 503-464-7250. The Recruiter will provide information and next steps for the accommodation process.
To be considered for this position, please complete the following employment application by the posting close date. Posting closes at midnight (Pacific Time) on the closing date below. If no date is listed, job is open until filled.
See all 266+ OPT Benefits Manager Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new OPT Benefits Manager Jobs.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding OPT Sponsorship as a Benefits Manager
Target employers with HR infrastructure
Large and mid-size companies with dedicated HR departments are far more likely to sponsor Benefits Managers than small businesses. Look for organizations with 500 or more employees, where benefits administration is a defined, ongoing function requiring specialized expertise.
Emphasize your specialty occupation fit
Benefits Manager roles qualify as H-1B visa specialty occupations when a degree in HR, business, or finance is a genuine requirement. Make sure your resume connects your specific degree field to the technical demands of the role, not just general business experience.
Get SHRM certified before applying
A SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP credential signals professional seriousness and strengthens your specialty occupation case for future H-1B sponsorship. Many employers see certification as a proxy for long-term commitment, which matters when they're evaluating sponsorship risk.
Raise sponsorship early in the process
Bring up OPT work authorization and your sponsorship timeline in the first substantive conversation with a recruiter. This filters out employers unwilling to sponsor and saves both parties time before an offer is extended and expectations are set.
Highlight compliance and regulatory knowledge
Benefits Managers must navigate ERISA, ACA, and FMLA compliance. Demonstrating familiarity with U.S. benefits regulations in your cover letter and interviews signals you can handle the role's legal complexity, which strengthens your case for employer investment in sponsorship.
Build relationships in total rewards teams
Many Benefits Manager hires come through internal referrals within compensation and total rewards functions. Connecting with benefits analysts and HR operations professionals in your network can surface sponsorship-friendly openings before they are posted publicly.
Benefits Manager OPT: Frequently Asked Questions
Do Benefits Manager jobs qualify for OPT work authorization?
Yes. Benefits Manager roles typically qualify for F-1 OPT when they are directly related to your degree field, such as human resources, business administration, or finance. Your employment must be at least 20 hours per week and in a role that USCIS would recognize as consistent with your major area of study.
Can F-1 OPT students get H-1B sponsorship for Benefits Manager roles?
Benefits Manager positions generally meet the H-1B specialty occupation standard because the role requires at least a bachelor's degree in a specific field like HR or business. Employers with established HR and legal teams are most likely to sponsor. Search Migrate Mate to find Benefits Manager openings at companies with a demonstrated history of sponsoring OPT workers.
Do Benefits Manager jobs qualify for the 24-month STEM OPT extension?
Most Benefits Manager roles do not qualify for the STEM extension on their own because HR and business administration are not STEM-designated fields. However, if your undergraduate degree was in a STEM field and the Benefits Manager role involves significant data analytics, compensation modeling, or HR technology, a case could be made. Verify your degree's CIP code against the official STEM OPT list with your DSO.
What types of employers are most likely to sponsor Benefits Managers on OPT?
Employers in healthcare, financial services, technology, and professional services tend to have the HR infrastructure and legal resources needed to support OPT and H-1B sponsorship for Benefits Managers. Companies with 500 or more employees and a dedicated total rewards or benefits function are the strongest candidates. Smaller organizations rarely have the bandwidth or experience to manage sponsorship.
When should I start looking for Benefits Manager jobs on OPT?
Begin your search at least three to four months before your OPT start date. Benefits Manager roles often involve longer hiring timelines due to seniority and compliance responsibilities. Starting early gives you time to find sponsorship-friendly employers without the pressure of an expiring authorization window. Migrate Mate filters jobs by OPT eligibility, which makes the process more efficient.