Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Wellness Advisor

🎯 Role Definition

A Wellness Advisor is a client- and employee-facing health professional who designs, implements and evaluates wellness initiatives to improve physical and mental well-being, reduce health risk, and support behavior change. This role combines health coaching, program management, biometric screening, data tracking and stakeholder engagement to deliver measurable improvements in participation, clinical outcomes and cost containment for individuals and populations.

Primary goals:

Deliver one-on-one and group coaching using evidence-based behavior change techniques (e.g., motivational interviewing).
Manage wellness programs across onsite and virtual channels (telehealth, webinars, workshops).
Measure and report program outcomes (engagement, biometric improvements, ROI) while ensuring HIPAA-compliant handling of health data.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Health Coach / Lifestyle Coach
Wellness Coordinator / Wellness Specialist
Registered Nurse (RN) or Allied Health Professional transitioning to population health

Advancement To:

Senior Wellness Advisor / Lead Health Coach
Wellness Program Manager / Manager, Employee Wellbeing
Population Health Manager or Director of Wellbeing

Lateral Moves:

Benefits & Wellness Consultant
Health Promotion Specialist
Care Coordination or Case Management roles

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Conduct comprehensive health risk assessments (HRA) and interpret biometric screening results to create individualized wellness plans that address medical, behavioral and lifestyle risk factors.
Deliver evidence-based one-on-one health coaching (telephonic, video, and in-person) focused on chronic disease prevention and management (e.g., diabetes, hypertension, weight management), using motivational interviewing and goal-setting frameworks.
Design and facilitate interactive group workshops, lunch-and-learn sessions, and virtual webinars on topics such as nutrition, physical activity, stress management, sleep hygiene and tobacco cessation to increase program reach and engagement.
Develop and manage multi-channel outreach campaigns (email, LMS, intranet, posters) to drive program participation, produce measurable lift in engagement metrics, and ensure alignment with HR and communications strategies.
Create tailored action plans with SMART goals, document progress in the electronic health platform or CRM, and follow up regularly to maintain accountability and behavior change momentum.
Partner with occupational health, benefits, and HR teams to integrate wellness initiatives with existing employee benefits (EAPs, preventive care, biometric incentives) and support enrollment and retention.
Monitor and report key performance indicators (KPIs) including participation rates, HRA completion, biometric improvements (BMI, BP, cholesterol), program adherence, satisfaction scores (NPS), and estimated ROI to leadership on a monthly/quarterly cadence.
Coordinate vendor relationships for biometric screening, health coaching platforms, content providers and third-party wellness vendors; negotiate scope of work and performance SLAs.
Provide triage and care navigation to connect employees with primary care, specialty care, behavioral health, community resources, or benefits resources, ensuring warm handoffs and follow-through.
Maintain strict confidentiality and HIPAA compliance in all documentation, communications and data exchanges; complete required privacy and security training.
Use population health analytics and basic data analysis (Excel, reports from wellness platforms) to identify high-risk cohorts, craft targeted interventions, and evaluate program impact.
Develop culturally sensitive and inclusive program content that respects diverse backgrounds, languages and learning preferences; recommend accommodations for accessibility.
Lead pilot programs and A/B tests (e.g., incentive structures, coaching cadences) and iterate based on engagement and clinical outcome data to optimize program effectiveness.
Train and supervise peer coaches, interns or onsite wellness champions on program protocols, referral pathways and coaching best practices to scale services.
Maintain professional credentials and continuing education (e.g., CHES, Certified Health Coach, ACSM, NASM) and stay current with clinical guidelines, public health recommendations and wellness industry trends.
Manage scheduling, documentation and follow-up workflows to ensure clients receive timely coaching touches and program milestones are tracked to completion.
Create and update educational materials, toolkits and digital content (fact sheets, email templates, slide decks) optimized for employee consumption and searchability.
Respond to employee inquiries and escalate clinically urgent or safety-related issues to clinical leadership, occupational health, or emergency services as appropriate.
Build and maintain relationships with onsite clinics, telehealth providers and community wellness partners to expand service offerings and coordinate integrated care.
Implement and monitor incentive and rewards programs (financial incentives, recognition) tied to wellness milestones, track redemption and evaluate cost-effectiveness.
Collaborate with legal, compliance and benefits teams on program policies, consent processes, data sharing agreements and HIPAA Business Associate Agreements.

Secondary Functions

Maintain and enrich the program database and CRM records, ensuring accurate participant segmentation for targeted outreach and reporting.
Support periodic vendor and program audits, provide documentation for compliance reviews and implement corrective actions when gaps are identified.
Assist in the development of annual wellness strategy, budget forecasts and vendor selection criteria based on utilization and outcome metrics.
Provide ad-hoc analytics support to HR and health leadership: extract program usage reports, interpret trend data and propose operational improvements to increase efficiency.
Participate in cross-functional project teams (occupational health, benefits, EAP, talent) to align wellbeing programs with organizational health objectives and employee value proposition.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Health risk assessment (HRA) administration and interpretation
Motivational interviewing and evidence-based coaching methodologies
Chronic disease prevention and management knowledge (diabetes, hypertension, metabolic syndrome)
Biometric screening procedures and interpretation (BP, glucose, lipids, BMI)
Experience with wellness platforms/CRMs and EHR/EMR basics (secure documentation and data export)
Reporting and data analysis: Excel (pivot tables), basic SQL or BI familiarity, KPI dashboards
Telehealth and virtual coaching tools (Zoom, MS Teams, Doxy.me or similar virtual care platforms)
HIPAA, PHI handling and data privacy best practices
Program design: incentives, engagement campaigns, ROI modeling
Group facilitation and curriculum development for health education
Familiarity with Employee Assistance Programs (EAP), benefits integration and population health concepts
Basic project management (task tracking, timelines, vendor coordination)

Soft Skills

Excellent verbal and written communication tailored to diverse employee populations
Empathy, active listening and high emotional intelligence for behavior change coaching
Strong organizational skills and the ability to prioritize competing deadlines
Persuasion and influence to drive participation and leadership buy-in
Problem-solving orientation with a data-driven mindset
Cultural competency and inclusivity in program design and delivery
Resilience and adaptability in a fast-changing health environment
Confidentiality and professional integrity in handling sensitive health information
Collaborative team player with experience in cross-functional stakeholder management
Coaching presence: motivational, non-judgmental, accountability-focused

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Public Health, Health Education, Nursing, Kinesiology, Nutrition, Behavioral Science, or related health field — OR equivalent clinical experience (RN, LPN) with health coaching experience.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Public Health, Health Promotion, Nursing (MSN), Nutrition, Exercise Science, or related field.
Professional certification such as CHES (Certified Health Education Specialist), NBHWC, ACE Health Coach, NASM, or diabetes prevention program certification.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Public Health
Health Promotion / Health Education
Nursing (RN)
Nutrition / Dietetics
Kinesiology / Exercise Science
Behavioral Science / Psychology
Social Work (health-related roles)

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

2–5 years of direct health coaching, wellness programming, or clinical population health experience.

Preferred:

3–7 years of experience in corporate wellness, employee health, population health management or allied health roles with demonstrated outcomes (engagement %, biometric improvement).
Experience working with benefits teams, EAPs, or onsite/virtual clinic operations, and a track record of measurable program improvements.

If you’d like, I can tailor this description to a specific industry (corporate, healthcare system, insurance) or seniority level (Associate vs. Senior Wellness Advisor) and produce a job posting version suitable for your careers page or ATS.