Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Wellness Program Coordinator

🎯 Role Definition

The Wellness Program Coordinator is responsible for designing, implementing, and managing employee health and wellbeing initiatives across the organization. This role coordinates multi-channel wellness programming (physical, mental, financial, and social wellbeing), manages vendor relationships and on-site and virtual events, tracks program performance and ROI, promotes participation and behavior change, and ensures programs align with benefits strategy, compliance (HIPAA/ADA), and company goals. The Wellness Program Coordinator partners with HR, benefits, leadership, and external providers to create integrated wellness experiences that increase engagement, reduce health risk, and demonstrate measurable impact.

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📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

HR Coordinator, Benefits Coordinator, or HR Generalist transitioning into employee wellness
Health Educator, Community Outreach Coordinator, or Public Health practitioner
Event/Program Coordinator with interest or experience in wellness, fitness, or health services

Advancement To:

Senior Wellness Program Coordinator or Wellness Manager
Wellness Program Director or Director of Employee Wellbeing
Total Rewards Manager or Head of People Experience / Employee Engagement

Lateral Moves:

Benefits Specialist / Benefits Analyst
Employee Engagement Manager or Culture & Communications Specialist
Health Promotion Specialist or Population Health Coordinator

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Design, implement, and continuously improve a comprehensive, year-round employee wellness program that includes health screenings, health risk assessments (HRAs), chronic condition management, mental health supports, nutrition and fitness initiatives, and financial wellbeing offerings, ensuring alignment with corporate objectives and benefits strategy.
Plan and coordinate all logistics for on-site and virtual wellness events — including biometric screening days, flu vaccination clinics, lunch-and-learn sessions, fitness classes, and wellness fairs — managing scheduling, space, supplies, clinical vendors, consent forms, and post-event follow-up.
Manage relationships with third-party wellness vendors (biometric screening vendors, health coaching providers, EAPs, wellness platform vendors such as Virgin Pulse, Limeade, WellRight, or similar), negotiate contracts, monitor service level agreements (SLAs), ensure compliance and quality, and oversee vendor invoicing and reconciliation.
Oversee health risk assessment (HRA) distribution, completion incentives, data collection, and de-identification processes; analyze HRA results to identify population health trends, risk clusters, and priority areas for targeted programming.
Coordinate and/or deliver health coaching and behavior change programs (group and one-to-one), including developing curricula, training peer champions, tracking participant outcomes, and ensuring coaches adhere to confidentiality and coaching protocols.
Develop and manage the wellness program budget, forecast expenses, monitor costs (events, vendor fees, technology), and prepare budget variance reports and recommendations to maximize program ROI and cost-effectiveness.
Create, execute, and optimize multi-channel communication and marketing plans (email campaigns, intranet content, posters, newsletters, social media posts, and digital signage) to drive awareness, registration, and sustained engagement in wellness initiatives.
Maintain and administer the wellness technology stack (wellness platforms, event registration portals, learning management systems, and HRIS integrations), including user provisioning, data exports, basic troubleshooting, and liaising with IT for integrations and security.
Track, analyze, and report program metrics and KPIs (participation rates, HRA completion, biometric outcomes, engagement scores, cost savings, and ROI) on a monthly and quarterly cadence; present actionable insights and executive-level summaries to HR leadership and business partners.
Implement incentive strategies and rewards programs compliant with regulatory guidance (ACA, ADA, GINA) to encourage participation while ensuring fair and equitable access across employee populations and locations.
Partner with benefits, compensation, and total rewards teams to coordinate wellness-related benefits, onboarding experiences, and open enrollment communications to create a seamless employee experience.
Facilitate a cross-functional wellness committee or employee advisory group, recruit champions, set agendas, solicit feedback, and translate employee input into program enhancements and pilot initiatives.
Develop and deliver wellness education content (presentations, handouts, blogs, videos) on topics such as stress management, nutrition, sleep, chronic disease prevention, mindfulness, and resilience tailored to diverse employee groups and literacy levels.
Measure effectiveness of wellness interventions through pre/post surveys, biometric changes, claims or utilization trends (when accessible), and qualitative feedback; iterate programming using a continuous improvement model to improve outcomes and engagement.
Ensure program compliance with privacy laws and regulations (HIPAA, ADA, GINA) and internal policies, maintain confidential records, and coordinate with Legal/Compliance for risk mitigation and reporting.
Serve as the primary point of contact for employees seeking wellness resources or navigating wellness offerings; triage inquiries, escalate clinical questions appropriately, and follow up to ensure timely support.
Maintain certifications, industry best practices, and current research in workplace health promotion (e.g., CDC Workplace Health Model, National Committee for Quality Assurance guidelines) and translate evidence-based approaches into practical program design.
Coordinate measurement and reporting for corporate wellness goals tied to ESG, wellbeing scorecards, or benefit KPIs; contribute to annual wellbeing strategy planning and cross-functional goal setting.
Manage special initiatives such as population health pilots, tobacco cessation campaigns, chronic disease management pathways, caregiver support groups, or mental health first-aid training for managers.
Prepare materials and present program status, return-on-investment analysis, and strategic recommendations to HR leadership and executive stakeholders to secure buy-in, funding, and program scaling.
Support multicultural and remote-workforce wellness by designing inclusive, accessible programming that addresses diverse employee needs, time zones, languages, and site locations, and by tracking equitable participation metrics.
Develop onboarding and re-enrollment workflows that introduce new hires and returning employees to wellness resources, ensuring strong early engagement and continuity of care.
Monitor trending employee wellbeing topics and competitor wellness offerings to propose innovative pilots (telehealth, virtual fitness subscriptions, gamification) and test new engagement techniques while measuring impact.

Secondary Functions

Maintain an up-to-date inventory of wellness resources, contact lists for internal champions, and a centralized calendar of events to avoid scheduling conflicts and improve cross-promotion.
Support ad-hoc reporting requests and exploratory analysis to answer business questions about program performance; prepare customized dashboards or exportable datasets for stakeholders.
Contribute to the organization's wellness strategy and roadmap by conducting needs assessments, environmental scans, and gap analyses that inform multi-year planning.
Collaborate with HR business partners, benefits, diversity & inclusion, safety, and facilities teams to translate business needs into wellness program requirements and ensure alignment across people programs.
Participate in project planning and agile ceremonies when launching new wellness technology, integrations, or multi-phase initiatives; document user stories, acceptance criteria, and testing plans.
Assist in developing manager toolkits and training to help leaders support employee wellbeing, recognize signs of burnout, and refer employees to available resources.
Maintain detailed event documentation, vendor evaluations, and post-mortem reports to capture lessons learned and best practices for future programming.
Support employee surveys, focus groups, or pulse checks to gather feedback and measure program satisfaction and perceived value.
Help manage wellness-related incentive fulfillment (gift cards, merchandise, reimbursements) and ensure documentation of prize distribution and audit trails.
Coordinate with Payroll and Benefits teams to ensure accurate processing of any wellness-related payroll adjustments, reimbursements, or taxable incentives in compliance with policy.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Program management and event coordination skills with demonstrated experience running multi-site or virtual wellness programs.
Experience with wellness platforms, HRIS integrations, LMS systems, and vendor portals (examples: Virgin Pulse, Limeade, WellRight, Castlight, Workday integrations).
Data analysis and reporting proficiency — ability to pull, clean, and interpret participation and outcomes data; experience with Excel (pivot tables, VLOOKUP), Google Sheets, and basic dashboarding (Power BI, Tableau, or Looker).
Knowledge of biometric screening processes, HRA administration, health coaching workflows, and clinical vendor coordination.
Familiarity with regulatory and privacy frameworks applicable to wellness programs (HIPAA, ADA, GINA, ACA) and ability to operationalize compliant workflows.
Budget development and financial stewardship skills including vendor invoicing, purchase orders, and basic ROI/cost-savings modeling.
Strong written and verbal communication skills for program messaging, presentations, and executive reporting.
Experience creating and executing digital marketing and communications campaigns (email automation, intranet content, social posts) to boost engagement.
Basic contract and vendor management skills: RFP coordination, contract review/checklist completion, and SLA monitoring.
Ability to manage CRM-like tools for participant follow-up, reminders, and tracking of incentives and awards.

Soft Skills

Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills — able to build relationships across HR, benefits, leadership, and external partners to drive program adoption.
Empathy and cultural competence — able to design inclusive programming that resonates with diverse employee populations.
Problem-solving and critical thinking — uses data and feedback to iterate programs and remove barriers to participation.
Time management and multi-tasking — can coordinate multiple events, vendors, and reporting deadlines concurrently.
Coaching presence and motivational interviewing basics — encourages employee behavior change respectfully and effectively.
Presentation and facilitation skills — comfortable delivering workshops, webinars, and executive briefings.
Adaptability and learning agility — quickly incorporates new wellness trends, technologies, and evidence-based practices.
Attention to detail — ensures program documentation, compliance records, and incentive fulfillment are accurate and auditable.
Collaboration and team orientation — actively participates on cross-functional teams and wellness committees.
Customer-service mindset — prioritizes frontline employee experience and timely follow-up.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Public Health, Health Promotion, Kinesiology, Human Resources, Business Administration, Communications, or related field.

Preferred Education:

Master’s degree in Public Health (MPH), Health Education, Organizational Psychology, or HR-related advanced degree; or professional certification such as Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES), Certified Wellness Practitioner (CWP), or equivalent.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Public Health / Health Promotion
Kinesiology / Exercise Science
Nutrition / Dietetics
Human Resources / Organizational Development
Communications / Marketing

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 2–5 years coordinating or managing workplace wellness, health promotion, community health, benefits, or related programs.

Preferred: 3–7 years of progressive experience in employee wellness or corporate health programs, with hands-on experience coordinating biometric screenings, HRAs, wellness platforms, vendor management, communications, and outcome measurement. Experience working in multi-site, remote, or hybrid workforce environments and familiarity with benefits/total rewards integration is highly desirable.