Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Wellness Program Specialist

🎯 Role Definition

The Wellness Program Specialist designs, implements, and measures workplace wellbeing programs that improve employee health, reduce health-related costs, and increase engagement. This role partners with HR, benefits, clinical vendors, and leadership to deliver integrated health promotion initiatives—such as biometric screenings, health coaching, chronic condition support, incentive programs, and digital wellness platforms—while ensuring compliance with privacy and benefits regulations. The ideal candidate blends public health knowledge, program management experience, data-driven measurement, and excellent communication skills.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Wellness Coordinator or Wellness Assistant
Health Educator or Community Health Worker
HR Generalist or Benefits Administrator

Advancement To:

Wellness Program Manager / Health & Wellbeing Manager
Director of Employee Wellbeing / Director of Health & Benefits
Population Health Manager or Clinical Program Lead

Lateral Moves:

Occupational Health Specialist
Benefits Analyst or Employee Experience Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Design, develop, and implement a comprehensive annual employee wellness plan that includes disease prevention, health promotion, mental health supports, biometric screenings, and incentive strategies aligned to organizational goals and benefits integration.
Lead end-to-end program management for multi-channel wellness initiatives—planning timelines, defining deliverables, managing vendor contracts, coordinating internal stakeholders, and ensuring on-time, on-budget delivery.
Create and execute targeted health communication and marketing campaigns (email, intranet, posters, webinars, social media) to drive program awareness, participation, and behavior change across diverse employee populations.
Administer and coordinate biometric screening events, vaccination clinics, and health risk assessments in partnership with clinical vendors and internal safety/occupational health teams, ensuring accurate logistics and data capture.
Provide one-on-one or small-group health coaching and lifestyle counseling (in-person or virtual) using evidence-based behavior change techniques to support employees in weight management, tobacco cessation, stress reduction, and chronic disease management.
Develop and manage incentive structures and reward programs (points, reimbursements, premium differentials) that motivate participation while complying with benefits regulations and nondiscrimination rules.
Analyze program participation, health risk assessment results, biometric trends, and claims data (when available) to produce monthly/quarterly outcomes dashboards, ROI estimates, and executive reports that demonstrate program impact.
Maintain HIPAA, ADA, GINA, and other related regulatory compliance for all wellness activities—protecting personal health information and ensuring voluntary participation and confidentiality.
Manage relationships with third-party wellness vendors (digital platforms, screening vendors, health coaches, EAP providers) including RFP processes, SOW negotiation, KPI monitoring, and performance reviews.
Facilitate employee wellness committees and cross-functional working groups to build grassroots engagement, solicit feedback, and co-design culturally relevant programming that addresses diverse needs.
Create and deliver engaging educational workshops, lunch-and-learn sessions, and webinar series on topics such as nutrition, stress management, ergonomics, mental health first aid, and financial wellbeing.
Design and pilot wellness challenges, team-based competitions, and habit-forming programs that promote daily healthy choices and peer support, then scale successful pilots organization-wide.
Coordinate integration between wellness programming and benefits, leave management, and disability/accommodation teams to provide seamless support for employees with chronic conditions or returning from medical leave.
Develop and manage the wellness program budget, track spend against objectives, forecast needs, and recommend cost-effective solutions to maximize reach and outcomes.
Implement digital wellness solutions (mobile apps, portals, telehealth, wearable integrations), manage user adoption strategies, and coordinate technical support and data integrations with HRIS and benefits platforms.
Conduct needs assessments, focus groups, and employee surveys to identify priority health topics, barriers to participation, and opportunities for program improvement.
Monitor industry trends, evidence-based best practices, and benchmarking data for corporate wellness and population health to iterate programming and maintain competitive employee offerings.
Prepare clear, actionable reports and executive summaries for HR leadership and business unit leaders that translate health data into business implications and strategic recommendations.
Provide crisis support coordination, such as acute mental health resources or coordinated response for workplace health incidents, and act as a liaison to Occupational Health or Emergency Response when appropriate.
Train managers and peer champions on how to support employee wellbeing, spot early signs of stress or burnout, and promote a culture of health across teams.
Evaluate program effectiveness using established metrics (participation rate, engagement, biometric improvements, clinical outcomes, cost avoidance) and lead continuous improvement cycles informed by data.
Ensure equitable access to wellness services for remote and field-based employees by developing virtual programming, flexible scheduling for events, and targeted outreach plans.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc reporting requests and cross-functional analytics projects that draw from wellness, benefits, and HR data to answer business questions.
Assist in integration and data mapping projects between wellness platforms and HRIS/benefits systems to streamline user experience and reporting.
Participate in strategic planning meetings with benefits, talent, and occupational health leaders to align wellness offerings with total rewards strategy.
Serve as the internal subject matter expert on workplace wellness trends, available resources, and vendor capabilities, providing guidance to stakeholders and business leaders.
Represent the organization at external wellness conferences, local health coalitions, or community partnership meetings to extend program reach and identify collaboration opportunities.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Program design and management: ability to plan, implement, and scale wellness initiatives across a mid-to-large organization.
Data analysis and reporting: proficiency with Excel (pivot tables, formulas), familiarity with data visualization tools (Tableau, Power BI) and basic query skills (SQL) preferred.
Health risk assessment and biometric screening administration: coordinating vendors, ensuring clinical quality, and interpreting results to inform programming.
Digital wellness platforms: experience administering or implementing platforms such as Virgin Pulse, Wellable, Limeade, Sharecare or similar, including user adoption strategies.
Vendor management and contracting: RFP development, SOW negotiation, KPI management, and performance oversight.
Regulatory and privacy compliance: working knowledge of HIPAA, ADA, GINA, and ERISA considerations as they relate to workplace health programs.
Health coaching and behavior change methods: practical application of motivational interviewing, stages of change, or equivalent frameworks (certification a plus).
Budgeting and ROI analysis: tracking program spend, forecasting, and producing cost-savings estimates tied to participation and outcomes.
Event planning and logistics: coordinating on-site and virtual events, clinic staffing, scheduling, and materials production.
Basic clinical literacy: understanding of chronic disease management (diabetes, hypertension, musculoskeletal issues) to design appropriate interventions.
Project management tools and methodologies: experience with Asana, Trello, Smartsheet, or similar and ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.

Soft Skills

Excellent written and verbal communication, with experience creating persuasive campaign content and executive-level reporting.
Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills to build partnerships across HR, benefits, leadership, and vendor networks.
Empathy and coaching presence: ability to connect with employees across health literacy levels and motivate sustained behavior change.
Analytical mindset with attention to detail and comfort working with quantitative and qualitative data.
Creative problem solving and innovation to design engaging, scalable wellness experiences.
Cultural competence and inclusivity: ability to design programs that meet the needs of a diverse workforce across ages, backgrounds, and work arrangements.
Time management and prioritization to balance operational responsibilities with strategic initiatives.
Confidentiality and ethical decision-making when managing personal health information.
Adaptability and resilience in a fast-paced, change-oriented environment.
Training and facilitation skills for delivering workshops, manager trainings, and wellness champion sessions.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in Public Health, Health Promotion, Kinesiology, Nursing, Human Resources, Psychology, or related field.

Preferred Education:

Master’s degree in Public Health (MPH), Health Promotion, Healthcare Administration, or an MBA with a focus on HR or wellness is preferred.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Public Health
Health Promotion / Community Health
Kinesiology / Exercise Science
Nursing or Allied Health
Human Resources / Organizational Psychology

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

2–5 years of progressively responsible experience delivering workplace wellness, health promotion, or population health programs; experience in corporate or benefits environment preferred.

Preferred:

4–7+ years of direct wellness program management experience, proven vendor and budget management, demonstrated ability to analyze outcomes and report ROI, and experience with digital wellness platforms and health coaching. Preferred candidates may hold certifications such as CHES, NCCHWC (Health Coach), CWWS/CWPC, or relevant project management credentials.