Global & Leaves Manager

Description Company Description

The Vertex Companies, LLC (Vertex) is a $180M global consulting firm that integrates strategic advisory, project management, and dispute resolution services for organizations facing complex challenges in a world of risk. We embody our core values of embracing lifelong learning, operating with urgency, maximizing value, and driving collaboration to better outcomes for our clients, colleagues, and communities. Join us if you are looking for a career that offers you a chance to love what you do and deliver meaningful impact.

The Global Benefits & Leaves Manager is responsible for day-to-day management, administration, compliance, and continuous improvement of Vertex’s global employee benefit and leave programs. This role partners closely with the Total Rewards Lead to execute the company’s benefits strategy and provides data, market insights, and recommendations to support program decisions. The Manager serves as a key partner to Human Resources, Payroll, Finance, brokers, carriers, and external vendors to ensure programs operate effectively, remain compliant, and deliver a positive employee experience.

This role will have 1 direct report.

• Monitor program effectiveness, market trends, employee feedback, and utilization, and provide insights and recommendations to the Total Rewards Lead.
• Partner with the Total Rewards Lead to implement benefits and wellbeing initiatives aligned with the broader Total Rewards strategy.
• Serve as the primary relationship manager for benefit brokers, carriers, leave vendors, wellness providers, retirement plan administrators, and other benefit partners.
• Lead vendor performance reviews and service-level evaluations.
• Manage the annual renewal process in partnership with the Total Rewards Lead, including data review, vendor coordination, implementation planning, analytics, cost modeling, and preparation of recommendations.
• Ensure compliance with all applicable regulations.
• Coordinate regulatory filings and required benefit notices.
• Oversee internal and external audits.
• Partner with leave administration vendors, HR teams, and people leaders to ensure compliant administration of all paid and unpaid leaves of absence, which include but are not limited to FMLA, ADA accommodations, state leave programs, disability programs, and company leave programs.
• Serve as the primary escalation and program contact for employee leaves, partnering with vendors, HR, Payroll, and people leaders to ensure timely and compliant administration.
• Lead annual open enrollment planning and execution including partnering with HRIS on Workday configuration and testing.
• Analyze benefit costs, utilization, enrollment trends, and program performance; identify risks, opportunities, and recommended actions.
• Develop reporting, dashboards, and financial analyses to support Total Rewards and leadership decision-making.
• Maintain internal employee documentation including the handbooks and intranet pages.
• Identify opportunities to simplify, standardize, and scale benefits and leave administration across countries, including process, technology, vendor, and employee-experience improvements.

• Bachelor's degree and 5 years of related experience, a Master's degree and 3 years of related experience, or 8 years of related experience and no degree, and 3 years of supervisory experience.
• Experience managing health and welfare programs in multiple countries.
• Experience evaluating and working with third-party vendors and brokers.
• Experience with HRIS platforms;
  Workday preferred.
• Exceptional analytical skills, including hands-on experience with Power Query or similar data-transformation tools.
• Excellent communication skills, with the…