Americas Benefits Manager

Arup’s purpose, shared values and collaborative approach have set us apart for 80 years, guiding how we shape a better world.

The People function is undergoing an exciting period of transformation as we establish a new global operating model, streamline processes, and strengthen alignment across regions to deliver a consistent, high‑quality member experience.

The Opportunity

The Americas Benefits Manager reports to the Global Head of Benefits and sits within Arup’s Reward Community of Expertise (CoE). The Reward CoE works across Arup’s global matrix, spanning four regions, corporate and global functions, and more than 30 countries, to deliver the Global Reward Strategy in support of the overall Arup Strategy.

In this role, you will be responsible for the design, governance, and delivery of benefit programs across the United States, Canada, and Colombia. You will ensure programs are aligned with Arup’s global benefit strategy while responding to local market, regulatory, and cultural requirements.

The position works closely with regional and global People leaders, Finance, Payroll, People Services, and external partners to translate strategy into effective, scalable solutions. The role focuses on delivering well documented, compliant, and globally aligned benefit programs, continuous improvement, strong stakeholder engagement, and an excellent member experience.

This is a role with high visibility and influence, ideal for a benefits leader who enjoys turning strategy into action while improving the employee experience across the Americas.

Key Responsibilities

Strategy, Design, and Governance

• Develop and execute an Americas benefits approach aligned with Arup’s Global Benefit framework and business objectives
• Lead the evaluation, design, and ongoing optimization of health, welfare, retirement, wellbeing, and time away programs
• Monitor market trends, legislative changes, and best practices across the Americas to ensure programs remain competitive, compliant, and sustainable
• Partner with global stakeholders to support regional consistency while respecting local requirements

Compliance, Risk, and Financial Management

• Ensure benefits programs comply with applicable regulations across the U.S., Canada, and Colombia at both federal and state/provincial levels.
• Oversee audits, filings, and governance activities for benefit and retirement plans
• Manage the Americas benefits budget, including forecasting, cost modeling, and financial reporting
• Partner with brokers, consultants, and vendors to evaluate costs, funding approaches, and long‑term risks

Operations, Vendors, and Delivery

• Lead the planning and delivery of key annual processes such as open enrollment and renewal cycles
• Manage vendor, broker, and administrator relationships to ensure strong service delivery and value for cost
• Drive operational excellence through process improvement, documentation, and effective use of technology
• Act as an escalation point for complex or sensitive benefits issues
• Partner with a high‑performing shared services regional delivery team to prioritize member experience, optimize benefit processes, effectively resolve benefit queries, and efficiently deliver benefits to members
• Implement global benefit initiatives and standards within the region, supporting global governance and reporting requirements

Leadership, Collaboration, and Influence

• Provide functional leadership and guidance to regional People Partners and People Services teams
• Serve as a trusted subject‑matter expert for Region Leadership Team, People Partners, and members across the Americas

Insights, Analytics, and Communication

• Use data and benchmarking to assess program performance, costs, and member utilization
• Define success measures and track outcomes to support continuous…