Senior Benefits Manager

Role Overview

This position is responsible for leading a team involved in the design, development, implementation, and maintenance of the organization's benefits policies and programs. Additionally, this role ensures that programs are competitive with regard to trends, practices and costs.

• Administers comprehensive employee benefit program, including life, disability, and health plans, 401(k) plan, personal savings plan, employee stock purchase plan and deferred compensation programs.
• Helps maintain company's competitive position with benefits, by evaluating and comparing existing company benefits with those of other employers.
• Maintains and track benefit census data.
• Ensures compliance with applicable government regulations; ensure timeliness and accuracy of required reporting and fees.
• Serves as primary contact for plan vendors and third-party administrators, coordinate transfer of data to external contacts for services.
• Evaluates and revise internal processes to reduce costs and increase efficiency.
• Works with broker to prepare annual employee census, to select appropriate benefits carriers; advise with respect to changes in coverage as appropriate.
• Reconciles benefits accounting and ensure benefits accounts are properly funded.
• Ensures proper funding mechanism and collaboration with Payroll, Finance, and Accounting to ensure accounts are reconciled monthly.
• Assists in policy development, budgeting and planning for benefits department.
• Manages transition of Benefits for all M&A transactions.
• Manages Open Enrollment/Life Event changes to ensure compliance with federal laws.
• Recommends new and/or improved employee benefit plans and cost-saving measures.
• Installs approved new plans and changes by preparing announcement material, booklets, and other media for communicating new plans and updated to employees.
• Revises and reissues all communications material on benefits from time to time.
• Advises and counsels management, senior leaders, and employees on existing benefits.
• Provides technical guidance and updates in HRIS system related to Benefits.
• Ensures compliance with all legal requirements of various employee benefit programs and prepares and files required legal reports.
• Monitors processing of employee benefit claims, surveying competitor benefit programs, requiring emerging benefit practices, and counseling employees regarding benefit status.
• May lead projects and perform other duties as assigned.
• Occasional business travel may be required.
• Determines appropriate resourcing of staff in order to achieve goals and objectives.
• Builds an effective leadership team through mentoring and formal education that focuses on management and project management principles.
• Defines annual Key Performance Indicators aligned with corporate goals.
• Directs and mentors leaders on performance gaps, career development opportunities, and strategies.
• Directs and coaches leaders on all human resource related processes including onboarding, performance management, succession planning, employee relations, selection, terminations, compensation and rewards.
• Accountable for collective results and recognizing others’ contributions and share credit for success.
• Owns attainment of high employee satisfaction and retention; lead development of program and initiatives within group to attain high employee satisfaction.
• Directs and influences change management initiatives to drive improvements and efficiencies cross-functionally.
• Ability to direct and interact collaboratively and communicate effectively with external, internal customers, and stakeholders to address issues and ensure alignment across the organization to drive customer success.
• Prepares and manages budget as assigned; analyzes variances and initiates corrective actions to maximize operational performance.

• Bachelor's Degree in Business, Human Resources or similar field required. Master's degree preferred.
• Twelve (12) plus years experience in Benefits.
• Eight (8) plus years leadership responsibility.
• Public company experience required.
• Proven experience in the implementation and use of technology to drive efficient administration of total rewards programs.
• Or equivalent combination of education and/or experience.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal and collaboration skills across all levels of the organization.
• Demonstrated experience partnering with HR Ops/IT to leverage emerging technologies in core systems to increase efficiency, effectiveness, and employee experience.
• Demonstrated experience work cross functionally in a diverse organization.
• Strong interpersonal and relationship building skills, including ability to collaborate, influence, negotiate with all levels of leadership; resolve conflicts, and ability to collaborate and effectively work in a team-based environment.
• Excellent leadership, facilitation, critical thinking, decision making and problem-solving skills.
• Strong business and financial acumen.
• Ability to educate leadership and employees on the value and understanding of…