Strategy Executive Advisor

Primary Work Address: 4000 Jones Bridge Road, Chevy Chase, MD, 20815

Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) seeks a Benefits Strategy Executive Advisor to serve as the organization’s internal subject matter expert through a multi-workstream benefits transformation. This limited-term engagement (Sept
2026–early
2028, with possible extension) is structured as an independent contractor or consulting firm arrangement focused on a defined, consequential body of project work rather than an ongoing administrative role. The advisor operates as a seat at the table with senior leadership, advising the Chief Operating Officer and Office of General Counsel with authority throughout the initiative.

HHMI’s benefits program is strategically important for attracting and retaining world‑class scientific talent. The institute is undertaking its most significant benefits modernization in years, and this engagement is central to that work. The advisor will be the internal counterpart to external benefits consultants and brokers, ensuring that HHMI’s priorities and independent judgment lead every engagement with external partners.

• Pharmacy Benefit Strategy & Vendor Procurement (immediate priority)
• Medical Plan Portfolio Redesign
• Near‑Term Benefits Efficiency Initiatives
• Long‑Term Benefits Sustainability

• Act as HHMI’s internal expert counterpart to external benefits consultants and brokers, evaluating recommendations and vendor analyses independently, directing firm priorities, holding consultants accountable to timelines and deliverables, and escalating where their outputs fall short of HHMI’s needs.
• Deconstruct vendor and actuarial proposals, including pricing structures, contract terms, guarantees, and savings claims, to distinguish genuine value from repackaging, identify where spread and rebate economics sit, and surface the trade‑offs for leadership to decide.
• Partner closely with the Sr.Director of Total Rewards & Benefits and the Benefits team, aligning on strategy day‑to‑day, advising on vendor relationships, plan design decisions, and negotiation positioning, and supporting the team’s capacity on active projects without displacing team accountability.
• Advise on plan design, contract negotiation, vendor relationships, and regulatory compliance across all active work streams, including incumbent and prospective carriers, PBMs, and specialty partners, bringing independent market perspective.
• Translate complex benefits decisions and broker outputs into clear options analyses and recommendations for senior leadership, communicating effectively with both vendors and executives and advising on communication strategies for employee‑facing plan changes.
• Partner with the assigned project‑management resource on workstream coordination and stakeholder communications, and support People & Culture and Finance alignment on cost modelling, funding strategy, and plan‑change impacts.
• Identify risks and escalates issues with recommended mitigations before they reach leadership as surprises.

• 15+years of benefits strategy experience, with direct accountability for complex plan design and vendor management.
• Demonstrated experience with PBM RFPs and carve‑outs at employer scale, either executing them directly or managing a broker or consultant through the process with full command of the substance.
• Deep familiarity with pharmacy benefit structures, including formulary design, specialty pharmacy, GLP‑1 policy, biosimilar strategy, and direct manufacturer contracting.
• Experience managing external benefits consultants and brokers, understanding how consulting firms work, where their incentives lie, and how to direct them effectively on behalf of an employer.
• Experience advising C‑suite and legal stakeholders, comfortable presenting independent recommendations and holding a position under scrutiny.
• Strong vendor market knowledge, including the PBM landscape, carrier relationships, and how to structure negotiations.
• Ability to work independently with minimal ramp‑up; expertise required day one.
• Nice to have:
  Prior experience on the broker or consulting…