Health & Group Benefits Manager

At JM Family, our culture is built on caring for people, doing the right thing, and continuously improving. The Health & Group Benefits Manager plays a critical role in delivering on that commitment through innovative, compliant, and associate-focused benefits programs.

Reporting to the Director, Benefits, this role leads a team of benefits professionals and serves as a key partner across HR, Shared Services, Operational Excellence, HRIT, Communications, Compliance, Finance, and external vendors.

The manager is responsible for the strategy execution, administration, communication, compliance, and continuous improvement of JM Family's health and welfare benefits portfolio while ensuring an exceptional associate experience.

• Lead the strategy, administration, and continuous improvement of JM Family's best-in-class Health & Group Benefits portfolio.
• Oversee a full range of health, welfare, and wellbeing offerings — including medical/welfare plans, leave programs, COBRA, FSA/HSA, voluntary benefits, Group Legal, EAP, emergency back-up care, and lifestyle spending accounts — that support attraction, retention, and engagement.
• Serve as JM Family's strategic leader for health and welfare benefits, evaluating market trends, associate needs, competitive practices, and regulatory developments to guide long-term benefits strategy and portfolio evolution.
• Partner closely with the Retirement Benefits Manager to deliver an integrated total rewards strategy; familiarity with defined benefit, defined contribution, and executive retirement plans is preferred.
• Partner with the Director, Benefits on benefit design recommendations and execution, carrier strategy, budget, and contribution structures, and long-term portfolio planning.

• Own the benefits communication and education strategy, ensuring associates understand and maximize the value of JM Family's offerings.
• Lead annual Open Enrollment planning, execution, communication, and stakeholder coordination.
• Address complex and high-profile associate, retiree, executive, and vendor issues with professionalism, empathy, and sound judgment.
• Partner with Shared Services to deliver consistent, high-quality associate support and benefits education that reflects JM Family's culture of care and service.
• Partner with HR Product, Technology, and Operational Excellence leaders to establish priorities for benefits technology enhancements, digital transformation efforts, and future-state associate experiences.

• Partner with the Benefits Operational Excellence Lead to drive project management, process improvement, and strategic initiatives across the portfolio.
• Establish and execute roadmaps for operational efficiency, scalability, and automation.
• Serve as a key stakeholder in benefits system enhancements, implementations, and change management, using data and insights to prioritize technology and process improvements.

• Partner with Shared Services teams to deliver effective benefits administration, education, and associate support.
• Strengthen case management, issue resolution, and knowledge capabilities through guidance, training, and governance.
• Own escalation processes for complex and sensitive matters, analyzing service trends to address root causes and implement sustainable solutions.

• Partner with Finance, consultants, and carriers to evaluate claims experience, utilization trends, financial performance, and emerging cost drivers in support of budget planning, funding strategies, and sustainable benefits decisions.
• Own strategic relationships with carriers, consultants, pharmacy partners, and third-party administrators, including executive business reviews, contract negotiations, renewals, and long-term partnership strategy.
• Lead vendor evaluations, RFPs, contract negotiations, renewals, technology reviews, and performance management activities.
• Hold vendors accountable to service-level agreements, performance guarantees, and operational expectations while driving cost-effective…