Director Benefits Strategy & Administration

Primary Purpose

Lead the development, governance, administration, and optimization of all health, welfare, retirement, and leave-related benefit programs. Responsible for integrating strategic plan design with operational execution, ensuring programs are competitive, compliant, cost-effective, and effectively administered through internal teams and external partners.

Primary Duties

• Benefits Strategy & Plan Design

  • Develop and maintain enterprise benefits strategy aligned with workforce and business objectives.
  • Lead plan design, market benchmarking, cost management initiatives, and vendor innovation recommendations.
  • Evaluate emerging trends and develop recommendations for leadership decision-making.
  • Support long-range planning, budgeting, and benefits-related financial strategy.

• Benefits Administration & Operations

  • Ensure effective administration of health, welfare, retirement, and executive benefit programs.
  • Oversee annual enrollment, employee communications, compliance activities, appeals, and escalated participant issues.
  • Ensure operational excellence across benefit processes, systems, and service delivery.

• Vendor Governance & Administration

  • Serve as executive relationship owner for all benefits administration vendors, carriers, consultants, TPAs, and strategic partners.
  • Lead vendor selection, RFPs, contract negotiations, performance management, service-level oversight, compliance reviews, and audit support.
  • Establish governance processes, scorecards, and accountability measures to improve service, manage risk, and control costs.

• Labor & Regulatory Support

  • Support labor negotiations by developing benefits analyses, cost projections, and bargaining proposals.
  • Partner with Labor Relations on contract interpretation, benefit costing, and implementation of negotiated changes.
  • Ensure compliance with ERISA, ACA, COBRA, pension regulations, and applicable federal, state, and local requirements.

• Financial Modeling & Analytics

  • Lead benefit plan financial modeling, forecasting, contribution strategy development, and cost trend analysis.
  • Support annual budgets, long-range plans, rate case requirements, workforce planning, and executive presentations.
  • Utilize analytics to drive plan performance and identify opportunities for savings and improved outcomes.

• Leadership & Team Development

  • Lead a combined Benefits Strategy and Administration team.
  • Establish clear accountability between strategic planning, vendor governance, compliance, and operational execution.
  • Build organizational capability through process simplification, standardization, and continuous improvement.

Job Scope

Leads strategy, governance, and administration for a broad portfolio of benefit plans, including multiple qualified and non-qualified retirement plans, legacy plan formulas, health and welfare programs and benefits provisions across union-represented and non-represented populations. Provides financial oversight for benefits programs, including budgeting, forecasting, contribution strategy, cost trend analysis, vendor fees, plan performance, and executive-level reporting. Manages a team of approximately 3 direct reports and 5 total staff, with accountability for prioritization, performance, capability building, process improvement, and cross-functional coordination.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Finance, Accounting, or a related field.
• 12 or more years of progressively responsible experience in employee benefits, total rewards, HR operations, or related HR functional leadership.
• Demonstrated experience leading health, welfare, retirement, leave, and/or executive benefits programs in a complex organization.
• Strong knowledge of benefits administration, plan design, vendor management, compliance requirements, and benefits governance practices.
• Experience managing external vendors, consultants, carriers, TPAs, and/or benefits administration partners, including performance oversight and issue resolution.
• Strong financial, analytical, and modeling skills, including experience with benefit cost forecasting, budgeting, contribution strategy, or plan performance analysis.
• Working knowledge of applicable benefits laws and regulations, including ERISA, ACA, COBRA, HIPAA, and related federal, state, and local requirements.
• Experience partnering with Legal, Labor Relations, Finance, HR Business Partners, and senior leadership on benefits-related matters.
• Demonstrated leadership experience, including leading teams, managing priorities, building capability, and driving process improvement.
• Excellent written, verbal, presentation, and executive communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree or relevant professional certification.
• Experience supporting union/labor negotiations, collective bargaining agreements, or benefits-related labor costing.
• Experience in a large, complex, matrixed, regulated, or multi-state organization.
• Experience with benefits technology platforms, annual enrollment, participant communications, appeals, audits, and escalated employee issue resolution.
• Ability to translate complex benefits, financial, and regulatory information into clear recommendations for senior leaders.

Benefits

• Annual salary will vary based on a candidate’s skills, qualifications, experience, and other factors: $169,600.00/Yr. – $233,200.00/Yr. plus an additional $50K in Long Term Incentive Plan annually
• Annual Bonus for eligible positions: 30%
• 401(k) match and annual company contribution
• Medical, dental and vision insurance
• Life and disability insurance
• Generous paid time off options, including vacation, sick time, floating and fixed holidays, maternity leave and bonding/primary caregiver leave or parental leave
• Employee Assistance Program and resources for mental and emotional support
• Wellbeing programs such as tuition reimbursement, adoption and surrogacy assistance and fitness reimbursement
• Referral bonus program
• And much more