Director of Benefits

Key Responsibilities

• Lead a multi-year U.S. benefits strategy aligned with business priorities to drive workforce productivity, engagement, and the attraction and retention of top talent.
• Provide subject matter leadership across retirement, health & welfare, and leave programs, ensuring full compliance with ACA, ERISA, and applicable regulations while advising leadership on risk and strategy.
• Responsible for financial stewardship of benefit programs, including cost forecasting, budget management and pension funding analysis.
• Lead vendor and broker strategy, including negotiation of rates and contracts, oversight of recordkeepers and consultants, and optimization of vendor performance and service delivery.
• Leverage data analytics, benchmarking, and utilization trends to inform plan design, improve outcomes, and optimize benefit costs.
• Establish KPIs and dashboards to measure benefits performance, vendor effectiveness, and return on investment.
• Evaluate market competitiveness through benchmarking and external surveys, making data-driven recommendations to leadership.
• Deliver effective employee communications and education, including financial wellness, benefits literacy, and long-term financial planning, to drive engagement and informed decision-making.
• Partner with HR and labor relations to support collective bargaining for bargaining units, providing benefits expertise and cost analysis.
• Oversee ESPP administration, including plan design, compliance, vendor management, and driving employee participation.
• Prepare and coordinate quarterly Retirement Committee materials with the plan advisor and plan recordkeeper, ensuring accurate analysis of plan performance, market trends, and strategic considerations.
• Support executive governance by preparing health & welfare, and retirement materials for the Compensation Committee.
• Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing benefits team to ensure service excellence and continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Business Administration, Human Resources, or a related field required; CEBS or other relevant certifications preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive benefits experience, including significant leadership responsibility within a corporate environment.
• Proven ability to develop and execute data-driven benefits strategies that inform plan design, cost management, and workforce outcomes.
• Demonstrated leadership in benefits transformation, program redesign, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Detail-oriented with the ability to analyze and interpret complex datasets.
• Extensive experience managing complex vendor ecosystems, including oversight of 25+ third-party providers and driving performance, value, and service excellence.
• Experience evaluating and implementing digital benefits platforms, decision-support tools, and emerging technologies (e.g., AI) preferred.
• Experience with Workday benefits, payroll, reporting, and integrations preferred.
• Experience supporting mergers, acquisitions, and related change management initiatives preferred.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to effectively engage and influence stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
• Willingness to travel up to 10% as needed.