Sr. Director, Global Benefits

What You'll Do

Lead The Future Of Global Benefits At Avalara

Avalara is building a world-class employee experience that supports our global workforce while enabling the next chapter of growth. We're looking for a Senior Director, Global Benefits to define and lead our global benefits strategy, modernize how we deliver programs at scale, and help shape the future of Total Rewards through innovation, technology, and AI.

Reporting to the VP, Total Rewards, this role will lead the strategy, design, governance, and transformation of Avalara's global benefits portfolio across health and welfare, retirement, wellbeing, leaves, workers' compensation, and duty of care programs.

• Define and evolve Avalara's global benefits philosophy, strategy, and governance framework.
• Lead the design and continuous improvement of benefits programs across multiple regions and countries.
• Drive global harmonization efforts while balancing local market practices, regulatory requirements, and employee needs.
• Partner across People & Culture, Finance, Legal, Payroll, Procurement, People Technology, and business leaders to deliver a seamless employee experience.
• Lead benefits-related workstreams for mergers and acquisitions, including due diligence and integration planning.
• Oversee vendor strategy, governance, and performance to maximize service quality, innovation, and value.
• Use data, analytics, automation, and AI-enabled solutions to modernize benefits operations and improve decision-making.
• Build and develop a high-performing global team while fostering a culture of accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to senior leadership on benefits strategy, market trends, workforce needs, and emerging technologies.

What You’ll Need To Be Successful

• A clear and scalable global benefits strategy that supports Avalara's growth and employee value proposition.
• Programs that are competitive, compliant, financially disciplined, and aligned across geographies.
• Improved operational efficiency through technology, automation, and AI-driven innovation.
• Strong employee engagement and understanding of Avalara's benefits offerings.
• High-performing vendor partnerships and measurable program outcomes.
• A global benefits team equipped to lead through complexity, growth, and change.

What We're Looking For

• 12+ years of progressive experience in benefits, total rewards, or a related HR discipline, including significant global benefits leadership experience.
• Proven success designing and managing benefits strategies across multiple countries and regions.
• Experience leading global or geographically distributed teams.
• Deep expertise in benefits strategy, governance, vendor management, compliance, financial stewardship, and operational excellence.
• Strong cross-functional leadership skills with the ability to influence stakeholders across People, Finance, Legal, Technology, and Operations.
• Experience leveraging analytics, technology, and AI to improve business outcomes and employee experiences.
• Executive presence and the ability to navigate complex global environments with confidence and credibility.

Preferred Experience

• 15+ years in global benefits or total rewards leadership.
• Public company and/or high-growth technology experience.
• M&A due diligence and integration experience.
• Experience leading large-scale benefits transformation, harmonization, or operating model redesign initiatives.