Position Summary / Career Interest:

Manages a team of benefit professionals and a separate team of wellness professionals to best support our employee population and overarching HR strategies. This role will be senior leader facing and is instrumental for our benefit competitiveness and program advancements. Benefit programs include medical, dental, vision, life, EAP, flexible spending accounts, and a host of voluntary benefits. Will partner with Director of Total Rewards, vendor partners, pharmacy and pharmacist dedicated to our medical plan, and HR leadership to develop and deploy competitive strategies and objectives to provide effective, cost efficient and competitive platform of benefits to the employees of the Health System. This role will be instrumental in helping to advance the population health strategies of the Health System and to provide programs which support employee well-being, including a wellness committee, wellness ambassadors and wellness vendor partner. This role leads and works with two teams of experienced professionals in the benefits and wellness space to ensure the organization's benefit and wellness programs align with the Health System's philosophies and strategy and needs of the business while remaining market competitive.

Responsibilities and Essential Job Functions

• Supports management's decision making by analyzing benefit options and predicting future costs.
• Identifies benefit options  by studying programs; obtaining advice from consultants.
• Maintains benefit records through record-keeping systems; initiating new-hire benefits; recording changes.  Resolves employee questions and problems by interpreting benefit policies and procedures.  Reconciles benefits accounts by approving billing statements.
• Maintains professional and technical knowledge by attending educational workshops; reviewing professional publications; establishing personal networks; participating in professional societies.
• Achieves financial objectives by assisting with the benefits and wellness operational budgets; scheduling expenditures; analyzing variances; initiating corrective actions.
• Prepares special reports by collecting, analyzing, and summarizing information and trends.
• Under the direction of the Director of Total Rewards, works to administer and manage the employee benefits plan, to include, but not limited to health, dental, and vision plans, EAP, premium rates, group life, and voluntary programs.
• Researches and recommends cost containment strategies and options, utilizing consultant and carrier provided analysis and information.
• Administers integrated and comprehensive health and wellness strategies that align with our Vision, Mission and Values.
• Assists in the planning, development, implementation and monitoring of organizational employee wellness initiatives, including the development of programs that create awareness, motivations and provide tools to employees that help them adopt and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
• Responsible for providing plan administration, participant communications and customer service of the health systems benefit and wellness plans.
• Analyses existing or proposed benefit and wellness programs, practices and procedures and recommends changes and improvements, and develop integrative and positive relationships internally and externally with departments, providers, brokers, carrier account management and other vendors in order to leverage the medical plan for health system objectives and strategies for competitive benefits which support health and productivity goals.
• Facilitates and develops the network of employee Wellness Champions to help promote the health and wellness programs.
• Creates and reports on well-defined metrics to measure the success of the program and committees.
• Keeps up to date on external nest practices and relevant changes to the health benefits field; communicates updates to leadership.
• Partners with pharmacist dedicated to the medical plan to design the pharmacy benefit and to review reporting and informatics tied to drug utilization.
• Will be responsible for leading benefits committee meetings and presenting benefit recommendations to our senior leaders for input and ultimate approval.
• Responsible for partnering with communications team for year-round employee facing communications with the goal to provide information and education on our benefits package.
• Responsible for planning, leading, and executing our Annual Enrollment process, employee support, and communications tied to Annual Enrollment.
• Must be able to perform the professional, clinical and or technical competencies of the assigned unit or department.
• These statements are intended to describe the essential functions of the job and are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities. Skills and duties may vary dependent upon your department or unit. Other duties may be assigned as required.

Required Education and Experience

• Bachelors Degree in related field of study from an accredited college or university.
• High School Graduate
• 3 or more years of experience in broad-based health and welfare, and wellness program strategy, design, and administration.
• 3 or more years of experience as a manager or supervisory leadership of benefits professionals.

Preferred Education and Experience

• Prior experience working for hospital or health system as benefit subject matter expert.
• 10 or more years of benefits and/or human resources experience.

Preferred Licensure and Certification

• Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) - Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI) OR
• Professional in Human Resources (PHR) - Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI) OR
• SHRM Certified Professional (SHRM-CP) - Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)
• Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEB).

Knowledge Requirements

• Comprehensive knowledge of market health and welfare benefits and wellness best practices.
• Comprehensive knowledge of design, develop and implementation of a comprehensive health and welfare benefits design, including self-funding, consumer driven, domestic/supplemental or narrow networks.
• Excellent communication skills in both mass and personal/small group formats. Comfortable speaking in front of groups, including executive management.
• Must demonstrate good judgment, strong business acumen, effective influencing and leadership skills.
• Must also have key technical skills including project management, program management, and strong assessment and analytical skills.

We are an equal employment opportunity employer without regard to a person’s race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity and sexual orientation), national origin, ancestry, age (40 or older), disability, veteran status or genetic information.