Director, Benefits

Forbes believes in the power of entrepreneurial capitalism and uses it on various platforms to ignite the conversations that drive systemic change in business, culture and society. We celebrate success and are committed to using our megaphone to drive diversity, equity and inclusion.

Forbes is seeking a Director, Benefits to be an integral part of our Human Resources team. This role will report into the VP, Benefits/HRIS, collaborating closely to ensure Forbes is offering competitive, cost effective benefits that meet the needs of our employee population and aligns with the goals of the business.  This is a hands-on role with one direct report, tasked with successful and efficient administration of all our benefit programs.  You will lead our communication strategy to educate employees about their benefits, how to use them effectively and understand the value they bring to their lives both professionally and personally.  You’ll work on initiatives and projects to modernize benefits, enhance and update policies to ensure alignment across HR and compliance with regulations, and enhance the overall employee experience at Forbes.

Responsibilities:

• In partnership with VP of Benefits/HRIS, participate in the design, development, and implementation of all US health and welfare benefits, retirement programs, and leave of absence benefits
• Stay up to date with benefit trends and best practices to support our goal of offering competitive benefits that meet employees’ needs and align and support broader business goals
• Ensure all benefit programs are compliant with applicable local, state, and federal laws.  Stay abreast of emerging legislation (i.e. changes to paid family leave & sick leave laws) to recommend adjustments as needed including developing a plan for implementation and managing execution.  
• Direct the day to day administration of all benefit plans including overseeing and participating in the completion of all compliance reporting, filings, and notices
• Develop and implement an employee communication strategy, including education opportunities and events, to drive employee understanding and satisfaction of benefit offerings on a regular cadence throughout the year
• Regularly monitor and update benefits documents, summary plan descriptions, benefits orientation deck information, employee handbook, and internal company website to clarify and make benefits information more accessible to employees in a self-serve capacity
• Lead a team of 1 benefits professional, providing direction, coaching and development to ensure the delivery of exceptional service to employees while also creating an inclusive work environment
• Oversee all components of leave of absence programs to ensure a smooth partnership with our leave management partner and a positive experience for employees on leave
• Partner with Payroll to ensure benefit processing through payroll runs smoothly, according to benefit program rules, and applicable regulations
• Develop and maintain  relationships with our benefit vendor partners for additional resources to enhance communications, optimization of benefits utilization,  increased efficiencies in benefits administration, and problem solving of any issues that may arise 
• Lead and participate in open enrollment, the annual benefits fair, other wellness initiatives, and time off year-end processes to ensure successful transition to the new year
• Responsible for the success of the benefit enrollment system setup and maintenance to efficiently and effectively administer our benefit programs. Partner with HRIS team as needed to optimize our use of HR technology to support benefits administration.
• Provide ongoing reporting and aggregated vendor utilization data to HR Tech & People Analytics Manager to update Benefits Utilization & Demographics Dashboards in PowerBI semi-annually.  Monitor utilization and engagement to support communication strategy and overall development of the benefits strategy in partnership with VP, Benefits/HRIS
• Manage monthly self-insured health plan reporting and update financial totals and membership count to enable ongoing monitoring and oversight of the plan
• Act as an escalation point for any complex issues for leaves of absence, benefits inquiries or administration and seeing issues through to resolution, while also updating processes, communications, etc. as needed to mitigate the issue in the future
• Act as subject matter expert in benefits and collaborate closely with legal, finance, HR, and external vendors to optimize benefit programs and ensure efficiencies in administration across teams to ensure alignment with business objectives
• Lead and/or assist with ad hoc projects and research as needed

The ideal candidate:

• Minimum of 7 - 10 years of progressive HR benefits experience leading aspects of US and UK benefits administration and compliance
• In-depth expertise of benefit regulations, including but not limited to FMLA, ADA, ACA, ERISA, and COBRA
• Advanced knowledge and experience with retirement plan administration and preferably, self-insured health plans
• Experience managing and leading a team of benefits professionals
• Ability to communicate clearly and concisely in oral and written communications 
• Ability to handle sensitive and confidential information in a highly professional manner
• Strong attention to detail, project management, and change management skills
• Must have advanced Excel skills, including working knowledge of V-lookups and Pivot tables 
• Experience with Human Resources management systems and benefit modules; preferably ADP WFN
• Strong problem solving skills with the ability to use data to help drive decisions and improve employee satisfaction

The annual base salary range for this role is $155,000 - $170,000. 

Forbes has estimated the compensation range set forth above in good faith.  The compensation range is what we believe we will offer, and ultimately pay, a successful candidate.  In determining this range, we consider the experience, level of education (if applicable to the role), knowledge, skills, and abilities required to be had by a successful candidate as well as the budget and the company’s pay rates, generally. This said, we may have to make changes to our compensation estimates and job descriptions from time to time and we expressly reserve the right to do so.  Should we make any such changes, this advertisement will be revised to reflect such revisions.  We encourage you to occasionally re-visit this advertisement to ensure that you are abreast of any changes.  Thank you for your interest in joining Forbes!

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Forbes aims to offer employees the flexibility they need in order to be successful. We offer a hybrid work schedule for our employees. Some roles may be fully remote (within the U.S.) if it aligns with the needs of the position. This position is only open to candidates residing in California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, & Washington. Due to business operations and compliance requirements, we are unable to consider applicants based outside these states at this time.

Forbes is an equal opportunity employer.

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