Senior Director, Benefits

JOB SUMMARY

The Senior Director, Benefits will lead the design, development, and execution of the company's U.S. health, welfare and absence benefits programs ensuring programs attract and retain top talent while supporting their physical, emotional and financial wellbeing.   The Senior Director, Benefits will work closely with our U.S. CHRO, HR partners and other members of senior management to develop and manage the U.S. benefits strategy. This work will include benefits design, policy development, compliance, vendor relations, and local and on-site initiatives. This individual will be a partner in the development of the holistic Total Rewards strategy to include policies and programs that are aligned with the organization’s strategic plans and objectives.

The Senior Director will use best practices, data, insights, and trends to design and implement innovative strategies, benefits and resources to support Marriott’s commitment to putting people first and supporting associate wellness. This individual leads a team of professionals in a matrixed environment to develop and execute the most effective benefits and wellbeing programs and will be a visible leader and key partner in bringing Total Rewards forward to champion efforts among HQ and Continent leaders, on-property leaders, and HR professionals, in service to our associates. The Senior Director will present the benefits vision and initiatives in key business meetings internally and externally.

This individual leads complex, large-scale change initiatives, emphasizing stakeholder engagement, enterprise level financial and risk management, and operational excellence. Key responsibilities include leveraging data and insights to inform program design and measurement strategy, managing vendor relationships to optimize service delivery and costs, and staying updated on industry best practices and legislative changes to ensure compliance and program effectiveness.       

CANDIDATE PROFILE 

Education and Experience 

Required

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience, plus 10 years’ of diverse benefits leadership experience program with a history of progressive responsibility managing the benefits function within a large, global organization.
• Demonstrated technical depth in U.S. Benefits, with experience redesigning legacy programs applying innovative thinking and a willingness to work in the details
• Skilled in stakeholder management, as well as proven ability to build and facilitate relationships and influence others at all levels of the organization, both internally and externally
• Strong decision-making and organizational skills, with the ability to optimize the use of all available resources and deliver on multiple priorities.

Preferred

• Experience managing a team.
• Experience in the hospitality industry.
• Experience designing and leading benefits programs.

CORE WORK ACTIVITIES 

• Partner with Total Rewards and Benefits leadership to develop and execute the benefits strategy.
• Influence senior leadership across the company to ensure support for and alignment around programs that have an impact on company performance (e.g. revenue management, workforce planning)
• Manage diverse associate benefits and absence programs.
• Ensure benefits program materials and communications showcase Marriott’s Total Rewards programs and People First focus, leverage modern communication technologies and techniques, and resonate with a diverse population
• Leverage data, insights, and trends to inform program design, strategy and performance measures.
• Manage vendor relationships, contractual terms and operations to deliver an exceptional experience and manage costs.
• Proactively stay current on industry best practices, legislative changes, and periodic market evaluations, to ensure programs are optimized, compliant and to develop recommendations for change.
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to promote benefits programs, drive engagement, and support holistic well-being.

Health, Welfare and Absence Strategy and Design

• Develop a cohesive, holistic health and wellbeing strategy to ensure Marriott offers a competitive benefits package and drives improvements in the wellbeing of associates and their families.
• Lead the planning, design, and implementation of all U.S. employee health, welfare and absence benefits plans, including, but not limited to, health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance, leave of absence, and time off programs. 
• Work with outside healthcare actuaries to develop and evaluate benefits costs for the organization, including ASO and premium equivalent rates. 
• Develops subsidy contribution strategies to meet business and competitive needs. Collaborate with the US/Canada CHRO, RVP HRs, VPHRs and Finance leaders to determine market specific contribution strategies and budget forecasts.
• Lead team in preparing cost and benefit design analyses relating to healthcare and other benefit programs for a variety of business leaders.
• Proactively seek and evaluate emerging trends, innovations, policies, legislation and resources and provide insight into competitive benefits practices and benchmarking to position the company’s benefits program appropriately. 
• Evaluate innovative resources and programs to improve health outcomes and manage costs. 
• Lead benchmarking activities for Benefits Team, including the Hotel Industry Benefit Survey group and various other surveys (Fortune, Working Mother) to showcase Marriott’s comprehensive Total Rewards.
• Leverage internal resources and external partnerships, including benefit vendors and resource groups, such as the Business Group on Health to gather insights and advocate for resources to support Marriott associates.

Program Management

• Lead the evaluation and management of external vendors and tools to deliver leading benefits and wellbeing strategies, policies and programs.
• Develop strategies to measure the outcomes and effectiveness of benefit programs and resources.  Monitor benefit plan performance, trends and financials. Use qualitative and quantitative research and recommend improvements to continually evolve efforts.
• Lead health data and analytics initiatives leveraging Marriott’s data warehouse and cognitive technology to provide insights and identify solutions to improve health outcomes, inform decisions, and manage costs. Evaluate claims data and health plan utilization and performance to identify trends and opportunities to modify and improve benefit programs, policies and procedures and manage costs.
• Ensure all benefit and paid leave programs are in compliance with regulations and federal and state laws. Ensure compliance with regulatory provisions including the Affordable Care Act and emerging state leave and sick laws.  Interact effectively with Legal, Accounting, Tax and other corporate functions on compliance activities.
• Collaborates with key stakeholders globally to pull concepts through to implementation for global, US and local rollout as applicable.
• Lead group presentations and socialization of ideas and plans as well as gathering of feedback from key stakeholders globally, including Continent leaders, HR leaders, and associates as needed.
• Advocate for health and wellbeing initiatives and lead teammates through the process to create impactful programs and resources that will inspire Marriott associates. 
• Drive alignment from key stakeholders and lead change management activities to assess needs, facilitate change and motivate others to pull through the holistic Benefits and wellbeing strategy,
• Lead a collaborative process with teammates and COE partners to creatively position and promote benefits to job seekers and associates and to drive engagement effectively at all levels of the organization. 

The salary range for this position is $147,000 to $256,300 annually. Marriott offers a bonus program, comprehensive health care benefits, 401(k) plan with up to 5% company match, employee stock purchase plan at 15% discount, accrued paid time off (including sick leave where applicable), life insurance, group disability insurance, travel discounts, adoption assistance, paid parental leave, health savings account (except for positions based out of or performed in Hawaii), flexible spending accounts, tuition assistance, pre-tax commuter benefits, other life and work wellness benefits, and may include other incentives such as stock awards and deferred compensation plans. Benefits and incentive compensation may be subject to generally applicable eligibility, waiting period, contribution, and other requirements and conditions.  

The compensation and benefits information is provided as of the date of this posting. Marriott reserves the right to modify compensation and benefits at any time, with or without notice, subject to applicable law.