Assistant Director, Benefits

About the Role:

The Assistant Director, Benefits is accountable for leading cross-functional project teams to implement new benefit plans or improved benefit processes in support of the company's healthcare and wellbeing strategy. This role focuses on enhancing personalization and optimizing employee health and welfare benefits through targeted health programs, condition management, and financial education.

What You'll Do:

• Use knowledge of emerging benefit trends and changes in the legal/regulatory environment to proactively recommend changes to the health and wellbeing strategy for employees.

• Explore and integrate targeted health programs in areas of need such as weight management, sleep health, women's health, and neurodiversity. Develop programs that are accessible and promote employee engagement.

• Perform research into Centers of Excellence to determine role in future health care strategy.

• Design “NM wellbeing series”, partnering with team members to tap into existing vendor eco-system and exploring additional offerings in line with objectives.

• Create financial education offerings and integrate into employee benefits programs to enhance understanding and decision-making.

• Lead cross-functional project teams to implement new benefit plans or changes to existing plans, managing project team, scope, schedule, and budget.

• Demonstrate openness to and interest in employee feedback to inform the development and enhancement of benefits program; utilize established feedback mechanisms such as surveys and focus groups to gauge employee satisfaction and gather insights.

• Collaborate with internal team and existing vendors to identify best practices and innovative solutions, leveraging external benchmarking.

• Research, analyze, recommend, design and develop new benefit programs or processes or modifications to existing benefits programs/processes to improve service, increase productivity, reduce cost or comply with federal/state laws.

• Serve as a subject-matter expert on benefit plan design, providing data and analysis to department leadership.

• Manage the annual benefits budget for all vendors in portfolio, using metrics to recommend cost-control changes.

• Lead the client-side of sourcing processes for third-party health plan vendors, reviewing service agreements, and negotiating contracts.

• Maintain a strong awareness of trends and offerings in the external environment and identify opportunities and best practices for NM.

What You'll Bring to the Role:

• Bachelor's in Business, Accounting, Finance, Math or a related field plus 10 years' experience with the designing, costing and developing strategy for Employee Benefit plans.

• Master's degree in business or related field or benefits designation strongly preferred.

• Experience leading people, either directly or via project teams.

• Regulatory Knowledge: In-depth understanding of federal and state employee benefit regulations.

• Project Management: Demonstrated success managing projects to scope, schedule, and budget, with the ability to lead project teams.

• Ability to influence without direct authority and negotiate compromise, with both internal and external stakeholders.

• Strong analytical and insight skills; advanced skills in Microsoft Excel a plus.

• Experience in vendor evaluation and third-party sourcing process (RFI, RFP, etc.).

Skills You Have:

• Change Adaptability: Becomes adaptable in response to continual changes; shows an openness to new ways of working, new methods, work-in-progress improvements and changes and seamlessly navigates the changing business environment and adjusts behavior as appropriate to the situation.

• Cross Functional Partnering & Planning: Facilitates collaboration, communication, coordination, and planning with individuals and teams from different functions within the organization, and who have different areas of expertise, to achieve common goals.

• Customer Centricity: Applies a customer first mindset to design and continuously improve solutions, systems, processes, and services that support enterprise strategy, impact critical business outcomes, and drive organizational success.

• Data Collection & Analysis: Gathers, stores, accesses, and uses information collected via quantitative (e.g., surveys or usage data) or qualitative methods (e.g., interviews, focus groups, document analysis). Analyzes data to uncover patters and insights to inform business decisions.

• Process Improvement: Assesses the current processes and impact to analyze, design, and manage potential improvement areas for more efficient, effective workflow.

#LI-Hybrid

Compensation Range:

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We believe in fairness and transparency. It’s why we share the salary range for most of our roles. However, final salaries are based on a number of factors, including the skills and experience of the candidate; the current market; location of the candidate; and other factors uncovered in the hiring process. The standard pay structure is listed but if you’re living in California, New York City or other eligible location, geographic specific pay structures, compensation and benefits could be applicable, click here to learn more.

Grow your career with a best-in-class company that puts our clients' interests at the center of all we do. Get started now!

Northwestern Mutual is an equal opportunity employer who welcomes and encourages diversity in the workforce. We are committed to creating and maintaining an environment in which each employee can contribute creative ideas, seek challenges, assume leadership and continue to focus on meeting and exceeding business and personal objectives.

Skills

Customer Centricity (NM) - Advanced, HR Acumen (NM) - Advanced, Change Adaptability (NM) - Advanced, Technical & Digital Acumen (NM) - Intermediate, Client Engagement & Influence (NM) - Advanced, Industry Knowledge (NM) - Advanced, Cross Functional Partnering & Planning (NM) - Intermediate, HR Ethics (NM) - Advanced, Adaptive Communication (NM) - Advanced, Program Management (NM) - Advanced, Storytelling through Data (NM) - Advanced, Process Improvement (NM) - Advanced, Learning Agility & Critical Thinking (NM) - Advanced, Data Collection & Analysis (NM) - Advanced

FIND YOUR FUTURE

We’re excited about the potential people bring to Northwestern Mutual. You can grow your career here while enjoying first-class perks, benefits, and our commitment to a culture of belonging.

• Flexible work schedules
• Concierge service
• Comprehensive benefits
• Employee resource groups