Director, Benefits

Job Title

Director of Benefits, University of Utah Hospitals and Clinics
Requisition Number

75107
Reg/Temp

Regular
Employment Type

Full-Time
Shift

Day
Work Schedule

M - F
Location Name

525 Plaza
City

Salt Lake City
State

UT
Department

COR ISC 05A HUMAN RESOURCES
Category

Human Resources
Location : Location

US-UT-Salt Lake City
Requisition Post Information* : Posted Date

5/6/2025
Requisition Post Information* : External Company Name

University of Utah Health
Requisition Post Information* : External Company URL

http://healthcare.utah.edu/
Location : Postal Code

84102
Location : Address

525 E. 100 S.

Qualifications:

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or related area or equivalency.
• Ten years of progressive employee benefits experience and five years in lead or management roles.

Responsibilities:

Job Specific Responsibilities and Accountabilities

• Strategic Alignment & Execution – Translates strategic plans into sustainable operational benefits programs that align with workforce needs, financial constraints, and organizational goals. Leads multi-year benefits planning, considering evolving market trends, regulatory requirements, and workforce demographics.
• Workforce-Centric Design & Listening Strategy – Leads structured listening campaigns to assess workforce benefits needs, using employee engagement data and utilization analytics to refine offerings. Ensures benefits programs are tailored to diverse workforce segments, including clinical, research, and administrative staff.
• Data-Driven Decision Making & Program Analysis – Oversees exploratory benefits analysis to assess program effectiveness, benchmarks against peer institutions, and integrates financial modeling, risk assessments, and cost projections into benefits strategy.
• Implementation Capability & Capacity – Owns benefits process design, ensuring seamless collaboration across HR COEs and other internal stakeholders. Ensures HRIS and payroll integration for benefits administration and manages organizational readiness for open enrollment, benefits transitions, and compliance audits. Leads cross-functional teams, including Compensation, HR Tech, and Payroll, to ensure efficient benefits delivery.
• Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement – Establishes and enforces benefits administration standards and workflows while championing continuous improvement through employee feedback, operational metrics, and technology advancements. Develops processes that reduce administrative burden while maintaining compliance.
• Proactive Communication & Change Management – Develops a robust, proactive communication approach to educate employees and leaders on benefits programs. Equips managers with resources and training to discuss benefits effectively and leads change management efforts for new benefit rollouts, policy changes, and system transitions.
• Vendor, Contract & Ecosystem Management – Develops and manages vendor strategy, ensuring contracts align with institutional goals. Negotiates benefits plan pricing and service agreements with third-party administrators, insurers, and brokers while overseeing vendor performance monitoring and service-level agreements.
• Regulatory Compliance & Risk Management – Oversees compliance with ACA, IRS, DOL, and state laws, leading internal audits and preparing for regulatory changes. Works with legal, finance, and risk management teams to mitigate benefits-related risks.
• Financial Stewardship & Cost Optimization – Manages multi-million-dollar benefits budgets with a focus on cost containment and affordability for both the institution and employees. Evaluates alternative funding models, such as self-insured plans and stop-loss insurance, to optimize financial efficiency.
• Talent Attraction, Retention & Employee Value Proposition – Ensures benefits contribute to talent attraction and retention by aligning with compensation strategies and supporting total rewards positioning. Integrates compensation, benefits, and well-being programs to enhance the overall employee value proposition.

Technical Development

• Strong working knowledge of laws related to benefit plans and administration.
• Experience in working with legal advisors on plan design, administration, and contractual agreements.

Financial Management

• Responsible for developing, monitoring and achieving budgetary goals.
• Proactively assesses and manages risk associated with employee benefit plans, reporting and accounting, and actuarial advice received from consultant.

Performance/Human Resources Management

• Responsible to provide leadership on project objectives, meeting the operational goals and deliverables for all projects assigned.
• Responsible to manage and resolve any business and/or professional conflicts in a proactive manner
• Provides feedback on employee performance, including appraisals and coaching, when appropriate.

Relationship and Engagement

• Demonstrates sound business ethics and professional judgment in navigating complex internal stakeholder relationships, including University-affiliated entities with financial interests in HR benefits programs; ensures that benefits decisions are guided by fiduciary responsibility, employee impact, and organizational integrity.
• Actively engages staff with updates and news as well as involving staff in decisions and work teams.
• Forms positive associations with staff, peers, and senior leadership to support the mission, vision, values, and performance standards of the organization.
• Responsible for upholding PROMISE standards in all internal and external interactions.

Knowledge / Skills / Abilities

• Deep expertise in employee benefits design, strategy, and compliance, including ACA, ERISA, IRS, DOL, and state regulations.

• Strong financial acumen and experience managing multi-million-dollar benefits budgets, including forecasting and cost modeling.

• Proven ability to interpret workforce data and translate insights into benefits program design and continuous improvement initiatives.

• Skilled in vendor and contract management, including negotiation, service-level monitoring, and alignment with institutional goals.

• Demonstrated success leading cross-functional projects involving HRIS, Payroll, Finance, Legal, and other enterprise stakeholders.

• Exceptional communication and change management skills; able to craft and deliver clear, compelling benefits messaging for diverse audiences.

• Experience implementing HR technology and benefits platforms with a focus on operational integration and employee experience.

• Strategic thinking with the ability to balance long-term planning with immediate operational needs.

• High ethical standards and sound judgment in navigating internal stakeholder relationships, including those with financial or institutional interests in benefit programs.

• Effective team leadership skills with the ability to develop, mentor, and guide small teams in a dynamic, high-accountability environment.