Benefits Strategy Executive Advisor

Howard Hughes Medical Institute•Headquarters, KY

12d•$180,590 - $293,458•Hybrid

About The Position

Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) is seeking a Benefits Strategy Executive Advisor for a limited-term engagement, structured as an independent contractor or consulting firm arrangement. This role serves as the organization's internal subject matter expert for a multi-workstream benefits transformation, operating with senior leadership to advise the Chief Operating Officer and Office of General Counsel. The engagement is focused on a defined body of project work, not ongoing administration, and is central to HHMI's significant benefits modernization efforts. The goal is to bend the long-term cost curve, improve the employee experience, and adopt modern benefit designs. The advisor will act as the internal counterpart to HHMI's external benefits consultants and brokers, ensuring HHMI's priorities and independent judgment lead all engagements. The advisor will report to the Chief of People & Culture and collaborate closely with the Sr. Director of Total Rewards & Benefits and the broader Benefits team, bringing specialized medical and pharmacy benefits expertise. The engagement spans four workstreams: Pharmacy Benefit Strategy & Vendor Procurement, Medical Plan Portfolio Redesign, Near-Term Benefits Efficiency Initiatives, and Long-Term Benefits Sustainability. The initial engagement is expected to run through early 2028, with potential for extension.

Requirements

Demonstrated experience with PBM RFPs and carve-outs at employer scale, either executing them directly or managing a broker or consultant through the process with full command of the substance.
Deep familiarity with pharmacy benefit structures, including formulary design, specialty pharmacy, GLP-1 policy, biosimilar strategy, and direct manufacturer contracting.
Experience managing external benefits consultants and brokers, understanding how consulting firms work, where their incentives lie, and how to direct them effectively on behalf of an employer.
Experience advising C-suite and legal stakeholders, comfortable presenting independent recommendations and holding a position under scrutiny.
Strong vendor market knowledge, including understanding of the PBM landscape, carrier relationships, and how to structure negotiations.
Ability to work independently with minimal ramp-up; HHMI needs expertise on day one.
15+ years of benefits strategy experience, with direct accountability for complex plan design and vendor management.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience on the broker or consulting firm side, in benefits consulting, actuarial, or brokerage, bringing market perspective and vendor leverage that internal-only backgrounds may lack.
Experience with value-based benefit design, Centers of Excellence networks, and incentive-based steerage models.
Familiarity with self-funded employer plan structures, stop-loss, and funding strategy.
Experience working with research institutions, universities, or nonprofits with complex employee populations.
Knowledge of California-specific plan considerations, including Kaiser, state mandates, and multi-site compliance.

Responsibilities

Serves as HHMI’s internal expert counterpart to external benefits consultants and brokers, evaluating recommendations and vendor analyses independently, directing firm priorities, holding consultants accountable to timelines and deliverables, and escalating where their outputs fall short of HHMI’s needs.
Deconstructs vendor and actuarial proposals, including pricing structures, contract terms, guarantees, and savings claims, to distinguish genuine value from repackaging, identify where spread and rebate economics sit, and surface the trade-offs leadership needs to decide.
Partners closely with the Sr. Director of Total Rewards & Benefits and the Benefits team, aligning on strategy day to day, advising on vendor relationships, plan design decisions, and negotiation positioning, and supporting the team’s capacity on active projects without displacing team accountability.
Advises on plan design, contract negotiation, vendor relationships, and regulatory compliance across all active workstreams, including incumbent and prospective carriers, PBMs, and specialty partners, bringing independent market perspective.
Translates complex benefits decisions and broker outputs into clear options analyses and recommendations for senior leadership, communicating effectively with both vendors and executives and advising on communication strategies for employee-facing plan changes.
Partners with the assigned project management resource on workstream coordination and stakeholder communications, and supports People & Culture and Finance alignment on cost modeling, funding strategy, and plan change impacts.
Identifies risks and escalates issues with recommended mitigations before they reach leadership as surprises.