Director, Benefits & HR Operations

Polaris•Tempe, AZ

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Director, Benefits & HR Operations provides strategic leadership, governance, design, and operational oversight for Polaris’ benefits, well-being, retirement, leave administration, and HR operations. The role develops and executes strategies that enhance employee experience, operational effectiveness, compliance, and financial stewardship while supporting the company’s talent and business objectives. This leader partners closely with HR Business Partners, Compensation, HR Technology, Payroll, Finance, Legal, and external vendors to ensure the successful delivery of scalable, efficient, and employee-focused programs and services. The position serves as a key member of the Total Rewards & HR Operations leadership team reporting to the VP, Total Rewards & HR Technology. The position will be based in Tempe, AZ.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Finance, or related field preferred.
12+ years of progressive experience in Benefits, HR Operations, Shared Services, Total Rewards, or related HR leadership roles.
Experience leading benefit programs, employee service functions, operational excellence initiatives, and vendor relationships.
Demonstrated success leading teams and cross-functional projects within a complex organizational environment.
Experience managing budgets, compliance requirements, and operational performance metrics.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field.
CEBS, SHRM-SCP, SPHR, CBP, or similar professional certification.
Experience supporting global programs and operations within a publicly traded company.
Experience leading HR technology-enabled transformation and process automation initiatives.
Workday experience preferred.

Responsibilities

Develop and lead enterprise benefits strategies aligned with business objectives, talent priorities, and Total Rewards philosophy.
Design, evaluate, and enhance health, welfare, retirement, leave, and wellbeing programs to ensure competitiveness, affordability, and employee value.
Monitor industry trends, benchmarking data, healthcare inflation, utilization metrics, and legislative developments to inform program recommendations.
Lead annual benefits reviews and recommend plan design changes based on employee feedback, market competitiveness, and financial impact.
Support executive leadership in evaluating emerging benefits strategies and workforce wellbeing initiatives.
Provide strategic oversight of retirement programs including 401(k), profit sharing, ESOP, and other financial wellbeing offerings.
Partner with Finance, Legal, fiduciary committees, and external advisors to support governance, audits, and compliance requirements.
Ensure retirement programs remain competitive, compliant, and aligned with enterprise objectives.
Lead enterprise HR operations, employee services, workforce administration, and employee support processes.
Establish service delivery standards, performance metrics, escalation procedures, and operational controls.
Drive process simplification and service excellence initiatives that improve employee and manager experiences.
Oversee administration of employee lifecycle processes including onboarding, employment changes, workforce transactions, and separations.
Ensure consistent, efficient, and compliant delivery of HR services across the organization.
Identify and implement process improvements that increase efficiency, reduce risk, and enhance service quality.
Partner with HR Technology to automate manual processes and maximize utilization of Workday and related systems.
Establish operational governance standards, documentation, controls, and service-level metrics.
Utilize data and analytics to drive decision making and operational effectiveness.
Lead relationships with brokers, consultants, carriers, administrators, and operational service providers.
Manage benefits and HR operations budgets, vendor performance, and associated financial plans.
Identify opportunities to optimize costs while maintaining strong employee value propositions and service delivery.
Ensure compliance with applicable regulations, filings, notices, audits, governance requirements, and internal policy standards.
Partner with Legal, Internal Audit, Payroll, Finance, and HR Technology to effectively manage risk and compliance obligations.
Lead, coach, and develop Benefits and HR Operations team members.
Establish clear goals, accountability measures, development plans, and succession strategies.
Foster a culture of customer service, continuous improvement, collaboration, and operational excellence.
Build strong partnerships across the HR function and broader business organization.