Director, Benefits & Wellness

Relativity Space•Long Beach, CA

22h•$170,000 - $255,000

About The Position

The Director, Benefits & Wellness will lead benefits strategy and operations, including planning and executing the transition from a fully insured to a self-insured medical plan. The role partners with consultants, Finance, and Legal to assess financial exposure, plan design, and claims projections, and owns ongoing plan performance through claims monitoring, forecasting, utilization analysis, vendor oversight, and identification of cost and risk trends. The position develops and evaluates wellbeing and perks programs, leads benefits communications and employee education, and establishes a comprehensive approach to measuring benefits costs and return on investment. It also oversees the Leave, Accommodations & Workers' Compensation Team and ensures related programs comply with company policy and applicable laws.

Requirements

At least 5 years of progressive benefits experience with significant ownership of health and welfare programs.
Direct experience managing self-insured medical plans.
Strong analytical and financial skills, including hands-on experience analyzing medical and pharmacy claims, utilization, and healthcare trends.
Experience building financial models and business cases in partnership with Finance.
Strong command of plan design, stop-loss, TPAs, PBMs, consultants, and healthcare cost management.
Experience leading complex renewals, implementations, and vendor negotiations.

Nice To Haves

Leading or playing a major role in a transition from fully insured to self-insured medical plans.
A hands-on leadership style and sound judgment in balancing employee experience, compliance, and financial stewardship.
Ability to move between strategy and execution in a fast-paced environment.
Experience directly managing a team.
Strong working knowledge of ERISA, ACA, COBRA, HIPAA, FMLA, and ADA.
Significant experience with leave, disability, accommodation, and workers' compensation programs.
Experience with benefits across multiple populations or sites.

Responsibilities

Lead the strategy, planning, and execution of the transition from a fully insured to a self-insured medical plan, partnering with consultants, Finance, and Legal to evaluate financial exposure, plan design, and claims projections.
Own the medical plan's ongoing financial and operational performance, including claims monitoring, forecasting, utilization analysis, vendor performance, and early identification of cost and risk trends.
Build wellbeing and perks programs with clear objectives and measures of success.
Regularly evaluate wellbeing and perks program utilization, cost, employee feedback, and market practice to determine whether to invest, change course, or discontinue programs.
Lead benefits communications and education so employees understand and use their programs.
Develop a comprehensive view of benefits performance and establish metrics that show costs and return on investment.
Build financial models, scenario analyses, and business cases for significant benefits decisions.
Oversee leave of absence, disability, accommodation, and workers' compensation programs, ensuring compliance with internal policy and applicable laws.
Lead the Leave, Accommodations & Workers' Compensation Team.