Director, Benefits
About The Position
Brandeis University is seeking a strategic, innovative, and service-driven Director of Benefits to lead the design, delivery, and continuous evolution of benefits for our faculty and staff. This is a high-impact leadership role for a benefits executive who thrives at the intersection of strategy, analytics, compliance, technology, and employee experience—and who builds high-performing teams that deliver exceptional service. Reporting to the Vice President of Human Resources, the Director of Benefits shapes the University’s Total Rewards strategy, ensuring benefits are compelling, equitable, fiscally responsible, compliant, and aligned with our academic mission. This role is ideal for a leader who can drive change at scale—modernizing programs, improving access and experience, and using data to inform smarter, faster decisions.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s or professional certification (e.g., CEBS) preferred.
- 8–10 years of progressive benefits leadership experience; 5+ years leading teams.
- Demonstrated success designing employee-centered, data-driven benefits strategies with measurable impact.
- Deep regulatory expertise (ERISA, ACA, HIPAA, COBRA, FMLA, PFML, ADA, SECURE Act).
- Strong vendor management and RFP experience.
- Advanced experience with Workday and benefits technology ecosystems.
Nice To Haves
- Experience in higher education or complex, unionized environments preferred.
Responsibilities
- Lead major benefits redesigns, open enrollment strategy, and multi-year benefits roadmaps.
- Design, evaluate, and evolve comprehensive programs (health, dental, vision, life, STD/LTD, retirement, FSA/HSA, tuition benefits, wellness, PTO, and leaves).
- Conduct cost modeling, utilization analysis, ROI and risk assessments to guide strategy.
- Benchmark against peers and industry standards to ensure competitiveness and equity.
- Identify innovative, cost-effective solutions while maintaining full regulatory compliance.
- Oversee benefits budgeting, forecasting, and cost-containment strategies.
- Monitor emerging market, regulatory, and technology trends to keep programs future-ready.
- Lead end-to-end open enrollment planning and execution (systems, communications, education, implementation).
- Oversee benefits operations, plan documentation, enrollment, compliance, and systems integration.
- Manage vendor relationships, contracts, SLAs, RFPs, and renegotiations.
- Ensure accurate payroll and eligibility integration in Workday; strengthen reporting and analytics.
- Ensure compliance with ERISA, ACA, HIPAA, COBRA, FMLA, PFML, ADA, SECURE Act, and related requirements.
- Oversee leave and absence programs as part of the total rewards portfolio.
- Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing benefits team with a service-first culture.
- Deliver clear, accessible, multi-channel benefits communications (print, digital, web, live).
- Partner with senior leaders, HR colleagues, and campus stakeholders to ensure alignment and transparency.
- Serve as the senior subject matter expert for complex or escalated benefits cases.
- Integrate wellness and well-being strategies into the benefits ecosystem to drive engagement and retention.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Director
