Global Head of Benefits

JLL•Chicago, IL

1d•$279,000 - $342,000•Onsite

About The Position

JLL is seeking a Global Head of Benefits to lead the company's benefits strategy globally. This role is responsible for the design, governance, vendor management, financial oversight, and employee experience of JLL's benefits programs. The ideal candidate will have a strategic vision, financial discipline, and deep expertise in the evolving healthcare and benefits landscape. This role is crucial for attracting, retaining, and ensuring the resilience of JLL's workforce of 110,000 employees across 80+ countries, with an annual spend of $700M.

Requirements

15+ years of benefits leadership experience in a large, global organization.
Deep expertise in U.S. health and welfare plan design, retirement programs, and global benefits structures.
Demonstrated experience managing multi-hundred-million-dollar benefits budgets with accountability for financial outcomes.
Strong command of benefits-related regulations: ACA, ERISA, HIPAA, and equivalent frameworks globally.
Proven track record of complex vendor negotiations and multi-national broker/insurer management.
Experience leading benefits due diligence and integration in M&A environments.
Exceptional analytical skills — comfortable building a business case, reading actuarial data, and designing dashboards that drive decisions.
Experience developing and executing benefits communication strategies that demonstrably improve employee engagement and utilization.
Proven team leadership across both direct reports and matrixed global partners.
Bachelor’s degree required.
Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree or professional certification (CEBS, CBP) preferred.

Responsibilities

Define and continuously evolve JLL’s global benefits philosophy, ensuring alignment with business priorities, workforce needs, and the competitive marketplace.
Provide strategic oversight of benefit plan design across all geographies, identifying opportunities to improve quality, close gaps, and manage financial risk.
Lead governance across the global benefits portfolio, including regulatory compliance (ACA, ERISA, HIPAA, and local equivalents globally), plan documentation, and fiduciary oversight of retirement programs.
Direct due diligence for M&A activities — identifying benefits-related risk, designing integration approaches, and ensuring acquired populations are onboarded effectively.
Partner with Finance to build and manage benefits budgets globally, providing regular reporting on costs, utilization, and performance against targets.
Develop a robust analytics capability — benchmarking, trend analysis, actuarial review — that drives proactive decision-making rather than reactive reporting.
Lead cost optimization initiatives including insurance design, multi-national pooling, and vendor fee management, with accountability for measurable outcomes.
Build and maintain executive-level dashboards that give senior stakeholders a clear, current view of benefits cost, performance, and risk.
Own the company’s relationships with benefits brokers, TPAs, actuaries, insurers, and specialized service providers globally.
Lead competitive RFP processes and contract negotiations, ensuring performance guarantees and financial terms that reflect JLL’s scale and expectations.
Implement a structured vendor governance model with regular performance reviews, escalation paths, and continuous improvement accountability.
Directly oversee benefits design, administration, communication, and employee experience for JLL’s Americas population where our largest spend resides.
Ensure full compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local benefits regulations.
Lead open enrollment strategy and execution, including vendor coordination, communication campaigns, and post-enrollment analysis.
Partner across HR and business leadership to evolve JLL’s approach to holistic wellbeing — physical, mental, financial, and social — with a focus on programs that move the needle on workforce health outcomes.
Lead wellness program delivery and provide strategic direction globally, ensuring programs are evidence-based and measurable.
Lead, develop, and inspire a team of benefits professionals, setting clear expectations for performance, growth, and the standard of work.
Serve as a trusted strategic advisor to HR Business Partners, business leaders, and senior executives on benefits matters.
Build strong collaborative relationships with Finance, Legal, HR Operations, and regional Rewards leaders to ensure seamless delivery globally.