Manager, U.S. Health Care Benefits Administration

Ford • Dearborn, MI

4d • $115,500 - $218,100 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Manager, U.S. Health Care Administration leads operational excellence, administration, and execution of Ford’s U.S. health care benefits programs. The role partners closely with the Manager, U.S. Health Care Strategy and Design to ensure benefit strategies are administratively feasible and implemented effectively. It requires operational leadership and expertise in benefits administration, compliance, and vendor management, with responsibility for reliable execution across union and non-union populations.

The position oversees plan administration, budget execution, enrollment, vendor relationships, compliance, labor-negotiation support, and implementation of benefits changes. It also leads and develops a team and collaborates with Finance, Legal, IT, HR, Labor Relations, Supply Chain, and other stakeholders. The position is hybrid and requires onsite work in Dearborn, Michigan at least four days per week.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Health Care Administration, or a related field.
• At least 7–10 years of progressive experience in employee benefits.
• At least 4–6 years focused on health care benefits administration in a large, complex organization.
• Knowledge of federal and state benefits legislation and compliance requirements, including ACA, COBRA, HIPAA, and ERISA.
• Strong operational execution skills and the ability to translate strategy into action and drive results through process discipline.
• Ability to operate autonomously and support executive leadership directly.
• Strong analytical skills, including interpreting data, assessing feasibility, and developing actionable recommendations.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, including communicating confidently with executive leadership and collaborating with a peer strategy leader.
• Project management and coaching skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree.
• Experience administering health care benefits in a unionized environment; labor negotiations support experience is a plus.
• Experience managing health care benefits vendors, performance, and contracts.
• Experience building and leading teams focused on service delivery and operational excellence.
• Professional certification such as CEBS (Certified Employee Benefit Specialist) or similar.
• Experience with self-insured health plans, actuarial valuation processes, and claims analytics.
• Experience in automotive, large industrial, manufacturing, or other heavily unionized industries.
• Fortune 500 or comparable experience.

Responsibilities

• Oversee consistent, accurate, and compliant day-to-day administration of health care programs for union and non-union populations.
• Manage health care benefits budget execution, cost tracking, and financial reporting, partnering with Finance and actuarial consultants on funding administration.
• Improve processes, systems, and service delivery while ensuring compliance with collective bargaining agreements, regulations, and internal policies.
• Lead annual enrollment execution, including vendor system readiness, communications, and issue resolution.
• Serve as the primary escalation point for complex administrative and compliance issues, escalating significant matters to the Executive Director.
• Assess proposed plan design changes, vendor strategies, and negotiation proposals for administrative feasibility, implementation risks, and member experience impacts in partnership with the Manager, U.S. Health Care Strategy and Design.
• Provide operational data, historical performance information, and process expertise to inform strategy development.
• Lead implementation planning and execution after strategies and negotiated outcomes are finalized.
• Serve as a senior negotiator for health care benefits in collective bargaining; shape proposals and develop bargaining strategies, scenario models, and long-term cost projections.
• Build strategic relationships with union leadership and translate negotiated agreements into implementation roadmaps.
• Manage day-to-day vendor relationships and monitor service-level agreements and performance standards.
• Lead vendor benchmarking and market-testing processes, including RFPs and RFQs; evaluate proposals, coordinate due diligence, and oversee implementation of selected vendors.
• Design and oversee vendor governance frameworks; address performance issues and manage contract administration and renewals.
• Implement governance structures, policies, and procedures for equitable, compliant, and consistent benefit delivery.
• Ensure compliance with ACA, COBRA, HIPAA, ERISA, other applicable regulations, and collective bargaining agreements; mitigate risks through monitoring and audit support.
• Build, lead, and coach a team focused on operational excellence, technical expertise, accountability, collaboration, and member experience.
• Manage change execution for benefits transformation initiatives to support adoption and minimize disruption.
• Partner with the Manager, U.S. Health Care Strategy and Design and cross-functional stakeholders, including Supply Chain, Finance, Legal, IT, HR, and Labor Relations.

Benefits

• Immediate medical, dental, vision, and prescription drug coverage.
• Paid parental leave, new parent ramp-up programs, and subsidized backup child care.
• Adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement and fertility treatments.
• Vehicle discount program for employees and family members and management leases.
• Tuition assistance.
• Employee resource groups.
• Paid time off for individual and team community service.
• Vacation time, sick/personal time, and paid holidays, including time between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager