Manager, U.S. Health Care Benefits Administration

Ford Motor • Dearborn, MI

4d • $115,500 - $218,100 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Manager, U.S. Health Care Benefits Administration leads the 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 so strategy is grounded in administrative feasibility and implemented effectively. It is a hybrid position requiring at least four days per week onsite in Dearborn, Michigan.

The role oversees day-to-day plan administration, budget execution, annual enrollment, compliance, vendor performance, labor negotiations support, and implementation of finalized plan strategies and negotiated outcomes. It also builds and leads a team focused on operational excellence and member experience, and works with cross-functional stakeholders including Supply Chain, Finance, Legal, IT, HR, and Labor Relations. The position is leadership level 6, with a stated salary range of $115,500–$218,100. Visa sponsorship is not available.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Health Care Administration, or a related field.
• Minimum of 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.
• Strong knowledge of federal and state benefits legislation and compliance requirements, including ACA, COBRA, HIPAA, and ERISA.
• Demonstrated operational execution skills and ability to translate strategy into action and drive results through process discipline.
• Ability to work autonomously and directly support executive leadership.
• Strong analytical skills, including interpreting data, assessing feasibility, and generating actionable recommendations.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, including communicating with executive leadership and collaborating with a peer strategy leader.
• Proven project management and coaching skills, including managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Nice To Haves

• Master's degree preferred.
• Experience in a Fortune 500 or comparably complex organization.
• Experience administering health care benefits in a unionized environment; labor negotiations support experience is a plus.
• Experience managing health care benefits vendor relationships, performance management, and contract administration.
• Track record of 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.

Responsibilities

• Own consistent, accurate, and compliant day-to-day administration of health care programs across union and non-union populations.
• Manage health care benefits budget execution, cost tracking, and financial reporting; partner with Finance and actuarial consultants on funding administration.
• Improve processes, systems, and service delivery while ensuring compliance with collective bargaining agreements, regulatory requirements, and internal policy.
• Lead annual enrollment execution, including vendor system readiness, communications rollout, and issue resolution.
• Serve as the primary escalation point for complex administrative and compliance issues, with significant matters visible to the Executive Director.
• Partner with the Manager, U.S. Health Care Strategy and Design to assess proposed plan design changes, vendor strategies, and negotiation proposals for administrative feasibility, implementation risk, and member experience impact.
• Provide operational data, historical administration performance, 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; develop bargaining strategies, scenario modeling, 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 oversee service levels and performance standards.
• Lead vendor benchmarking and market testing, including RFPs and RFQs; evaluate proposals, coordinate due diligence, and ensure implementation.
• Design and oversee vendor governance frameworks; escalate performance issues and manage contract administration and renewals.
• Implement plan governance structures, policies, and procedures for equitable, compliant, and consistent benefit delivery.
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local regulations, including ACA, COBRA, HIPAA, and ERISA, and applicable collective bargaining agreements.
• Identify and mitigate operational and compliance risks through monitoring and audit support.
• Build and lead a team, coach employees, and foster accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Manage change execution for benefits transformation initiatives to support adoption and minimize disruption.
• Act as an operational partner to the Manager, U.S. Health Care Strategy and Design and cross-functional stakeholders.

Benefits

• Immediate medical, dental, vision, and prescription drug coverage.
• Paid parental leave, new parent ramp-up programs, and subsidized back-up 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 between Christmas Eve and New Year's Day.

What This Job Offers

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