Senior Director – Global Benefits

Hines•Houston, TX

About The Position

The Senior Director, Global Benefits will grow and lead Hines’ global benefits function, overseeing health and welfare, retirement, leave and absence, and wellness programs. The role owns the design and execution of Hines’ global benefits strategy and establishes the governance, data, and operating model to support it. It partners with business and HR leaders to improve visibility, manage risk, and identify opportunities for consistency and efficiency while preserving appropriate local ownership. The role establishes global governance, decision rights, minimum standards, review cycles, escalation paths, and clear responsibilities across Total Rewards, geography business and HR leadership, and external advisors. It coordinates broker services and benefits procurement, develops common frameworks that account for local expertise and legal requirements, and identifies opportunities to improve service, value, and oversight. The position builds reliable cross-country processes for benefits data, applies risk-based reviews with qualified local advisors, and supports local HR leaders with assessments of competitiveness, compliance considerations, service quality, and cost. It also partners with Global Mobility on international assignments and cross-border employee matters. The Senior Director partners with geography HR and other functions on cost visibility, forecasting, and benefits-spend analysis; uses feedback and service information to improve employee experience; develops global communication principles; and supports benefits due diligence and integration for acquisitions, new country entry, and organizational changes. The role advises senior HR leaders, builds productive relationships with internal and external partners, and leads and develops benefits staff or project resources as the function grows.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required.
15+ years of relevant experience.
Demonstrated success building strategy, governance, or operating processes in an evolving organization.
Experience coordinating broker, consultant, carrier, and vendor relationships, including procurement, RFPs, renewals, or contract negotiations.
Ability to work through influence in a matrixed organization and distinguish global oversight from local plan ownership.
Experience with benefits cost analysis, budgeting, vendor performance, and market benchmarking.
Sound judgment handling sensitive employee and plan information.
Ability to work with Legal and local experts on jurisdiction-specific matters.
Clear communication skills and ability to explain complex benefits issues and practical next steps to senior leaders and local HR teams.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree or benefits-related professional credentials.
Experience in both global corporate benefits management and consulting.

Responsibilities

Own the design and execution of Hines’ global benefits strategy, aligned with the company’s Total Rewards philosophy, business priorities, and workforce needs.
Establish global benefits governance, decision rights, minimum standards, review cycles, escalation paths, and clear roles for relevant internal teams and external advisors.
Hold recurring reviews with business and HR leaders on plan design, renewals, risks, employee concerns, and improvement opportunities; recommend where standards should be global, geographically coordinated, or locally determined.
Assess benefits broker, consultant, carrier, and vendor relationships, including service models, fees, scope, performance, and renewal timelines.
Develop a coordinated global approach to broker and benefits procurement, including standards for selection, RFPs, contracting, renewals, service reviews, and performance measurement.
Identify opportunities to consolidate or coordinate services and purchasing, and partner with local HR leaders on a phased transition to a coordinated model.
Build cross-country processes for collecting and maintaining benefits data with appropriate privacy and access controls.
Use a risk-based approach to review local plans and practices with qualified local advisors; support local HR leaders in assessing competitiveness, compliance considerations, service quality, and cost.
Establish escalation protocols for significant plan, provider, compliance, or employee-service issues.
Partner with Global Mobility on benefits considerations for international assignments and cross-border employee situations.
Partner with geography HR and other functions to improve global cost visibility, forecasting, and benefits-spend analysis.
Use employee feedback, local input, service data, and available utilization information to identify issues and improve employee experience.
Develop global communication principles and resources that help employees understand benefits while enabling accurate local explanations.
Support benefits due diligence and integration for acquisitions, new country entry, and significant organizational changes; prepare business cases for material changes to benefits strategy, procurement, or service delivery.
Advise the Head of Total Rewards and senior HR leaders on global benefits trends, emerging risks, and strategic priorities.
Build productive relationships with HR and business leaders, other Hines functions, brokers, and other providers; develop capabilities, tools, and support models for a sustainable global benefits function.
Lead and develop benefits staff or project resources as the function grows.