Vice President, Global Benefits

Circana•,

1d•$200,000•Remote

About The Position

The VP, Global Benefits partners with the Head of Total Rewards to execute Circana’s global benefits strategy, and is the primary owner of benefits governance, budget, vendor and broker management, regulatory compliance, and operational delivery. This role is accountable for centralizing benefits delivery currently dispersed across regional HR Business Partner teams into a consistent, governed, enterprise capability, in service of Circana’s HR vision of a simple, proactive, and scalable employee experience. Working closely with Compensation, Total Rewards leadership, HR Technology, Legal, Payroll, Finance, Procurement, HR Business Partners, and business leaders, this role ensures benefits programs are designed and administered consistently, equitably, competitively, and in compliance with local regulatory requirements across all countries in which Circana operates. The role provides strategic and operational leadership over the global benefits portfolio, builds the governance model, operating model, and data foundation needed for scalable delivery, and leads a growing team of benefits professionals as the function centralizes. This is a unique opportunity to help build and modernize Circana's global benefits capability at a pivotal stage of growth. This role is best suited for a leader who has successfully built, transformed, or centralized benefits capabilities and can quickly establish credibility, influence, and results in a complex global environment. This is an evolving role, built for how work should be organized in an AI-enabled function. The leader will architect a global team, including virtual and flexible team members, anchored on the organization's most important priorities (determined through our Business Strategy, HR Mission and Vision, and People Strategy), deliberately elevating team members to complex, judgment-driven, and people-centric work while putting automation and AI to work on repetitive, transactional tasks.

Requirements

8+ years of progressive benefits experience, including demonstrated expertise in global benefits design, governance, vendor management, and regulatory compliance.
Strong global benefits and regulatory acumen, including deep knowledge of U.S. requirements (ERISA, ACA) and experience navigating multi-country frameworks such as the EU Pay Transparency Directive. Demonstrated experience leading benefits strategy, administration, or governance across multiple countries and regions is required.
Fluency in applying AI and automation to redesign operational and administrative processes, with a track record of shifting team capacity from transactional work toward higher-judgment, strategic, and people-centric priorities.
Demonstrated experience building, centralizing, harmonizing, or transforming benefits operations, ideally in a multi-country, multi-entity, or post-merger environment.
Proven vendor and broker management skills, including RFPs, contract negotiation, and performance governance.
Strong financial acumen, with experience owning and managing a global benefits budget.
Experience partnering with HR Technology teams on benefits systems, data integrity, and reporting.
Excellent communication, consultation, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to simplify complex benefits concepts for executive and employee audiences.
People leadership experience, with a track record of building and developing high-performing teams, including experience designing flexible, virtual, or hybrid team structures that flex with business priorities.
Continuous improvement mindset with a track record of strengthening governance, controls, and scalable benefits solutions that support organizational growth.
Experience building new capabilities, operating models, governance structures, or shared-service approaches within a benefits or Total Rewards function.
Strong analytical and data-driven decision-making capabilities with experience leveraging technology and reporting to improve outcomes.

Nice To Haves

Circana Behaviors: Stay Curious, Seek Clarity, Own the Outcome, Center on the Client, Be a Challenger, Champion Inclusivity, Commit to each other.

Responsibilities

Partner with the Head of Total Rewards to shape and execute the global benefits strategy, ensuring programs remain market-competitive, cost-effective, and aligned to Circana’s Total Rewards philosophy and talent priorities.
Oversee execution of global benefit design, partnering with the Director, Benefit Design, who owns day-to-day design decisions across health & welfare, retirement/pension, wellbeing, and voluntary benefits.
Partner with Compensation on the broader Total Rewards Framework to ensure benefits are positioned consistently with pay philosophy and market positioning.
Oversee harmonization of benefits plan design led by the Director, Benefit Design, ensuring outcomes align to enterprise strategy and budget.
Provide executive sponsorship for benefits due diligence and integration planning for future M&A activity, partnering with the Director, Benefit Design on design execution.
Approve new-country benefit program design led by the Director, Benefit Design, ensuring alignment to global strategy and budget.
Build and lead the governance model, standards, decision rights, and operating framework needed to centralize benefits administration currently managed by regional HR Business Partners.
Establish and lead the transition plan, timeline, and change management approach for migrating benefits from HRBP teams to a centralized Benefit function.
Set the standards for global benefits policies, procedures, and documentation, and govern their consistent application across regions.
Own broker, carrier, and third-party administrator relationships and contracts globally for material renewals, partnering with Procurement on RFP mechanics and formal vendor process, and using AI-assisted analysis for renewal-package review and first-pass prep.
Lead negotiation and final decisions on broker/carrier renewals and RFP outcomes for material renewals, ensuring service quality and cost discipline; routine renewal documentation and coordination is supported by the Benefits Vendor & Systems Coordinator.
Own the global benefits budget; monitor spending, forecast costs, and identify efficiency opportunities in partnership with Finance.
Ensure compliance with applicable benefits regulations across all countries of operation, including ERISA, ACA, and country-specific statutory requirements.
Partner with Legal and Total Rewards on regulatory readiness for initiatives such as the EU Pay Transparency Directive and country-specific benefits mandates (e.g., India).
Maintain audit readiness, required filings, and documentation for all benefits programs.
Ensure end-to-end benefits administration — including enrollment, life events, leave of absence coordination, and escalations — is delivered effectively by the Manager, Benefits – Administration & Delivery, determining outsourcing/co-sourcing opportunities as needed.
Partner with HR Technology/EE&T on benefits system configuration, data integrity, and integration with the broader HR technology ecosystem, including the Job Architecture data foundation.
Establish benefits reporting and analytics that support decision-making — cost, utilization, and compliance data framed to inform plan renewal, vendor negotiation, and design choices, not just tracked for visibility.
Leverage AI and automation to redesign repetitive, transactional benefits processes — enrollment, eligibility, compliance monitoring, and reporting — freeing the team’s capacity for higher-judgment, people-centric work.
Ensure employee sentiment on benefits satisfaction is monitored and incorporated into program design, led by the Director, Benefit Design.
Partner with the Director, Benefit Design, who owns the benefits journey map and end-to-end employee experience strategy, ensuring alignment with Circana’s talent strategy and HR Mission and Vision.
Provide executive sponsorship for employee communication, education, and enrollment campaigns led by the Director, Benefit Design, in partnership with HR Business Partners and Talent Management.
Serve as an escalation point for complex benefits matters, partnering with HR Business Partners during the centralization transition.
Partner with Compensation, Talent Management, Payroll, Legal, Finance, and HR Business Partners to ensure benefits programs support broader Total Rewards and talent strategy.
Build and evolve a global team, including virtual and flexible team members, structured around the organization’s most important priorities; deliberately allocating complex, people-centric work to team members and repetitive work to automation and AI as capabilities are built.
Partner with Procurement on vendor sourcing, contracting, and cost management strategy for benefits vendors, brokers, and carriers.
Leverage partners across the HR organization — including HR Business Partners, Talent Management, and HR Technology — to bring broader expertise and reach global benefits initiatives.
Represent Global Benefits in Total Rewards leadership discussions and HRLT initiatives as needed.