International Benefits Administrator

The International Benefits Administrator will assist with the implementation and ongoing oversight of the benefits offerings & programmes outside of the US, including vendor management, benchmarking, the implementation of new benefits and being the main point of contact for employee benefits queries and day to day administration. This role will sit within the HR Total Rewards team reporting to the Senior Benefits Manager, who sits in Chicago. This role will be a subject matter expert in prevailing benefit market trends within the regions in which William Blair has offices within the UK, Europe and Asia and will have strong knowledge of benefits practices and policies. 

Responsibilities may include but are not limited to:

• Oversight of benefit programmes and their deployment, including pensions, health/risk insurances, occupational health, leave of absence policies and voluntary benefits. Ensure best practice and robust governance in managing day to day operations to achieve efficiency and accuracy while managing risks.
• Partner with the Senior Benefit Manager to manage benefit vendors and brokers to ensure service levels are maintained and benefits are administered in line with the established policies.
• Develop clear and comprehensive benefits communication materials including new hire materials and any enrolment/renewal materials that effectively communicate benefits or pension programmes, including ongoing education.
• Work with benefits consultants to negotiate contract renewals, conduct benefits reviews, and market analysis for new programmes and vendors.
• Manage multiple carriers across various countries, ensuring vendors and providers are aligned with benefits programme objectives.
• Provide onboarding and offboarding support, as well as resolving employee benefits queries in an accurate and timely manner. Provide information and guidance to plan participants on eligibility, benefits, and plan provisions.
• Assist in reviewing and updating benefit policies and procedures, ensuring they are in compliance with local laws and requirements.
• Maintains employee benefit records and collaborates with the finance department for payments and deductions requirements.
• Represent benefits topics as a subject matter expert in cross-functional team settings. Coordinate with key stakeholders for the development and implementation of systems and processes which support benefit projects and initiatives globally.
• Serve as subject matter expert for absence management and connectivity between insurances, and discretionary absence policies for the region, supporting relevant change programmes to deliver against objectives. Facilitates the administration of leave programmes, such as medical and parental, in accordance with applicable government laws and company policies, to include consulting with employees and advising manager on status of leave.
• Understand market trends and best practices in benefits to bring external thinking to help shape our philosophy, strategy, and practices.
• Demonstrate strong stakeholder influencing skills at all levels of management with the ability to deal assertively but sensitively with varied internal and external stakeholders across a global, matrix environment. Ability to communicate complex concepts simply and clearly to senior stakeholders, with pro-active, problem solving, creative, agile, and operational skills.
• Use data and insights to inform benefits and pension strategy along with a proven track record of successfully assisting with the design and implementation of complex benefits and pensions initiatives.
• Assist with the development and implementation of William Blairs Benefits strategy leveraging compelling and equitable benefit that will attract and retain talent.
• Monitor the daily management of benefit programmes, regulatory compliance, and contract suppliers to ensure integration and alignment with company philosophy and strategic priorities.
• Audits vendor bills to ensure accuracy; reconciles vendor error reports, prepares invoices and presents bills for payment.

Qualifications:

• CIPD Qualified or relevant degree
• Strong experience with international benefits in the EMEA & APAC markets.
• Financial services or professional services industry background strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience of benefits management and pensions, with strong UK benefits experiences and ideally worked across at least 1 other country.
• Ability to handle responsibilities independently, while exercising good judgment in problem-solving and keeping stakeholders appropriately informed.
• Highly skilled at improving processes and using technology to enhance efficiency. Dissatisfied with status quo, intellectually curious with an ability to work with a high degree of autonomy through ambiguous circumstances.
• Excellent customer service and client-facing skills including robust consultative and problem-solving mindset. Excellent verbal and written communication skills, ability to influence and outstanding organisational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to maintain the utmost level of confidentiality due to the sensitivity of the work in this department.
• Thorough understanding of pension trust and healthcare trust schemes in UK/Europe. Exposure to DB pension scheme an advantage.
• Strong skills in operational planning, administration and vendor management. Experience of working across geographical and functional boundaries and work across levels within the organisation.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills with a flair for numbers - ability to manipulate data and work with complex assumptions with ability to communicate out findings. Expert in Excel a must.
• Knowledge of various HRIS systems is a plus with a strong preference for Workday.

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