Benefits Director

To perform this job successfully an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the following essential functions:

• Direct strategies for short- and long-range objectives regarding benefits offerings.
• Provide NRDC leadership with a strategic vision for all employee benefits plans wellness programs and services. Develop recommendations informed by workforce needsutilizationand claims data financial analysis market practices regulatory developments and employee feedback.
• Proactively assess benefit offerings tomaintaincompetitiveness as an integralcomponentof our total rewards package across all offices. Evaluate plan effectiveness employee experience affordabilityutilization and financial sustainability and recommendappropriate plandesign or administrative changes.
• Lead the annual benefits renewal process from beginning to end including establishing the renewal strategy analyzing claims and utilization data evaluating plan design alternatives modeling financial impact negotiating with carriers and vendors presenting recommendations to leadership and the Benefits Committee implementing approved changes and communicating changes to employees.
• Responsible for the development and maintenance of the annual Benefits operating budget. Monitor program costs and trends prepare forecasts evaluate financial exposure andidentifyopportunities to improve value and manage costs without compromising program quality orthe employeeexperience.
• Safeguardbenefitscompliance ensuring that all benefits programs adhere to relevant state federal and local regulations. Maintainappropriate complianceprocesses documentation governance practices and internal controls for health and welfare retirement leave and statutory benefit programs.
• Ensure compliance with applicable requirements under ERISA ACA HIPAA COBRA FMLA ADA and other federal state and local the preparation review distribution and retention of required plan documents summary plan descriptions notices filings and employee disclosures.
• Provide strategic oversight of NRDCs 403(b) retirement plan including plan administration governance participant communications vendor performance and compliance with applicable ERISA IRS and Department of Labor requirements.
• Coordinate and oversee retirement andbenefitplan audits annual filings compliance testing corrective actions and responses to auditor or regulatory inquiries. Partner with recordkeepers auditors legal counsel investment advisors and other fiduciary partners to support sound plan governance.
• Lead Benefits Committee meeting agendas and present subjects for discussion and approval. Collaborate with the Retirement Plan Committee on administrative updates and educational campaigns. Prepare analyses and recommendations that enable committee members and organizational leaders to make informed fiduciary and business decisions. Maintainappropriate recordsof decisions approvals and follow-up actions.
• Partner with brokers benefit plan administrators and service providers to develop wellness initiatives to engage staff in emotional physical financial and social well-being.
• Develop and oversee wellness and employee engagement strategies and activities that encourage employees to understand and use available benefits and participation employee feedback utilization and program outcomes to measure effectiveness and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Oversight ofbenefits communications to promote education on our benefits offerings including announcements in the weekly Roundup. Lead annual enrollment communications and year-round benefits education ensuring information is clear accessibletimely and responsive to the needs of NRDCs diverse workforce.
• Provide HR/DEIO colleagues and corporate counsel withexpertiseduring special leave and employment cases.
• Provide oversight of leave and accommodation programs including FMLA ADA short- and long-term disability paid family and medical leave workers compensation and other state and local statutory andestablishconsistent policies procedures escalation protocols and service standards forleaveadministration across applicablejurisdictions.
• Partner with employees managers People and DEI colleagues Payroll Legal and third-party administrators to resolve complex leave and accommodation matters whilemaintainingcompliance consistencyappropriate documentation and an employeecentered approach.
• Oversee administrative processes implement them and communicate changes by developing educational sessions for managers and employees. Establish documented procedures internal controls reporting and reconciliation processes to supportaccurateand consistentbenefitsadministration.
• Partner with Payroll and HR systems teams to ensureaccurateemployee data benefit deductions eligibility records system configurations interfaces reporting and reconciliations. Lead or support benefits-related technology implementations and process improvements.
• Serve as thebenefitssubjectmatter expert in NRDCs unionized environment. Partner with Labor Relations and Legal onbenefitsmatters affecting represented employees including interpretation and administration of collective bargaining agreement provisions.
• Provide benefit cost analyses recommendations and implementation support during collective bargaining and ensure negotiated benefit changes are administered and communicated accurately and consistently.
• Lead the Benefits Team and foster their individual career development. Establish clear goals priorities service expectations and accountability while building team capability and fostering a collaborative responsive and solutions-oriented culture.
• Stay up to date with federal state and local laws and regulationsregardingBenefits.
• Maintain knowledge of industry trends related to HR Benefits and employment practices. Translate relevant developments into practical recommendations policies processes and program changes for NRDC.
• Support the administration and evaluation of benefit programs outside the United States as applicable in partnership with internal stakeholders local advisors brokers and vendors.
• Usebenefitsdata employee feedback benchmarking and performance measures to evaluate program outcomesidentifyrisks and opportunities and present recommendations to senior leadership and governance committees.

The above list of duties is not comprehensive but generally demonstrates the types of matters under this positions responsibility. Other duties may be assigned.

Minimum Education & Experience:

• Bachelors degree preferably in Human Resources Management or equivalent combination of education and experience required.
• 7yearsof progressive experience inBenefits Managementwith 3 yearsof peoplemanagement.
• Certified Employee Benefit Specialist (CEBS)Certified Benefits Professional(CBP)or other benefits certificationpreferred.
• Demonstrated experience leading the complete annual benefits renewal process including strategy data and financial analysis plan design vendor negotiations leadership recommendations implementation and employee communications.
• Demonstrated knowledge of ERISA ACA HIPAA COBRA FMLA ADA applicable Internal Revenue Code requirements and federal state and local statutory benefit programs.
• Experience administering and supporting the governance compliance and audit requirements of a 403(b) or comparable defined contribution retirement plan.
• Demonstrated ability to assess complex issues and develop practical compliant financially responsible and employee-centered solutions.
• Strong analytical financial project management vendor management communication and presentation skills.

SkillsAbilitiesCompetencies

• Strongverbal and written communication skills.
• Strong analytical skills and savvy strategic business thinking in a complex multi-dimensional progressive environment.
• Proficiencyin HRIS and benefits software
• Exceptional project management leadership and team management skills
• Ability to travel to NRDC U.S. based offices approximately20%annually.
• Commitment to NRDCs missionvalues and DEI principles

PHYSICAL DEMANDS