Manager, Benefits & Well-being

Joining Kings Hawaiian makes you part of our ohana (family). We are a family-owned business for over seventy years respecting our roots while thinking about our future as we continue to grow and care for our customers and the communities we serve. Our ohana members build an environment of inclusivity as they freely collaborate pursue learning through curiosity and explore innovation as critical thinkers. Beyond that we are also passionate about supporting the long-term health and well-being of our employees and their families. If youre excited to rise with our team come and join our ohana!

The Manager of Benefits & Well-being owns how we design deliver and continuously improve benefits as a core part of how we care for our people and support our culture of ohana in alignment with Kings Hawaiians business goals objectives and strategic plan.

This critical role is accountable for building and leading a benefits function that delivers real value to employees and creates programs that are understood used and trusted while also driving strong financial outcomes and long-term sustainability across our growing enterprise.

Success means getting the balance right: supporting employees today while improving long-term wellness financial security and cost performance as Kings Hawaiian continues to grow and scale across corporate and plant populations.
This role reports to the Vice President People Experience and leads the Benefits function across all locations including the direct management and continued development of a Benefits Analyst.

Key Responsibilities:

Benefits strategy and ownership:

• Define and own a clear multi-year benefits strategy aligned to business priorities
• Translate market trends into practical decisions on plan design vendors and investments
• Ensure benefits are competitive and aligned to our culture values and commitment to caring for our ohana

Cost management and performance:

• Own total benefits spend and cost trend
• Identify and deliver measurable savings and efficiencies over time
• Partner with Finance to model tradeoffs and support decision-making

Employee experience and utilization:

• Deliver a benefits experience that is simple clear and used
• Increase employee understanding participation and perceived value
• Ensure programs meet the needs of both corporate and plant populations across the enterprise

Vendor and Ecosystem Management:

• Own vendor strategy across all benefits programs
• Hold partners accountable for performance cost and innovation
• Continuously simplify and improve the overall ecosystem

Governance and Compliance:

• Ensure compliance with all applicable regulations
• Stay ahead of changes and adjust programs proactively
• Maintain strong governance and audit readiness

What Success Looks Like:

• Building and driving a clear focused benefits strategy with defined priorities aligned to company growth and prioritizing employee needs
• Measurable improvement in cost management and efficiency
• Increased employee engagement and utilization
• Simpler more intuitive benefits experience that reflects a people-first high-care culture
• Strong vendor performance and accountability
• A team operating with ownership speed and impact

Experience:

• 5 years of progressive experience in benefits well-being or total rewards
• Bachelors degree or equivalent combination of education and experience required
• Strong expertise in self-funded plans benefits design funding and regulations
• Experience building and guiding benefits in the manufacturing industry
• Understanding of Workday and vendor integrations
• Multi-state benefit experience
• Experience leading leave of absence strategy administration and compliance
• Proven ability to manage cost and improve program effectiveness
• Strong analytical and financial skills
• Experience simplifying complex programs or systems
• Ability to influence senior leaders and drive decisions
• Track record of aligning benefits strategy with business objectives and measurable outcomes
• Ability to travel up to 25% of the time
• Required to be in office 5 days per week

Kings Hawaiian is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for our ohana.