Senior Manager, U.S. Benefits

Senior Manager, U.S. Benefits Welcome to Gallagher – a global community of people who bring bold ideas, deep expertise, and a shared commitment to doing what’s right. We help clients navigate complexity with confidence by empowering businesses, communities, and individuals to thrive. At Gallagher, you’ll find more than a job; you’ll find a culture built on trust, driven by collaboration, and sustained by the belief that we’re better together. Experience a workplace where you’re encouraged to be yourself, supported to succeed, and inspired to keep learning. That’s what it means to live The Gallagher Way. Position Summary Gallagher is seeking a highly experienced and enterprise‑minded benefits leader to oversee critical U.S. health and welfare programs and support a large and complex employee population. This role is responsible for leading the administration, governance, delivery, and continuous improvement of enterprise benefit programs while ensuring a high standard of employee experience, compliance, operational effectiveness, and vendor performance. Operating within a dynamic Fortune‑500 environment, the Senior Manager will partner across HR, HRIS, Payroll, Finance, Communications, Legal, vendors, and leadership teams to support scalable and employee‑centered benefits administration practices. The ideal candidate brings deep functional expertise in health and welfare benefits administration, strong enterprise judgment, and experience navigating complex environments, leading through ambiguity, organizational change, acquisitions, and evolving business needs. Impact You’ll Make In this role, you will help shape and strengthen the administration, governance, and employee experience of critical U.S. benefits programs supporting a large and complex workforce. Supporting scalable and employee‑centered benefits administration practices, Strengthening governance, operational consistency, and execution discipline, Improving cross‑functional coordination across HR, vendors, HRIS, Payroll, Finance, and Communications teams, Helping modernize and mature benefits processes, reporting, and ways of working, Supporting enterprise initiatives, acquisitions/integration activities, and organizational change efforts, Driving high‑quality service delivery and operational effectiveness across the benefits ecosystem. Key Responsibilities Enterprise Benefits Leadership & Program Administration Lead administration and ongoing management of U.S. health, welfare, and life insurance programs across a complex multi‑vendor environment. Oversee key benefits administration activities including plan operations, eligibility processes, billing administration, reporting, escalated employee matters, and service delivery coordination. Ensure programs are administered effectively, consistently, and in alignment with enterprise standards, business objectives, and employee experience goals. Serve as a trusted subject‑matter expert and advisor on plan administration, regulatory requirements, escalated employee issues, and benefits program governance. Partner with internal stakeholders and external vendors to support effective program execution, issue resolution, and ongoing operational alignment. Governance, Compliance & Operational Excellence Support and develop governance processes, internal controls, and compliance practices that improve consistency, visibility, accountability, and execution across benefits programs and initiatives. Ensure compliance with applicable federal and state regulations including ERISA, ACA, COBRA, HIPAA, and related benefits requirements. Oversee audit readiness, documentation practices, operational controls, and regulatory reporting activities including annual and recurring compliance cycles. Identify opportunities to improve operational effectiveness, administrative consistency, scalability, governance maturity, and employee experience across benefits processes and programs. Drive a culture of accountability, collaboration, operational excellence, continuous improvement, and employee‑centered service delivery across the benefits function. Benefits Initiatives, Integration & Enterprise Coordination Lead and support benefits‑related initiatives, annual cycles, program enhancements, vendor implementations, acquisitions/integration activities, and regulatory‑driven changes across the benefits function. Partner cross‑functionally with HR, HRIS, Payroll, Finance, Communications, Legal, and external vendors to support effective execution and organizational readiness for benefits initiatives. Lead complex benefits implementations and enterprise initiatives through effective stakeholder coordination, governance, prioritization, risk management, and execution oversight. Support adoption of scalable documentation, tracking, governance, and collaboration practices across the benefits function. Provide visibility into operational trends, escalations, program performance, and key initiative updates through reporting and dashboarding practices. Support organizational readiness and transition activities associated with acquisitions, organizational changes, and enterprise growth initiatives. Vendor Strategy & Service Delivery Management Oversee a portfolio of national and regional benefits vendors, carriers, administrators, and technology partners. Support vendor governance processes, service improvement initiatives, performance management discussions, and ongoing operational partnership activities. Partner with vendors and internal stakeholders to address escalated issues, improve service delivery outcomes, and support employee satisfaction. Monitor vendor performance, operational effectiveness, SLA attainment, and ongoing service quality across the benefits ecosystem. Identify opportunities for process enhancements, operational improvements, and stronger alignment between vendors and enterprise priorities. Employee Experience & Engagement Participate in the design and delivery of enterprise‑wide benefits education and communication strategies, including annual enrollment support, digital content, employee education, and leadership communications. Partner across HR and communications teams to support employee awareness, engagement, and understanding of benefits programs and initiatives. Leverage employee feedback, operational insights, analytics, and market trends to support continuous improvement of the employee benefits experience. Support employee‑centered service delivery practices that improve clarity, responsiveness, and overall employee experience outcomes. Strategy Development & Organizational Impact Act as a key contributor to Total Rewards initiatives by identifying opportunities to improve operational effectiveness, governance maturity, scalability, employee experience, and program delivery. Contribute to scalable administration practices, operational consistency, governance alignment, and process improvement efforts across the benefits function. Partner with leadership to support modernization efforts, evolving business needs, acquisitions/integration activities, and continuous enhancement of benefits administration practices. Provide insights, operational reporting, and market perspectives that support informed decision‑making across Total Rewards and Benefits leadership. Help strengthen organizational capabilities through knowledge sharing, process discipline, cross‑functional partnership, and execution leadership. Qualifications About You Required Bachelor’s degree, 7 years related experience required. 8–12+ years of progressive experience in health and welfare benefits administration within large, complex organizations. Deep expertise in U.S. benefits regulations, plan administration, compliance practices, and large‑scale benefits program management. Demonstrated experience managing complex vendor ecosystems and enterprise‑level benefits administration activities. Proven ability to lead complex initiatives, annual cycles, organizational change efforts, and acquisitions/integration support activities. Experience operating within fast‑paced, matrixed, and evolving enterprise environments. Strong experience partnering cross‑functionally across HR, HRIS, Payroll, Finance, Communications, Legal, and vendor teams. Strong working knowledge of HRIS platforms and benefits administration systems, including Workday or comparable technologies. Exceptional leadership, communication, stakeholder management, problem‑solving, and organizational skills. Demonstrated ability to introduce structure, improve processes, strengthen governance practices, and support modernization within benefits administration environments. Preferred Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Finance or a related field. Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS) or Certified Benefits Professional (CBP) accreditation. Core Competencies Enterprise Benefits Administration Health & Welfare Program Leadership Governance & Compliance Management Vendor Strategy & Operational Partnership Employee Experience & Service Delivery Initiative Leadership & Execution Management Cross‑Functional Collaboration Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement Organizational Readiness & Change Support Data‑Informed Decision Making Compensation And Benefits We offer a competitive and comprehensive compensation package. The base salary range represents the anticipated low end and high end of the range for this position. The actual compensation will be influenced by a wide range of factors including, but not limited to previous experience, education, pay market/geography, complexity or scope, specialized skill set, lines of business/practice area, supply/demand, and scheduled hours. On top of a competitive salary, great teams and exciting career opportunities, we also offer a wide range of benefits. Below are the minimum core benefits you’ll get, depending on your job level. These benefits may improve. Medical/dental/vision plans, which start from day one! Life and accident insurance 401(K) and Roth options Tax‑advantaged accounts (HSA, FSA) Educational expense reimbursement Paid parental leave Other benefits include: Digital mental health services (Talkspace) Flexible work hours (availability varies by office and job function) Training programs Gallagher Thrive program – elevating your health through challenges, workshops and digital fitness programs for your overall wellbeing Charitable matching gift program We value inclusion and diversity Inclusion and diversity (I&D) is a core part of our business, and it’s embedded into the fabric of our organization. For more than 95 years, Gallagher has led with a commitment to sustainability and to support the communities where we live and work. Gallagher embraces our employees’ diverse identities, experiences and talents, allowing us to better serve our clients and communities. We see inclusion as a conscious commitment and diversity as a vital strength. By embracing diversity in all its forms, we live out The Gallagher Way to its fullest. Gallagher believes that all persons are entitled to equal employment opportunity and prohibits any form of discrimination by its managers, employees, vendors or customers based on race, color, religion, creed, gender (including pregnancy status), sexual orientation, gender identity (which includes transgender and other gender non‑conforming individuals), gender expression, hair expression, marital status, parental status, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, medical condition, genetic information, veteran or military status, citizenship status, or any other characteristic protected (herein referred to as "protected characteristics") by applicable federal, state, or local laws. Equal employment opportunity will be extended in all aspects of the employer‑employee relationship, including, but not limited to, recruitment, hiring, training, promotion, transfer, demotion, compensation, benefits, layoff, and termination. In addition, Gallagher will make reasonable accommodations to known physical or mental limitations of an otherwise qualified person with a disability, unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the operation of our business. #J-18808-Ljbffr Gallagher