DIRECTOR / BENEFITS & WELLNESS

Position Number: S-3444

Position Summary:

The Director of Benefits and Wellness plans, coordinates, and administers all university employee benefit programs for faculty and staff, including competitive health and welfare coverage, wellness and employee assistance programs, tuition benefits, and retirement/pension benefit programs, ensuring consistency with university goals. This position also provides recommendations to promote the effective, efficient, and compliant administration of employee benefits and reports directly to the Associate Vice President for Human Resources as a member of the HR leadership team. 

Required Qualifications:

Bachelor's Degree, preferably in human resource management, business administration or a related field. Six years of administrative work experience in human resources. Three years of experience in benefit administration. Knowledge of regulations and compliance requirements related to benefits administration. Demonstrated strong organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills. Demonstrated ability to lead and supervise the work of others. Excellent communication skills including the ability to establish and maintain positive interpersonal relationships and work with diverse clientele within a unionized environment. Demonstrated proficiency with spreadsheets, current office software such as Microsoft Office, and various software applications. Ability to perform the essential functions of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation. 

Duties & Responsibilities:

Manages the administration of all university employee benefit programs including regular evaluation and analysis of programs and services. Works with CMU's external benefit consultant, Marsh McLennan Agency (MMA ), to develop and maintain productive vendor/consultant relationships, ensuring adherence to contracts, satisfactory service delivery and issue resolution, and to assess benefit markets, identifying benefit trends and best practices, evaluating and recommending programs, carriers, and plan designs, along with utilization and claims analysis, developing rate structures and costing. Collaborates with legal counsel to ensure that CMU's benefits comply with state and federal laws, advising management on changes as necessary. Prepares benefit documentation such as plan documents and amendments, summary plan descriptions, vendor agreements, etc. Develops, implements, and evaluates benefits-related policies and procedures. Oversees the accurate and timely processing of third-party billing payments including auditing, overseeing reconciliation of benefit accounts, resolution of discrepancies, and managing reserve fund assets. Manages annual open enrollment including communications, presentations, coordination with collective bargaining, and enrollment processes. Designs and facilitates the new employee benefit orientation process, educating employees on benefit programs, policies, and procedures. Leads and facilitates CMU's Health Care Committee, participates with the Michigan Universities Coalition on Health (MUCH ) purchasing coalition, and coordinates the Retirement Investment Advisory Committee. Manages and supervises the benefits & wellness team, fostering a culture of collaboration and strong customer-service orientation. Develops goals and provides direction to staff completing daily responsibilities and promotes/encourages staff professional development. Maintains the Benefits & Wellness unit budget and improves processes and efficiencies as necessary. Ensures that comprehensive employee benefit records and files are maintained in a systematic, confidential format. Serves on the HR Leadership team, collaborating with other HR leaders to advance the goals and objectives of Benefits & Wellness in accordance with university goals, ap