at Cengage Group in Chicago, Illinois, United States
Job Description
We believe in the power and joy of learning.
At Cengage Group, our employees have a direct impact in helping students around the world discover the power and joy of learning. We are bonded by our shared purpose – driving innovation that helps millions of learners improve their lives and achieve their dreams through education.
Our culture values diversity, engagement, and discovery.
Our business is driven by our strong culture, and we know that creating an inclusive and diverse workplace is essential to the success of our company and our learners, as well as our individual well-being. We recognize the value of diverse perspectives in everything we do and strive to ensure employees of all levels and backgrounds feel empowered to voice their ideas and bring their authentic selves to work. We achieve these priorities through inclusive programs, benefits, and initiatives integrated into how we work every day. To learn more, please see https://corporate.cengagegroup.com/about/inclusion-and-diversity/ .
The Director, Global Benefits role is an exciting leadership opportunity that will develop, support and maintain our market-competitive health, welfare, wellness, and retirement programs that enable talent attraction, engagement, and retention. As a member of the corporate Total Rewards team, this role is responsible for planning and directing the design, implementation, and management of all benefit programs across the approximately forty (40) countries where we have employees.
What You’ll Do Here:
+ Design, implement and manage benefit programs that align to Cengage Group’s Total Rewards strategy.
+ Serve as a strong, positive team leader and mentor by creating a culture of accountability, communication, and collaboration which motivates optimal team engagement.
+ Oversee benefit plan operations while working side-by-side team member(s) to get the day-to-day work accomplished.
+ Create compelling business cases and presentations for executive leaders, Total Rewards Committee, Board members, and others.
+ Perform advanced analytics to identify trends, difficulties, root causes and make recommendations to address.
+ Manage benefits contracts, renewals, and RFP processes, in partnership with local brokers, where applicable.
+ Stay ahead of market best practices with an eye towards our talent and total rewards strategies. Embrace a continuous improvement attitude in the development, implementation, and maintenance of competitive global benefit programs, policies, and practices.
+ In partnership with brokers and finance, manage and monitor program performance and costs; ensure timely and accurate payment and tracking of all invoices.
+ Create, maintain, and communicate benefit program tools and resources, including on company systems and portals.
+ Plan and implement annual enrollment activities and communications; manage project plan and work with vendors to implement changes.
+ Manage wellness initiatives and activities, partner with and support Employee Resource Groups on wellness related programming.
+ Develop, maintain, and deliver effective communications and training to HR, leaders, and employees to build awareness and understanding of programs.
+ Participate in the review, implementation, testing, and maintenance of systems and technology to support benefits administration. Proactively audit data on an ongoing basis.
+ Develop strong, collaborative relationships with all stakeholders including HR team members, Legal, Finance, HRIT, external service providers and consultants.
+ Manage vendor partnerships ensuring optimal productivity, adherence to Service Level agreements and timely, cost-effective, seamless program delivery.
+ Ensure benefit plan compliance and timely submission of required government reporting. Escalate issues to legal counsel, as needed.
+ Participate in project teams associated with mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures, owning the benefits transition and related employee experience.
Knowledge/Skills/Experience:
+ Bachelor’s degree in business, finance/accounting, human resources, or a related field required.
+ 10+ years progressive global benefits design and implementation experience required.
+ Demonstrated broad understanding and experience in developing and administering global compensation and benefit programs.
+ Collaborator who builds partnerships with internal and external contacts at all organizational levels in a matrixed environment
+ Ability to think strategically, aligning benefit programs with business objectives with an ability to draw conclusions, themes, and trends from data analysis.
+ Strong leadership skills with the ability to inspire and motivate staff. Proven ability to lead by sharing a common vision, gaining consensus, building trust and coaching. A self-starter with initiative to drive projects and transactions to conclusion.
+ In-depth knowledge of health, welfare and retirement plan regulations and administration required.
+ Resourceful, self-motivated, program solver; strong organization and project management skills and attention to detail.
+ Excellent written and verbal communication skills with a strong customer/client orientation; ability to facilitate discussions to resolve issues.
+ Outstanding presentation skills, comfortable presenting to C-suite audience.
+ Highly adaptable and able to flourish despite ambiguity and change.
+ Proficient with Microsoft Office; advanced Excel and PowerPoint skills
+ Strong analytical and conceptual thinking skills
+ Digitally savvy and comfortable with technology tools
+ Workday experience strongly preferred.
+ Minimal overnight travel may be required.
Cengage Group is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status, marital status, parental status, cultural background, organizational level, work styles, tenure and life experiences. Or for any other reason. You may view Cengage’s EEO/Affirmative Action Policy signed by CEO Michael Hansen (https://p.widencdn.net/pdvq6j/EEO\Policy\Statement\January\2017) and Equal Employment Opportunity is the Law notice (http://embed.widencdn.net/pdf/plus/cengage/ybs5gt19ik/eeopost-merged.pdf) by visiting their corresponding links.
Cengage Group is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at accommodations.ta@cengage.com or you may call us at +1 (617) 289-7917.
About Cengage Group
Cengage Group, a global education technology company serving millions of learners, provides affordable, quality digital products and services that equip students with the skills and competencies needed to be job ready. For more than 100 years, we have enabled the power and joy of learning with trusted, engaging content, and now, integrated digital platforms. We serve the higher education, workforce skills, secondary education, English language teaching and research markets worldwide. Through our scalable technology, including MindTap and Cengage Unlimited, we support all learners who seek to improve their lives and achieve their dreams through education.
Compensation
At Cengage Group, we take great pride in our commitment to providing a comprehensive and rewarding Total Rewards package designed to support and empower our employees. Click here (https://www.cengagegroup.com/news/perspectives/2024/cengage-group-total-rewards-philosophy/) to learn more about our Total Rewards Philosophy .
The full base pay range has been provided for this position. Individual base pay will vary based on work schedule, qual
