Carlstar Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Job Summary

The Benefits Director is responsible for the strategy, financial stewardship, operational execution, and employee experience of the company’s benefits programs. This role ensures benefit plans are competitive, financially disciplined, compliant, and clearly understood by employees while strengthening accountability across brokers, vendors, internal processes, and cross-functional partners.

As the organization’s benefits leader, this position partners closely with HR, Finance, Operations, and executive leadership to align benefits strategy with business priorities, improve plan performance, support employee engagement, and bring greater structure and discipline to the benefits function.

Essential Responsibilities

Benefits Strategy, Financial Management & Governance

• Own the financial performance of health and welfare plans, including analysis of cost drivers, utilization, claims experience, market trends, and emerging risk areas
• Partner with brokers, consultants, and vendors to evaluate plan performance, challenge recommendations, and develop practical cost mitigation strategies
• Develop and execute mid-year and annual strategies that improve plan efficiency, manage risk, and support long-term sustainability
• Prepare clear, business-oriented insights and recommendations for HR, Finance, and executive leadership
• Establish governance routines, reporting discipline, and accountability measures to support informed decision-making

Benefits Design & Market Alignment

• Ensure benefits programs remain competitive, financially responsible, and aligned with business needs and workforce expectations
• Evaluate plan design opportunities that improve the employee experience while supporting cost management and responsible utilization
• Partner with HR leadership to ensure benefits support attraction, retention, engagement, and workforce stability across employee populations
• Monitor market practices and recommend appropriate adjustments to maintain a balanced, relevant, and sustainable benefits offering

Employee Education & Communication

• Build and execute a comprehensive benefits education and communication strategy across all locations
• Translate complex benefits information into clear, practical messaging that improves employee understanding, decision-making, and appropriate plan utilization
• Develop communication approaches tailored to hourly, salaried, corporate, field, and manufacturing populations
• Partner with HR teams and vendors to deliver timely, consistent, and accessible education throughout the year, not only during open enrollment

Vendor & Broker Management

• Own benefits vendor, broker, consultant, and carrier relationships with a clear focus on service quality, financial outcomes, compliance, and issue resolution
• Establish expectations, monitor performance, and hold partners accountable to service levels, deliverables, timelines, and outcomes
• Lead escalations proactively and ensure timely, well-documented resolution of employee, plan, and vendor issues
• Drive structure and discipline into vendor management, reporting, renewal preparation, and recurring business reviews

Execution & Operations Leadership

• Oversee day-to-day benefits operations, ensuring deadlines, deliverables, employee support needs, and compliance requirements are consistently met
• Establish processes, timelines, ownership, documentation, and accountability within the benefits function
• Lead open enrollment, plan changes, audits, vendor transitions, system-related initiatives, and other major benefits projects
• Partner with Payroll, HRIS, Finance, Legal, and site HR teams to ensure accurate execution and strong cross-functional coordination

Team Leadership

• Provide leadership, direction, and prioritization for the benefits function
• Establish clear expectations, ownership, accountability, and follow-through within the team
• Build scalable structure, processes, and operating routines to support the organization as it grows

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business, Finance, or related field required; advanced degree or benefits certification preferred
• 8+ years of progressive benefits experience, including leadership responsibility for health and welfare programs
• Demonstrated experience managing self-funded health plans and working effectively with brokers, consultants, carriers, and third-party administrators
• Strong financial, analytical, and business acumen with the ability to translate data into practical recommendations
• Experience supporting multi-site, manufacturing, hourly, and salaried workforces preferred
• Working knowledge of benefits compliance requirements, including ERISA, COBRA, HIPAA, ACA, FMLA, and related federal and state requirements

Leadership Profile

• Strong business acumen with an ownership mindset and the judgment to balance employee experience, cost management, compliance, and operational execution
• Confident and constructive in challenging vendors, brokers, and internal assumptions to drive better outcomes
• Highly organized and disciplined, with strong follow-through and the ability to create structure where it is needed
• Clear, credible communicator who can engage executive leadership, employees, vendors, and field HR teams effectively
• Balances strategic thinking with hands-on execution and demonstrates calm, steady leadership in a complex environment