Benefits & Wellness Manager

Role Overview

As Benefits & Wellness Manager, you will improve the staff experience at Lush by ensuring benefits programs are high-value, well-understood, and easy to use. You will lead benefits administration and communications across the US and Canada, creating structure and solving complex benefits challenges.

Responsibilities

• Manage benefits administration: research and recommend strategies to address benefits costs, improve processes, and lead changes to plan design or carriers.
• Partner cross-functionally: work with People & Culture, Payroll, and Finance to ensure US/Canada Health, Dental, Vision, RRSP/401(k), and other programs are effectively administered.
• Plan annual benefits & wellness evolution: conduct annual cost reviews, manage the benefits budget efficiently, and ensure benefits deliver value for both company and staff.
• Lead/coach the Benefits team: provide guidance, feedback, and support to ensure team effectiveness.
• Manage retirement plan reviews: monitor trends, utilization, and perform cost/benefit analysis to identify best-practice enhancements.
• Oversee STD/LTD claims: ensure short-term and long-term disability claims are managed to control costs and improve employee experience.
• Ensure transparent claims processes: collaborate with managers, HR partners, and vendors so roles and processes are clear and effective.
• Support leaves and premium payments: communicate benefits options during leave periods and partner with payroll/accounting to ensure premiums are paid.
• Own benefits communications: deliver employee benefit communications for inquiries, open enrollment, new hire orientations, and special campaigns.
• Create manager enablement: develop communication tools and training so managers/business partners can answer staff benefits questions.
• Report outcomes: share benefits KPIs to stakeholders on a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis.

Requirements

• Sound knowledge of US and Canada benefits program design and administration best practices.
• Ability to influence across the organization for consistent application of benefits policies and processes.
• Strong ownership mindset and capability to make complex benefits programs easier to understand and use.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience managing benefits vendors and retirement plan trends/utilization analysis (implied by responsibilities).