Senior Director, Benefits and Leave of Absence

Center for Health Care Strategies

Senior Director of Benefits and Leave Administration managing enterprise benefits strategy at Nemours Children's Health. Leading compliance and operational excellence across multiple states for pediatric healthcare organization.

Posted 5/6/2026full-timeJacksonville • Florida • 🇺🇸 United StatesSeniorWebsite

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Develop and steward the enterprise benefits and leave strategy, ensuring alignment with Nemours workforce, financial, and clinical operations strategies.
Lead multiyear strategic planning, forecasting, and scenario modeling for benefits and leave programs.
Establish and maintain systemwide governance frameworks, policies, and controls that drive consistency, compliance, and risk mitigation across all states and business units.
Assess market competitiveness and model long-range financial impacts to inform executive decision-making.
Provide strategic recommendations and insights to the various enterprise-wide stakeholder leaders on plan design, emerging risks, cost drivers, and workforce implications.
Serve as the organizational liaison to external consultants, advisors, and vendor partners for benefits, leave, compliance, and actuarial strategy.
Lead enterprise financial planning for benefits and leave: trend analysis, reserve forecasting, risk modeling, cost containment strategies, and ROI evaluation.
Drive multivendor optimization strategies that reduce cost, enhance service, and improve associate experience.
Oversee enterprise compliance with federal and state regulations (ERISA, FMLA, ADA, ACA, HIPAA, state leave laws, PFML programs, etc.).
Anticipate future legislation and proactively design scalable strategies to minimize organizational risk and operational disruption.
Partner with Legal, Compliance, and HR Operations to ensure audit readiness and documentation excellence.
Lead enterprise transformation of benefits and leave operations, including digital modernization, workflow automation, AI/analytics enablement, and experience redesign.
Drive continuous improvement using data insights, benchmarking, and service level performance management.
Architect tools, job aids, and standardized processes for HRBPs, managers, and associates.
Oversee the enterprise vendor ecosystem, including medical, pharmacy, dental, disability, LOA partners, stoploss, actuarial advisers, wellness, navigation, and communication vendors.
Lead high-stake vendor negotiations and RFPs that materially impact enterprise cost, service quality, and risk posture.
Ensure vendors meet contractual SLAs, performance guarantees, and compliance standards.
Lead enterprise communication strategy for benefits and leave, ensuring clarity, transparency, and accessibility for all associates across diverse roles, states, and work environments.
Partner with Communications to develop compelling, multichannel content that enhances understanding and engagement.
Act as an enterprise leader for largescale change initiatives affecting benefits or leave programs.
Lead, develop, and mentor a multistate team of benefits and leave professionals, building future bench strength and fostering a culture of accountability, innovation, and service excellence.
Model and reinforce Nemours values while promoting inclusion, belonging, and psychological safety.

Requirements

What you’ll need

Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business, Mathematics, Accounting, Finance, or related field required
Master’s degree or professional certifications (CEBS, CBP)
Experience in healthcare or large, multi-site organizations.
10+ years of Progressive experience in benefits, leave administration, or Total Rewards administration and leadership, including experience in large, complex, multistate organizations.
Proven experience leading enterprise benefits and leave of absence programs with significant financial and operational impact.
Demonstrated history of influencing executive leaders and driving system level outcomes.
Experience overseeing vendor ecosystems and complex administrative and governance cycles at the enterprise level.
Strong knowledge of federal and state regulations governing benefits and leave.
Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and Office applications.

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

benefits administrationleave administrationfinancial planningrisk modelingcost containment strategiesdata insightsworkflow automationdigital modernizationscenario modelingtrend analysis

Soft Skills

leadershipstrategic planningcommunicationinfluencingmentoringcollaborationaccountabilityinnovationservice excellenceproblem-solving

Certifications

Bachelor's degreeMaster's degreeCEBSCBP