Benefits Program Manager

The Benefits Program Manager will play a strategic role in the EMEA region in shaping the future of our organization’s employee benefits offerings by delivering programs that attract and retain best-in-class talent, empower our employees to be their best selves, and align with the overall strategic objectives of the organization. Serving as the regional Subject Matter Expert (SME), you will balance a human-centered employee experience with rigorous cost containment, optimizing programs through forward-thinking strategies, strong financial acumen, and technology.This role offers an excellent opportunity to develop your career in a global strategic position while managing vendor accountability, cross-functional risk mitigation, and continuous process optimization. In this role you will: Design, implement, and oversee employee programs that align with organizational values, goals, strategies and market competitive practices Develop and execute employee communication plans on benefit programs and changes that effectively convey the value of programs.  Design and implement efficient and effective delivery models for benefits programs to deliver consumer grade employee experience, leveraging appropriate internal/ external support and technology. Manage relationships with benefit vendors and brokers, including negotiating contracts/renewals and vendor performance monitoring/ review Provide leadership and partnership in operationalization of benefits programs with People Operations, Payroll, HRIS, IT and other teams. Provide guidance to People Operations/ Services on employee escalations Manage compliance and risk management related to benefits programs. including but not limited to related local regulatory reporting, audits, retirement committees. Continuous assessment of program effectiveness through benefits data/ analytics to drive program optimization. Lead global initiatives across team aimed at elevating Benefits at Zendesk. To succeed you must have: Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business or a related field OR equivalent experience necessary to obtain theoretical and practical knowledge to successfully fulfill the scope and responsibilities of the position. Experience in Benefits or Human Resources demonstrating the ability to perform the role at level, typically seen with 7+ years of professional working experience. Knowledge of global statutory benefits requirements. Knowledge of global government regulations related to benefits programs, including EEOC, ADA, HIPAA, GDPR requirements. Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities. Excellent interpersonal interaction skills, with a customer-focused and collaborative mindset. Strong knowledge of benefits programs design and management including health, risk, retirement, leave, etc. and market trends Strong written and verbal communication skills to create a good understanding of programs by employees. Strong negotiation skills and experience managing vendor relationships. Strong proficiency in leading and implementing change management efforts for benefits programs changes. Strong attention to detail. Strong proficiency in interpreting/ leveraging data to drive program decisions Strong cultural awareness and appreciation for diverse employee backgrounds. Ability to balance empathy and understanding of employees’ needs with business goals and objectives. Strong financial acumen. Proficiency in process design for benefits programs. Previous experience in HRIS and benefits administration software Adaptable and flexible, with the ability to respond to changing priorities in a fast-moving environment/ industry. Strong growth mindset and learning agility Ability to think global and act local to effectively drive global initiatives and manage local benefits programs Ability to analyze complex data sets and draw key actionable insights Holding a creative approach towards problem solving That said, if your experience looks a