Manager, Benefits

Doane Grant Thornton LLP; Toronto; On-site; CAD 88,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Profit sharing

Flex days

RRSP contributions

Wellness benefits

Summer telework in Canada

Job summary

Doane Grant Thornton is seeking a Manager, Benefits to lead administration of group insurance, leave programs, and retirement plans for colleagues and Partners across Canada. The role includes overseeing disability management, reporting on trends, and ensuring compliance with legislation.

You will coach teams, guide program improvements, and manage insurer relationships while contributing to talent development and client service excellence.

Qualifications

• 7-10+ years of progressive hands-on experience in benefits administration, ideally with self-administered plans.
• Experience managing disability processes, plan governance and retirement plans.
• Excellent communication, client advisory skills and ability to work with senior leadership.

Responsibilities

• Manage administration and delivery of benefits, retirement plans and leave for colleagues and Partners across Canada.
• Monitor disability process lifecycle and provide insightful reports on trends and improvements.
• Oversee benefits billing, premium reconciliations and claims experience analysis.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Communication

Team leadership

Discretion & confidentiality

Education

Undergraduate HR degree or diploma

CEBS or HR designation preferred

Tools

Workday

Excel

Job description

Who We Are

You know those big cities that still feel like small towns? Where everyone’s friendly and helps each other out? That’s like Doane Grant Thornton. Except here we’re all professionals and there isn’t a mayor or a general store. What we’re trying to say is that we’re a large and growing professional services firm that still feels like a community. We employ about 3000 people across Canada, and we truly care about our colleagues, our clients and the communities where we work and live. That’s what’s most important to us. We’re building a thriving organization that’s purpose driven and still want to remember what your favourite milkshake flavour is.

Job Overview

You know those big cities that still feel like small towns? Where everyone’s friendly and helps each other out? That’s like Doane Grant Thornton. Except here we’re all professionals and there isn’t a mayor or a general store. What we’re trying to say is that we’re a large and growing professional services firm that still feels like a community. We employ about 3000 people across Canada, and we truly care about our colleagues, our clients and the communities where we work and live. That’s what’s most important to us. We’re building a thriving organization that’s purpose driven and still want to remember what your favourite milkshake flavour is. This role has firmwide responsibility for the administration and management of group insurance benefits and leave programs. The successful incumbent will be experienced in running regular and annual benefit cycles (including annual re-enrollment) for self-administered group plans along with strong experience in in-house or third-party disability management, ideally in a mid- to large-sized organization. Delivering exceptional client experience, the ability to guide and coach people, a process improvement mindset, and subject matter expertise are key factors to success in this role.

As a Manager, Benefits your responsibilities will include:

• Manage the administration and delivery of benefits, retirement plans and leave and other programs for colleagues and Partners across Canada
• Manage the disability process lifecycle, monitor process and service quality to ensure a fair and consistent approach, and create insightful reports to highlight trends and opportunities to improve colleague support programs
• Monitor program utilization, costs, trends, and effectiveness, and assist with market benchmarking, plan design changes, annual renewal negotiations, and the annual re-enrollment cycle
• Manage the monthly benefits billing process, including premium reconciliations and cost and utilization analyses, and the review and analysis of claims experience and trends
• Deliver benefits and retirement plan education sessions, and co-chair CAP Committee meetings
• Support benefits-related activities (plan comparisons, costing, orientations) for M&A transactions
• Contribute to the optimization and enhancement of benefits-related systems and tools to improve user experience and adoption, manage system testing, updates and data integrity, and assist with updating benefits and programs material and communications
• Assist with managing insurer, broker and vendor relationships and contracts
• Support wellness initiatives and participate in special/ad-hoc projects
• Manage, coach and develop direct report(s) and provide expert guidance on benefits and programs policies, legislation, and processes to various internal client groups, and ensure compliance with applicable legislation and internal firm policies and processes.

Doane Grant Thornton

If you’re a bit like us, you’re driven to connect with how others are feeling and thinking. Here we walk in others shoes before taking action. Just imagine being part of a team that puts “we before me”, where flexAbility is a mindset, and where you trust your colleagues to have your back. At Doane Grant Thornton, you’ll work with inspiring leaders who support your development, both personally and professionally. This is a place where your insatiable curiosity enables you to think, see and hear from a variety of perspectives, a place where every day is different and having the courage to grow is part of who you are. And when all this comes together, well that’s when the magic happens!

Want to learn more about who we are and how we live our purple every day? Read our colleagues’ stories at www.discoveryourpurple.ca

Think you’ve got what it takes to be a Manager, Benefits? Like the colour purple? Great. Here’s a few more boxes we’re also hoping you can tick:

• Undergraduate degree or diploma, ideally in Human Resources, or an equivalent combination of education and experience
• CEBS or equivalent designation is preferred, and an HR or Compensation designation will be beneficial
• 7-10+ years of progressive hands‑on experience in benefits administration, ideally with self‑administered plans. People management experience of at least 3 years is preferred along with expertise in disability management, plan governance, and retirement plans
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills, with strong proficiency in Excel/ Microsoft Office Suite and HRIS systems (particularly Workday)
• Excellent people management, communication and interpersonal skills, and proven experience with delivering credible, expert advice to all levels of client groups, including senior leadership, along with a high degree of confidentiality, empathy and tact
• Strong knowledge of Canadian employment and human rights legislation and current benefits and wellness trends

At Doane Grant Thornton we’re focused on making a difference in the lives of our clients, our colleagues and our communities. That’s our purpose. Or, as we like to say, living our purple.

What’s in it for you?

Profit sharing, Flex days, RRSP contributions, Firmwide holiday closure, Wellness benefits, Concierge‑like benefits, Work from anywhere in Canada in the summer for 4 weeks, and more!

At Doane Grant Thornton, we believe compensation should reflect more than just market data—it should reflect you. We’re serious about compensation. We benchmark regularly across a wide spectrum of roles, industries, sectors, and levels to ensure our ranges are both competitive and current. But we don’t stop there. We also consider the unique strengths, experiences, and impact each individual brings to the table. Our salary ranges are reviewed annually, and where you land within the range depends on a mix of factors—your background, your skills, and how your contributions align with internal equity. To help start the conversation, the current salary range for this role is $87,500–$120,000 in Toronto, ON. If the role is available in other locations, the range may differ to reflect local market factors.

Our special culture shines through when we have the opportunity to connect in person. That’s why we’re working in a model where teams are required to be together in the office 4 days per week.

Are you ready to Discover Your Purple?

Doane Grant Thornton is committed to employment equity, human rights and respectful workplace principles throughout the life cycle of employment, including at the recruitment and hiring stages. We welcome applications from members of all equity deserving groups, including persons with disabilities, women, racialized and/or Indigenous applicants. Should you require accommodation in relation to the recruitment process, please notify us by emailing and we will work with you to meet your accommodation needs.