Benefits Director

Natural Resources Defense; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 149,000 - 165,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Time to Unplug & Recharge

Family – First: Generous family leave

Matching 403b

Hybrid Policy: 8 days in-office

Well-being: Healthcare programs

Job summary

NRDC is seeking a Benefits Director to lead the design, execution, and governance of its comprehensive benefits and wellness programs for a nationwide workforce. The role partners with People and DEI, Finance, Payroll, Legal, and external advisors to ensure competitive offerings and regulatory compliance.

You will oversee plan design, annual renewals, communications, and program analytics, while guiding a team to deliver high-quality benefits that align with NRDC’s mission and employee

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in HRM or equivalent.

Responsibilities

• Lead long- and short-term strategy for NRDC benefits and wellness programs.
• Oversee annual benefits renewal, vendor negotiations, and communications to staff.
• Ensure compliance with ERISA, ACA, HIPAA, COBRA, FMLA, ADA, and applicable laws.
• Oversee 403(b) retirement plan governance and participant communications.
• Manage benefits budget, cost trends, and financial analyses.

Skills

Strategic benefits planning

Benefits program leadership

Analytical & data-driven

HRIS & benefits software

Vendor and contract management

Communication and presentation

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor’s degree in HR or related field

Tools

HRIS systems

Job description

Overview

The Benefits Director is a vital member of NRDC’s People and DEI team, responsible for the strategic planning, design, and implementation of our benefits and wellness offerings based on market trends, employee feedback, and NRDC culture and mission. The Benefits Director oversees both the day-to-day administration of our benefit programs as well as the strategic oversight of the plans, including health and welfare benefits, retirement programs, leave and statutory benefits, and wellness and employee engagement initiatives.

The Benefits Directoris responsible forthe full lifecycle of NRDC’s benefits programs,from strategy, plan design, and annual renewals through implementation, administration, compliance, employee communication, and ongoing evaluation. The Director serves as a strategic and solutions-oriented partner to organizational leadership, balancing employee needs, market competitiveness, regulatory requirements, operational effectiveness, and financial sustainability.

Providing advice and guidance, tools, and resources, as required across all NRDC in executing our benefits programs, the Benefits Director partners closely with People and DEI colleagues, Finance, Payroll, Legal, Labor Relations, employee representatives, and external advisors to ensure the consistent and effective delivery of NRDC’s benefits programs.

Responsibilities

• Direct strategies for short- and long-rangeobjectivesregarding benefits offerings.

• Provide NRDC leadership with a strategic vision for all employee benefits plans, wellness programs, and services. Develop recommendations informed by workforce needs,utilizationand claims data, financial analysis, market practices, regulatory developments, and employee feedback.

• Proactively assess benefit offerings tomaintaincompetitiveness as an integralcomponentof our total rewards package across all offices. Evaluate plan effectiveness, employee experience, affordability,utilization, and financial sustainability, and recommendappropriate plandesign or administrative changes.

• Lead the annual benefits renewal process from beginning to end, including establishing the renewal strategy, analyzing claims and utilization data, evaluating plan design alternatives, modeling financial impact, negotiating with carriers and vendors, presenting recommendations to leadership and the Benefits Committee, implementing approved changes, and communicating changes to employees.

• Responsible for the development and maintenance of the annual Benefits operating budget. Monitor program costs and trends, prepare forecasts, evaluate financial exposure, andidentifyopportunities to improve value and manage costs without compromising program quality orthe employeeexperience.

• Safeguardbenefitscompliance, ensuring that all benefits programs adhere to relevant state, federal, and local regulations. Maintainappropriate complianceprocesses, documentation, governance practices, and internal controls for health and welfare, retirement, leave, and statutory benefit programs.

• Ensure compliance with applicable requirements under ERISA, ACA, HIPAA, COBRA, FMLA, ADA, and other federal, state, and local laws.Oversee the preparation, review, distribution, and retention of required plan documents, summary plan descriptions, notices, filings, and employee disclosures.

• Provide strategic oversight of NRDC’s 403(b) retirement plan, including plan administration, governance, participant communications, vendor performance, and compliance with applicable ERISA, IRS, and Department of Labor requirements.

• Coordinate and oversee retirement andbenefitplan audits, annual filings, compliance testing, corrective actions, and responses to auditor or regulatory inquiries. Partner with recordkeepers, auditors, legal counsel, investment advisors, and other fiduciary partners to support sound plan governance.

• Lead Benefits Committee meeting agendas and present subjects for discussion and approval. Collaborate with the Retirement Plan Committee on administrative updates and educational campaigns. Prepare analyses and recommendations that enable committee members and organizational leaders to make informed fiduciary and business decisions. Maintainappropriate recordsof decisions, approvals, and follow-up actions.

• Partner with brokers, benefit plan administrators, and service providers to develop wellness initiatives to engage staff in emotional, physical, financial, and social well-being.

• Develop and oversee wellness and employee engagement strategies and activities that encourage employees to understand and use available benefits and resources.Evaluate participation, employee feedback, utilization, and program outcomes to measure effectiveness and identify opportunities for improvement.

• Oversight ofbenefits communications to promote education on our benefits offerings, including announcements in the weekly Roundup. Lead annual enrollment communications and year-round benefits education, ensuring information is clear, accessible,timely, and responsive to the needs of NRDC’s diverse workforce.

• Provide HR/DEIO colleagues and corporate counsel withexpertiseduring special leave and employment cases.

• Provide oversight of leave and accommodation programs, including FMLA, ADA, short- and long-term disability, paid family and medical leave, workers’ compensation, and other state and local statutory benefits.Monitor andestablishconsistent policies, procedures, escalation protocols, and service standards forleaveadministration across applicablejurisdictions.

• Partner with employees, managers, People and DEI colleagues, Payroll, Legal, and third-party administrators to resolve complex leave and accommodation matters whilemaintainingcompliance, consistency,appropriate documentation, and an employeecentered approach.

• Oversee administrative processes, implement them, and communicate changes by developing educational sessions for managers and employees. Establish documented procedures, internal controls, reporting, and reconciliation processes to supportaccurateand consistentbenefitsadministration.

• Partner with Payroll and HR systems teams to ensureaccurateemployee data, benefit deductions, eligibility records, system configurations, interfaces, reporting, and reconciliations. Lead or support benefits-related technology implementations and process improvements.

• Serve as thebenefitssubjectmatter expert in NRDC’s unionized environment. Partner with Labor Relations and Legal onbenefitsmatters affecting represented employees, including interpretation and administration of collective bargaining agreement provisions.

• Provide benefit cost analyses, recommendations, and implementation support during collective bargaining and ensure negotiated benefit changes are administered and communicated accurately and consistently.

• Lead the Benefits Team and foster their individual career development. Establish clear goals, priorities, service expectations, and accountability while building team capability and fostering a collaborative, responsive, and solutions-oriented culture.

• Stay up to date with federal, state, and local laws and regulationsregardingBenefits.

• Maintain knowledge of industry trends related to HR, Benefits, and employment practices. Translate relevant developments into practical recommendations, policies, processes, and program changes for NRDC.

• Support the administration and evaluation of benefit programs outside the United States, as applicable, in partnership with internal stakeholders, local advisors, brokers, and vendors.

• Usebenefitsdata, employee feedback, benchmarking, and performance measures to evaluate program outcomes,identifyrisks and opportunities, and present recommendations to senior leadership and governance committees.

• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree,preferably in Human Resources Management orequivalentcombination of education and experiencerequired.

• 7yearsof progressive experience inBenefits Management,with 3 yearsof peoplemanagement.

• Certified Employee Benefit Specialist (CEBS),Certified Benefits Professional(CBP)or other benefits certificationpreferred.

• Demonstrated experience leading the complete annual benefits renewal process, including strategy, data and financial analysis, plan design, vendor negotiations, leadership recommendations, implementation, and employee communications.

• Demonstrated knowledge of ERISA, ACA, HIPAA, COBRA, FMLA, ADA, applicable Internal Revenue Code requirements, and federal, state, and local statutory benefit programs.

• Experience administering and supporting the governance, compliance, and audit requirements of a 403(b) or comparable defined contribution retirement plan.

• Demonstrated ability to assess complex issues and develop practical, compliant, financially responsible, and employee-centered solutions.

• Strong analytical, financial, project management, vendor management, communication, and presentation skills.

Skills,Abilities,Competencies

• Strongverbal and written communication skills.

• Strong analytical skills and savvy strategic business thinking in a complex, multi-dimensional, progressive environment.

• Proficiencyin HRIS and benefits software

• Exceptional project management, leadership, and team management skills

• Ability to travel to NRDC U.S. based offices, approximately20%annually.

• Commitment to NRDC’s mission,values, and DEI principles

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonableaccommodationmay be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position within the described work environment.

Frequently:Perform desk-based computer tasks

Frequently:Ability to interact and communicate with employees and others as necessary

Frequently: Attendplanned meetings and collaborate with management and coworkers

Occasionally:Ability to attend events and activitiesin the office or offsite

Work issometimesperformed primarily inoffice.The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet in office settings and moderate in other situations.Hours of employment may sometimes require working flexible and/or longer hours, including nights and weekends, whennecessitatedby projects.The job includeswork-related situations such as those involving challenging, important, urgent, time-sensitive, or multiple matters.

We offer competitive salaries,excellent benefits, and a supportive working environment. Salary is based on a nonprofit scale and is commensurate with skills and experience. Internal equity will be reviewed and considered to determine a final offer. For this position, the salary range is $148,500 to $165,000.

Perks & Benefits

Not only do we care about taking care of our planet,wecare about taking care of you. When you join our team, we invest in your total well-being. Here is a small glimpse on how we plan to support you:

• Time to Unplug & Recharge:Enjoy a generous time-off policy, highlighted by a company-wide year-endRest & Recharge Weekto reset for the new year.

• Family –First: Generous family leave policy beyond federal requirementsfor allNRDCers

• For your Future: Matching 403b whether you contribute or not

• Hybrid Policy:8dayper month in-office requirement. In-office day requirements can be met with off-site work events such as retreats, conferences, and other work-related travel.

• Well – being: Premium Comprehensive healthcare and mental health programs.

This job description isintended to provide guidelines for job expectations and the employee's ability toperformthe position described. It is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of allduties, responsibilities,skills,and abilities.Additionalfunctions and requirements may be assigned by supervisors asdeemedappropriate. This document does notrepresenta contract of employment, andNRDC expressesreserves the right to change this positiondescription and/or assign tasks for the employee to perform, asNRDCmaydeemappropriate.