Benefits Lead

Nebius; New York (NY); On-site; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Career growth and learning

Flexibility and ownership

Collaborative and innovative culture

Opportunity to work on impactful AI

International environment and talented

Job summary

Nebius, a Nasdaq-listed AI cloud platform, seeks a senior U.S. Benefits Specialist to lead the U.S. benefits portfolio, manage the ASO relationship, and drive policy and cost optimization.

This role supports Total Rewards leadership and ensures compliant, high-quality benefit programs across the United States. The position governs renewal analyses, enrollment events, and leave administration, requiring deep expertise in ACA/ERISA filings and strong vendor management.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in HR, Business Administration, or a related field.
• 8+ years of experience administering benefit programs, including open enrollment and renewal.
• Experience managing fully-managed U.S. benefits programs through an ASO.
• Strong vendor management and relationship ownership for a principal vendor and third parties.
• Experience benchmarking benefits against the high-tech market and advising on plan design and cost.
• Experience owning benefits compliance and filings (ACA, ERISA, Form 5500, COBRA, nondiscrimination testing).
• Ability to work with autonomy and influence senior stakeholders in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience with HRIS, benefits administration systems, payroll systems, advanced spreadsheets, and analytics.
• Certification such as CEBS/SHRM-SCP/SPHR preferred.

Responsibilities

• Oversee U.S. benefit program portfolio (health, dental, vision, life, disability, retirement) and set standards with the ASO.
• Own ASO relationship and uphold service standards, leading reviews and issue escalation.
• Benchmark the U.S. benefits portfolio and advise on plan design, cost, and policy.
• Lead renewal analysis with ASO and brokers; model plan design and present recommendations to HR leadership.
• Own end-to-end delivery of the annual enrollment program with ASO and vendors.
• Maintain the U.S. benefits compliance calendar and ensure filings meet requirements.
• Establish audit protocols and data integrity standards for benefits records and feeds between HRIS, ASO, and carriers.
• Establish leave administration procedures under U.S. laws and resolve complex cases with ASO.
• Serve as final escalation point for U.S. benefit issues and drive change initiatives.

Skills

Autonomy

Vendor management

Stakeholder management

Analytical skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR/Business or related field

CEBS/SHRM-SCP/SPHR or similar certification preferred

Tools

HRIS

Job description

About Nebius:

Nebius is leading a new era in cloud infrastructure for the global AI economy. We are building a full-stack AI cloud platform that supports developers and enterprises from data and model training through to production deployment, without the cost and complexity of building large in-house AI/ML infrastructure.

Built by engineers, for engineers. From large-scale GPU orchestration to inference optimization, we own the hard problems across compute, storage, networking and applied AI.

Listed on Nasdaq (NBIS) and headquartered in Amsterdam, we have a global footprint with R&D hubs across Europe, the UK, North America and Israel. Our team of 1,500+ includes hundreds of engineers with deep expertise across hardware, software and AI R&D.

Leads the design, delivery, and administration of employee benefit programs for employees in the United States, serving as the senior U.S. benefits specialist and trusted advisor to Total Rewards Leadership. Owns the outsourced benefits administration relationship with the Administrative Services Organization (ASO) and the carriers, administrators, and other third parties it engages, holding vendors to service standards and driving resolution of escalated issues to protect the employee experience and the financial and legal integrity of the programs. Helps shape the U.S. benefits delivery model, including evaluating the ASO arrangement and any transition to direct-to-carrier programs.

Key Responsibilities

• Program management: Oversees U.S. benefit program portfolio, including health, dental, vision, life insurance, disability, retirement, and voluntary benefits, setting standards with the ASO and directing resolution of the eligibility and coverage matters.


• ASO relationship: Owns the relationship with the ASO and upholds ASO contractual service standards, leading performance reviews, issue escalation, and service-level discussions, and managing the division of responsibilities with the ASO.


• Benchmarking: Benchmarks the U.S. benefits portfolio and develops recommendations on plan design, cost, and policy for the Total Rewards Leadership in support of the company benefits strategy.


• Leads renewal analysis with the ASO and broker partners, models plan design and cost scenarios, and presents renewal and plan-change recommendations to HR leadership.


• Open enrollment: Owns end-to-end delivery of the annual enrollment program, defining the enrollment plan, timeline, and communication approach, directing the ASO and vendors through execution, and establishing the decision guidelines for qualifying life event and status change handling.


• Compliance: Owns the U.S. benefits compliance calendar, working with the ASO and plan advisors to confirm that filings, nondiscrimination testing, and retirement plan operations meet requirements, and proposes procedure changes in response to new regulations.


• Audit: Establishes audit protocols and data-integrity standards for benefits records and for the feeds between the human resources information system (HRIS), the ASO, and carriers, and oversees billing and reconciliation controls to resolve escalated financial discrepancies affecting benefit cost accuracy.


• Leave administration: Establishes leave administration procedures and decision guidelines under U.S. federal and state leave laws and company policy, and resolves the most involved leave and accommodation cases with the ASO.


• Escalation: Serves as the final internal escalation point for U.S. benefit issues, guiding other benefits specialists and setting the service standards and response guidelines the team follows.


• Challenges senior stakeholders, questions existing processes, and takes ownership of change initiatives, making timely policy recommendations from limited information in a fast-moving environment.

Job requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.


• Minimum 8 years of experience administering benefit programs, including open enrollment and renewal and guiding other specialists.


• Experience managing fully-managed U.S. benefits programs delivered through a ASO, including co-employment responsibilities. Experience on an in-house benefits team and experience transitioning from a ASO to self-managed programs preferred.


• Strong vendor management skills, including experience as the primary contact and relationship owner for a principal vendor and the third parties it engages, holding vendors to service standards, and leading issue escalation and service-level discussions.


• Experience benchmarking benefits against the high-tech market and developing plan design, cost, and policy recommendations for senior HR leadership.


• Experience owning benefits compliance and filings (e.g., ACA, ERISA, Form 5500, COBRA, nondiscrimination testing) and setting benefits administration procedures.


• Ability to work with a high degree of autonomy, make policy recommendations from limited information within tight timeframes, and influence and challenge senior stakeholders.


• Experience using an HRIS, benefits administration system, payroll system, spreadsheet software with advanced functions, and reporting or analytics tools.


• Certified Employee Benefit Specialist (CEBS), SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP), Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), or similar certification preferred.


• Operates with a high degree of autonomy, making sound policy recommendations from limited information within tight timeframes in a fast-moving environment, and, as part of the wider Total Rewards team, challenges senior stakeholders, questions existing processes, and takes ownership of change initiatives.

Pay Transparency

We offer competitive compensation and benefits packages. Actual compensation will be determined based on job-related factors, including experience, skills, qualifications, the level at which the candidate is hired, and geographic location, consistent with applicable law.

Base Compensation Range

$140,000 — $180,000 USD

Benefits & Perks:

• Competitive compensation


• Career growth and learning opportunities


• Flexibility and ownership


• Collaborative and innovative culture


• Opportunity to work on impactful AI projects


• International environment and talented teams

What's it like to work at Nebius:

Fast moving- Bold thinking- Constant growth- Meaningful impact- Trust and real ownership- Opportunity to shape the future of AI

Equal Opportunity Statement:

Nebius is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace and to providing equal employment opportunities in all aspects of employment. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, ancestry, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Applicants must be authorized to work in the country in which they apply and will be required to provide proof of employment eligibility as a condition of hire.

If you need accommodations during the application process, please let us know.