Director, Health & Benefits

utzexternalcareer1; Hanover (York County); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

401(k) match

Profit sharing

Employee stock purchase plan

Vision and dental plans

Job summary

Utz Quality Foods in Hanover, PA seeks a Director of Health & Benefits to shape the multi-state benefits program, balancing affordability, compliance, and employee experience. You will set strategy, govern medical, pharmacy, dental, vision, disability, life, and wellness programs.

In this enterprise leadership role, you’ll partner with HR, Finance, Legal, and Audit to translate data into executive decisions, lead vendor governance, and build a scalable benefits operating model with a strong

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive benefits or total rewards leadership, including enterprise strategy and governance.
• Hands-on experience with self-insured medical plans, stop-loss programs, and multi-year cost forecasting/budgeting.
• Proven ability to lead vendor strategy (RFPs, selection, contracting, and performance management).
• Experience leading benefits compliance and risk oversight (ERISA, ACA, COBRA, HIPAA) in a multi-state environment.
• Public company experience is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Set and evolve multi-year health & welfare strategy aligned to workforce needs and financial goals.
• Own plan design across medical, pharmacy, dental, vision, disability, life, and voluntary benefits; evaluate new programs.
• Lead benefits financials and forecasting and drive cost-containment initiatives.
• Partner with Finance on self-insured plan performance and premium funding decisions.
• Use claims and vendor data to inform executive-ready recommendations.
• Ensure governance and compliance across ERISA, ACA, COBRA, HIPAA; manage plan documents and notices with Legal.
• Lead vendor governance end-to-end including RFPs, contracting, renewals, and performance management.
• Build a scalable benefits operating model and lead a high-performing team.

Skills

Benefits strategy

Executive communication

Financial modeling

Vendor governance

Leadership

Data interpretation

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR/Business/Finance

Master's degree preferred

Tools

Excel

HRIS

Data analytics tools

Job description

Utz Quality Foods is seeking a Director, Health & Benefits to join our team in Hanover, PA. This role will help shape the benefits experience for employees across multiple states—balancing innovation, affordability, compliance, and a great employee experience. In this enterprise leadership role, you’ll set the strategy and governance for our health and welfare programs—medical, pharmacy, dental, vision, disability, life, voluntary benefits, and wellness—ensuring they stay competitive, compliant, scalable, and financially sustainable.

You’ll operate above day-to-day administration, partnering closely with HR, Finance, Legal, and Audit to make data-backed recommendations on cost, risk, and program performance—and to translate complex insights into clear executive decisions.

What you’ll do

• Set and evolve the multi-year health & welfare strategy aligned to workforce needs, business priorities, and financial goals.
• Own plan design across medical, pharmacy, dental, vision, disability, life, voluntary benefits, and wellness; evaluate new programs and point solutions.
• Lead benefits financials and forecasting (trend analysis, annual budget, multi-year projections) and drive cost-containment initiatives.
• Partner with Finance on self-insured plan performance, stop-loss strategy/recoveries, and premium funding decisions.
• Use claims, utilization, and vendor performance data to identify trends, opportunities, and executive-ready recommendations.
• Ensure enterprise governance and compliance across ERISA, ACA, COBRA, HIPAA, FMLA/state leave, and ADA; steward plan documents, SPDs, notices, and audits in partnership with Legal.
• Lead vendor governance end-to-end, including RFPs, selection, contracting, renewals, and performance management.
• Build a scalable benefits operating model: lead and develop the team, and oversee communications and open enrollment governance.

What you’ll bring

Education

• Bachelor’s degree required (Human Resources, Business, Finance, or related field); advanced degree preferred.

Experience

• 10+ years of progressive benefits or total rewards leadership, including enterprise strategy and governance.
• Hands-on experience with self-insured medical plans, stop-loss programs, and multi-year cost forecasting/budgeting.
• Proven ability to lead vendor strategy (RFPs, selection, contracting, and performance management) and drive outcomes through strong negotiation.
• Experience leading benefits compliance and risk oversight (ERISA, ACA, COBRA, HIPAA) in a multi-state environment.
• Public company experience is a plus.

Skills & strengths

• Deep expertise in benefits strategy, plan design, financial modeling, and vendor governance.
• Executive-level communication and presence; able to translate complex data into clear insights and recommendations.
• Strong analytical capability, including interpreting claims/utilization data and using reporting tools to monitor trends and performance.
• Proven people leadership and change management; ability to build scalable operating models and governance routines.
• High integrity and discretion with sensitive employee, financial, and health information; strong judgment and risk orientation.

Here at Utz, we have a passion for exciting and delighting consumers with delicious snack foods made from high quality ingredients. After over a century with a strong family heritage, our diverse portfolio of brands includes Utz, Zapp’s, Boulder Canyon, and On the Border. Our associates are the reason for the success of this company, so it is important we provide a supportive, caring and inclusive environment that offers opportunities for career growth and advancement. We also help take care of our associates by providing benefits, resources, and programs that ensure they live their healthiest lives. Our full-time benefit package includes medical, dental, and vision plans, an employer match 401k, profit sharing plan, employee stock purchase plan and much more. Join our world class team and help us become the fastest growing pure-play U.S. snacking company of scale!

Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.