Director Health Benefits
Alaska Airlines
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Benefits offered by this job
Job summary
Alaska Airlines seeks a strategic Director of Health Benefits to shape enterprise-wide health programs and lead a multi-disciplinary team. You will partner with Legal, Risk, Finance, Leaves, and other HR functions to design compliant, cost-effective benefits aligned with organizational goals.
You will guide long-term strategy, manage multi-million-dollar budgets, and drive improvements in employee experience through data-driven insights and vendor partnerships, while ensuring compliance with
Qualifications
- 8 years in health benefits or related HR function
- 5 years of leadership, with 2+ years leading people
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent training/experience
- Deep knowledge of health benefits regulations (ACA, HIPAA, ERISA) and workers’ compensation laws
- Proven ability to lead strategic initiatives, manage budgets, influence senior stakeholders
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills across stakeholders
- Minimum age 18 and U.S. work authorization
Responsibilities
- Set long-term health benefits strategy with 12+ month horizon
- Drive cost containment and improve employee experience through data insights and vendor partnerships
- Lead in difficult conversations and drive timely, effective decisions
- Provide strategic recommendations to enterprise leaders on program design and compliance
- Oversee design, implementation, and continuous improvement of health benefits programs
- Ensure compliance with federal and state regulations and manage risk and costs
- Develop and manage multi-discipline budgets and vendor contracts
- Collaborate with Leaves, Accommodations and Disability, Legal, Risk, Finance
- Monitor regulatory changes and ensure compliant program design
- Prepare annual audits and assess financial risks and compliance
- Lead change management and drive enterprise-wide initiatives
- Foster collaboration across cross-functional leaders and teams
- Develop people through performance management and feedback
- Advance strategic thinking, talent development, and succession planning
Skills
Education
Job description
Alaska Airlines
Guided by our purpose, core values, and leadership principles, we are creating an airline people love. Our corporate teams set the strategies and operational plans to ensure the success of our company. Whether we use our expertise in accounting, human resources, finance, planning, legal, marketing, or any of our operational divisions, our shared passion for travel and our guests is what motivates us to achieve excellence each day. If you share our passion for creating an airline people love, we want to hear from you.
The Director of Health Benefits is a strategic leader responsible for setting the vision, direction, and execution of enterprise-wide global health benefits programs. This role leads a team of people leaders across multiple disciplines and partners closely with cross-functional stakeholders to ensure programs are equitable, cost-effective, and aligned with organizational goals.
- Set long-term strategy for global health benefits with a 12+ month horizon, ensuring alignment with enterprise priorities and workforce needs.
- Drive program evolution by identifying opportunities for cost containment, operational efficiency, and improved employee experience through data driven insights and strategic vendor partnerships.
- Demonstrate courageous leadership by engaging in difficult conversations, challenging the status quo, and making timely, effective decisions that advance program goals and organizational priorities.
- Influence within own area and provide strategic recommendations to enterprise leaders on program design, vendor partnerships, and compliance.
- Oversee the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of health benefits programs.
- Ensure compliance with federal and state regulations, and proactively manage risk and cost containment strategies.
- Develop and manage budgets across multiple disciplines, including vendor contracts, program costs, and administrative expenses.
- Partners closely with the Director Leaves, Accommodations and Disability to ensure programs are efficient and effective.
- Partner with Legal, Risk, Finance, and other HR functions to ensure integrated and compliant program delivery.
- Keep up to date with changing regulations to ensure compliance and program design.
- Understand risks and program elements in order to successfully complete annual audits ensuring accuracy, financial risks and compliance.
- Monitor financial performance and identify opportunities for cost optimization without compromising employee experience.
- Establish frameworks and processes that enable scalability, efficiency, and innovation.
- Direct strategic initiatives and lead change management efforts to ensure successful adoption and measurable outcomes.
- Partner with cross-functional leaders to drive enterprise-wide initiatives and foster collaboration.
- Develop people through effective performance management and ongoing feedback.
- Foster strategic and systems thinking, talent development, and succession planning across teams and disciplines.
- Shape the culture of the team through action, presence, and reinforcement of inclusive and high-performance behaviors.
- 8 years of experience in health benefits, or related HR functions.
- 5 years of leadership experience, with at least 2 of those years directly leading people.
- Bachelor’s degree, or an additional two years of relevant training/experience in lieu of this degree.
- Deep knowledge of health benefits regulations (ACA, HIPAA, ERISA) and workers’ compensation laws.
- Proven ability to lead strategic initiatives, manage complex budgets, and influence senior stakeholders.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build trust and credibility across diverse stakeholders.
- High school diploma or equivalent.
- Minimum age of 18.
- Must be authorized to work in the U.S.
- Proven experience designing and managing large-scale benefits programs and vendor relationships.
- Strong financial acumen with experience managing multi-million-dollar budgets and identifying cost-saving opportunities.
- Demonstrated ability to lead through change, influence at all levels, and drive strategic transformation.
- Comfortable operating in ambiguity and balancing long-term strategy with short-term execution.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build trust and credibility across diverse stakeholders.
- Embody our values to own safety, do the right thing, be caring and kind, and deliver performance.
- Create a culture where all employees feel safe and they belong.
$172,550 - $267,450 / year
$224,316.00 - $347,686.00
The pay range and total target compensation package listed above is the expected pay offered for this position at the start of employment. Your pay will be based on multiple factors, including and not limited to location, your relevant experience/level, experience level, and skillset while balancing internal equity relative to other Alaska/Hawaiian/Horizon employees. Alaska/Hawaiian/Horizon is committed to fair, unbiased compensation along with competitive benefits in all locations in which we operate.
Note: We don't typically hire at the top of the range.
Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and Horizon Air pay and benefits can vary by company, location, number of regularly scheduled hours worked, length of employment, and employment status.
- Free stand-by travel privileges on Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines & Horizon Air with high priority status
- Select number of confirmed travel credits provided annually
- Comprehensive well-being programs including medical, dental and vision benefits
- Generous 401k match program
- Annual bonus plans
- Generous holiday and paid time off
For more information about Alaska/Hawaiian/Horizon Total Rewards please visit our career site and view benefits.
It is the policy of Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and Horizon Air to comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment and to ensure equal opportunity in all terms, conditions, and benefits of employment or potential employment.
We also prohibit discrimination and harassment against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information and other legally protected categories.
We have established an EEO Compliance Program under Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 ("Section 503") and the Vietnam Era Veteran’s Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 ("VEVRAA"). All applicants and employees are treated without regard to their race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. In addition, we have established an audit and reporting system to allow for effective measurement of its equal employment opportunity activities.
- Recruit, hire, train and promote qualified persons in all job titles, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information and any other legally protected categories;
- Ensure that employment decisions are based only on valid job requirements; and
- Ensure that all personnel actions and employment activities such as compensation, benefits, promotions, layoffs, return from layoff, Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and Horizon Air sponsored programs, and tuition assistance will be administered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information and other legally protected categories.
Employees and applicants for employment will not be subjected to harassment, intimidation, threats, coercion or discrimination because they have engaged or may engage in (1) filing a complaint, (2) opposing any act or practice made unlawful by, or exercising any other right protected by, any Federal, State or local law requiring equal opportunity, including Section 503 and the equal opportunity provisions of VEVRAA, or (3) assisting or participating in any investigation, compliance evaluation, hearing, or any other activity related to the administration of any Federal, State or local law requiring equal opportunity.
Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines & Horizon Air are regulated by the Department of Transportation (DOT – regulations, 49 CFR part 40) and all applicants are advised that post-offer and/or pre-employment drug testing will be conducted to determine the presence of marijuana, cocaine, opioids, phencyclidine (PCP) and amphetamines or a metabolite of these drugs prior to any offer or employment or transfer into a safety-sensitive position. Failure to submit to testing or positive indications of drug use will render the applicant ineligible for employment with Alaska Airlines/Hawaiian Airlines/Horizon Air and any employment offer will be withdrawn.
Full-Time
Exempt
Regular
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