Global Benefits & Leave Strategy Leader

Harvey; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 227,000 - 341,000; Full time

Job summary

Harvey is seeking a Director of Global Benefits to own the company’s benefits and leave strategy end to end as we scale across markets. You’ll build the philosophy, design programs, and lead the global benefits team, collaborating with People Operations, Payroll, Finance, Legal, and Recruiting.

You will drive annual cycles, ensure compliance, and steward the benefits budget, using data and AI to improve outcomes while maintaining a strong employee experience.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in benefits, including 3+ years leading a team.
• Deep US benefits expertise across health and welfare plan design, 401(k), leave, and compliance (ERISA, ACA, COBRA, HIPAA, FMLA and state equivalents).
• Real international experience: designed or administered benefits in EMEA and/or APAC.
• Strategic and hands-on: present plan-design recommendations to executives and untangle Workday eligibility rules.
• Vendor and broker management: run RFPs, negotiated renewals, and held partners accountable globally.
• Financial fluency: build and defend a benefits budget, model cost scenarios, explain tradeoffs.
• Exceptional communication: translate complexity into clarity for employees and leadership.
• Builder mentality: energized by ambiguity and by programs that don’t exist yet.
• AI experience: using AI tools to streamline benefits work.

Responsibilities

• Define Harvey's global benefits and leave philosophy, including what global consistency means as we enter new markets.
• Lead plan design and redesign across the US and international footprint (10+ markets), balancing employee impact, competitiveness, and cost.
• Build a program roadmap and business case for benefits, wellness, and leave with benchmarking and market data.
• Grow and develop the global benefits team across the US and EMEA, setting priorities and raising the operating bar.
• Set standards for service delivery: response times, escalation, and use AI to manage volume without compromising experience.
• Ensure benefits are legible with clear, localized communication and strong collaboration with Recruiting.

Skills

Benefits leadership

US benefits expertise

International experience

Strategic and hands-on

Vendor management

Financial fluency

Executive communication

Builder mindset

AI in HR/Benefits

Tools

Workday

AI tools

Job description

Harvey is seeking a Director of Global Benefits to own the company’s benefits and leave strategy end to end as we scale across markets. You’ll build the philosophy, design programs, and lead the global benefits team, collaborating with People Operations, Payroll, Finance, Legal, and Recruiting.

You will drive annual cycles, ensure compliance, and steward the benefits budget, using data and AI to improve outcomes while maintaining a strong employee experience.