Global Benefits & Well-Being Strategy Director

The Cigna Group; St. Louis (MO); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

The Cigna Group in the United States is seeking a Benefits Director to lead strategy, evolution, and delivery of a complex benefits portfolio across a diverse workforce. This is a high-visibility leadership role shaping enterprise decisions and the future of benefits.

Reporting to the Head of Global Benefits and Well-being, you will guide strategy, manage a high-performing team, and deliver measurable business and workforce outcomes, ensuring an exceptional employee experience.

Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years of progressive experience in employee benefits, total rewards, or health and welfare programs.
• Minimum 5 years leading benefits strategy in mid-sized to large or complex organizations with deep knowledge of U.S. health and welfare programs.
• Experience influencing senior leaders and presenting recommendations that drive business decisions.
• Experience supporting global benefits programs, expatriate programs, retiree benefits, mergers and acquisitions, or large-scale benefits transformations.
• Strong expertise in benefits financial management, including budgeting, forecasting, cost management, and business case development.
• Experience managing benefits vendors, strategic partnerships, and contractual relationships.
• Working knowledge of benefits compliance and regulatory requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to lead through ambiguity, solve complex challenges, and drive strategic initiatives from concept through execution.
• Proven people leadership experience with a track record of developing high-performing teams.
• Exceptional communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the design, administration, and execution of health, welfare, and time away programs.
• Partner with the Head of Global Benefits and Well-being to develop and execute a multi-year benefits strategy that aligns with enterprise, workforce, and talent priorities.
• Lead a complex health, welfare, and time away portfolio, ensuring programs remain competitive, effective, compliant, and aligned with employee needs.
• Evaluate program performance using financial, utilization, market, and employee experience data to identify opportunities, improve outcomes, and optimize investments.
• Build business cases and recommendations that balance employee experience, affordability, operational effectiveness, and risk management.
• Partner with Legal, HR, Operations, and business leaders to guide benefits strategy, investment decisions, and governance.
• Partner with internal business and product teams to identify, assess, and scale pilots and new solutions aligned with the benefits strategy and workforce needs.
• Drive innovation by assessing emerging trends, technologies, and solutions that enhance employee well-being and organizational performance.
• Lead benefits-related activities associated with mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, and other enterprise transformations.
• Oversee annual enrollment strategy and execution, ensuring operational readiness, effective communications, and a seamless employee experience.
• Establish and manage vendor partnerships, including selection, contracting, performance management, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Ensure compliance with applicable benefits regulations and requirements while proactively addressing evolving risks.
• Lead executive, Board, and governance reporting, translating complex information into clear business insights and recommendations.
• Develop and execute benefit communication strategies that help employees understand and maximize available programs.
• Lead resolution of complex or high-impact issues, identify root causes, and implement sustainable improvements.
• Build, coach, and develop a high-performing team while fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, innovation, and continuous growth.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic thinking

Stakeholder management

Communication skills

People leadership

Presentation skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR/Business

Master's degree

CEBS certification

Job description

The Cigna Group in the United States is seeking a Benefits Director to lead strategy, evolution, and delivery of a complex benefits portfolio across a diverse workforce. This is a high-visibility leadership role shaping enterprise decisions and the future of benefits.

Reporting to the Head of Global Benefits and Well-being, you will guide strategy, manage a high-performing team, and deliver measurable business and workforce outcomes, ensuring an exceptional employee experience.