Senior Manager, U.S. Benefits & Retirement

Lonza Group; Morristown (NJ); Hybrid; USD 101,000 - 145,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Agile career culture

Inclusive workplace

Recognition of high performance

Medical, dental, vision; PTO and more

Job summary

Lonza is seeking a Senior Manager for U.S. Benefits & Retirement to lead the comprehensive US health, welfare, and retirement programs from Morristown, NJ, with flexibility for East Coast placement. You will direct a team, manage vendor partnerships, and ensure regulatory compliance across multi-million dollar budgets.

The role emphasizes strategic benefits leadership, open enrollment oversight, and alignment with global benefits objectives, while delivering a superior employee experience.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive employee benefits experience with 5+ years of direct leadership in a multi-site corporate environment.
• Deep expertise spanning Health & Welfare and Retirement/401(k) administration.
• Proven background managing multi-million dollar vendor portfolios, RFPs, and contracts.
• Expert-level understanding of ERISA, ACA, HIPAA, COBRA, FMLA, IRS codes and DOL rules.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a high-performing benefits team; set operational metrics and drive service excellence.
• Oversee medical, dental, vision, life, disability, leave administration and Open Enrollment planning.
• Govern 401(k) and retirement programs; partner with recordkeepers, advisors, trustees, and auditors.
• Manage relationships with insurers, TPAs, brokers, and consultants; lead negotiations and SLA monitoring.
• Analyze claims, usage, and cost trends; collaborate with Finance on budgeting and forecasting.

Skills

Benefits leadership

Total rewards

Vendor management

Regulatory compliance

Financial analysis

Team development

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in HR/Business

CEBS or CBP certifications

Tools

HRIS/payroll systems

Job description

Senior Manager, U.S. Benefits & Retirement

United States, Morristown (New Jersey)

Senior Manager, U.S. Benefits & Retirement

Location: On-Site, Morristown, NJ; Portsmouth, NH; or Walkersville, MD (East Coast locations; flexible on final site placement) relocation and assistance available for eligible candidates and their families, if needed.

Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM (Standard Business Hours).

We are seeking an experienced total rewards leader to join our organization as the Senior Manager, U.S. Benefits & Retirement. Reporting to the Senior Director, Global Benefits, this role provides strategic leadership and operational oversight across our entire U.S. health, welfare, wellness, and retirement portfolio. Operating with broad direction, you will lead a dedicated team of benefits professionals responsible for driving program strategy, maintaining regulatory compliance, managing high-value external vendor partnerships, and optimizing multi-million dollar benefit budgets. This position serves as the key driver for deliverable excellence in employee experience, ensuring our benefit offerings remain competitive, fiscally responsible, and fully integrated with global business objectives.

What will you get? The full-time base annual salary for this position is expected to range between $100,500 to $144,900. Compensation within this range will be determined by the successful candidate’s qualifications, skills, experience, and job-related knowledge. In addition, we offer a comprehensive benefits package:

An agile career and dynamic working culture

An inclusive and ethical workplace

Compensation programs that recognize high performance

Medical, dental and vision insurance, as well as PTO and more

People Leadership & Team Development: Lead, mentor, and build a high-performing team of benefits specialists; establish clear operational metrics, align performance goals, and foster a culture of service excellence and accountability.

Health & Welfare Strategy: Oversee medical, dental, vision, life, disability, voluntary benefits, wellness, and leave administration (FMLA/STD/LTD); direct annual Open Enrollment planning and execution using market benchmarking and employee feedback.

Retirement Program Governance: Drive the operational administration of the company's 401(k) and retirement savings programs; partner with recordkeepers, investment advisors, trustees, and auditors to lead committee governance, annual audits, and regulatory filings.

Vendor & Carrier Management: Oversee strategic relationships with insurance carriers, TPAs, brokers, and consultants; lead RFPs, contract negotiations, and service level agreement (SLA) monitoring to optimize cost-efficiency and quality.

Regulatory Compliance: Guarantee strict adherence to federal, state, and local regulations including ERISA, ACA, HIPAA, COBRA, FMLA, IRS codes, and DOL rules; ensure accurate delivery of required notices, plan documents, and statutory filings.

Financial Management & Analytics: Analyze claims utilization, participation trends, and cost metrics to manage benefits budgets, partner with Finance on forecasting, and recommend risk-mitigated plan design enhancements.

Strategic Initiatives & M&A: Drive large-scale benefit implementations, HRIS/payroll system integrations, and total rewards due diligence/integration workflows during corporate mergers and acquisitions.

What we're looking for:

Experience: 10+ years of progressive employee benefits experience, with a minimum of 5+ years of direct leadership experience managing total rewards/benefits teams inside a multi-site corporate environment.

Broad Benefits Expertise: Deep, verified subject matter expertise spanning both Health & Welfare programs (medical, dental, leaves, open enrollment) and Retirement/401(k) administration.

Vendor & Contract Mastery: Proven background managing multi-million dollar vendor portfolios, leading RFPs, and negotiating carrier contracts and TPAs.

Regulatory Grounding: Expert-level understanding of ERISA, ACA, HIPAA, COBRA, FMLA, IRS, and DOL compliance frameworks.

Analytical Acumen: Strong financial management, data modeling, and project management capabilities to handle complex claims analysis and budget forecasting.

Education: Bachelor's Degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Finance, or a related professional discipline is required.

Certifications: Certified Employee Benefit Specialist (CEBS), Certified Benefits Professional (CBP), or relevant Retirement Plan certifications are strongly preferred.

About Lonza

At Lonza, our people are our greatest strength. With 30+ sites across five continents, our globally connected teams work together every day to manufacture the medicines of tomorrow. Our core values of Collaboration, Accountability, Excellence, Passion and Integrity reflect who we are and how we work together. Everyone's ideas, big or small, have the potential to improve millions of lives, and that's the kind of work we want you to be part of.

Innovation thrives when people from all backgrounds bring their unique perspectives to the table. At Lonza, we offer equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. If you're ready to help turn our customers' breakthrough ideas into viable therapies, we look forward to welcoming you on board.

Reference: R77435

You will feel at home at Lonza if you:

• Take ownership, step forward, and enjoy meaningful responsibility
• Love solving problems and thrive in a complex, fast-moving environment
• Are curious, always looking to learn and improve
• Work collaboratively, contributing to something bigger than yourself
• Are motivated to make a difference through work that impacts customers and their patients

Why Lonza:

We are a place of unique opportunity, where your ideas, expertise and ambition can make a real difference. Here, will have the freedom to grow, the support to succeed and the chance to contribute to work that matters.

We are the makers of the medicines of tomorrow.