Senior Benefits Consultant, Health & Welfare Programs

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Job Description

Albemarle is hiring for a Senior Benefits Consultant, Health & Welfare Programs. This position is a hybrid role located in our Charlotte, NC corporate office, requiring an in-office presence Tuesday, Wednesday, & Thursday.

The Senior Benefits Consultant serves as a senior subject matter expert and strategic operator, overseeing the execution, optimization, and evolution of employee benefits service delivery. This role ensures seamless administration of health and welfare programs while driving operational excellence, scalability, and global alignment across the benefits ecosystem. While the role is primarily focused on U.S. programs, it will have opportunities to support and expand into global benefits initiatives.

Operating as a key bridge between strategy and execution, this role translates Total Rewards COE design into scalable processes, governance frameworks, and operational solutions. The Senior Benefits Consultant partners closely with HR Service Delivery, HRIS, Payroll, global HR teams, and external vendors to resolve complex issues, lead process and system improvements, and influence program outcomes.

With deep technical expertise, strong business acumen, and a continuous improvement mindset, this role independently drives solutions to complex challenges and plays a critical role in advancing Albemarle's global benefits strategy and transformation roadmap.

What You Will Do

Benefits Administration & Operational Delivery

• Provide end-to-end ownership and oversight of health & welfare, life and disability, voluntary benefits, wellness programs, time off programs, and Leave of Absence coordination.
• Lead and manage Annual Enrollment execution, including project managing, planning, testing, reconciliation, and continuous improvement.
• Serve as the senior escalation point for complex, high-impact issues requiring advanced SME expertise and cross-functional coordination.
• Independently assess and resolve complex cases spanning carriers, payroll, HRIS, and service delivery teams, ensuring accurate and timely outcomes.
• Establish and maintain robust operating procedures, governance standards, and knowledge frameworks to support scalable and consistent execution.

Vendor Coordination & Issue Resolution

• Act as a primary relationship owner for key benefits vendors, driving accountability for service delivery, SLAs, and performance outcomes.
• Lead vendor issue resolution and influence vendor behavior to improve operational performance and employee experience.
• Partner with Total Rewards COE to shape vendor strategies, program enhancements, and plan changes, ensuring alignment with business objectives.
• Identify and drive vendor optimization opportunities, including service model improvements and cost efficiencies.

Compliance, Governance & Quality Assurance

• Provide expert oversight of compliance and governance, ensuring adherence to ERISA, ACA, COBRA, HIPAA, FMLA, and internal standards.
• Lead support for audits, regulatory activities, and compliance reviews, proactively identifying and mitigating risk.
• Establish and monitor quality assurance processes, controls, and governance routines across benefits operations.
• Ensure consistent handling of high-impact or sensitive issues in alignment with enterprise standards.

Data Integrity, Reporting & Analytics

• Own data integrity across benefits systems, ensuring accuracy across HRIS, payroll, vendor interfaces, and case management tools.
• Analyze and interpret data to identify patterns, root causes, and opportunities for improvement, translating insights into actionable solutions.
• Partner with HRIS and Service Delivery to design and enhance dashboards, reporting, and data governance controls.
• Drive improvements in data processes to minimize risk and improve decision-making.

Project Implementation, Automation & Continuous Improvement

• Lead and support benefits implementations, system enhancements, and cross-functional transformation initiatives.
• Identify opportunities to simplify processes, reduce manual effort, and scale operations through automation and digital enablement.
• Apply strong project leadership to requirements gathering, solution design, testing, and operational transition.
• Ensure new programs and enhancements are fully operationalized with clear ownership, workflows, and change management.

Global Collaboration & Alignment

• Serve as a key partner in global benefits alignment, ensuring consistency in approach while respecting local requirements.
• Collaborate across regions to harmonize processes, share best practices, and scale solutions globally.
• Represent benefits operations in cross-functional and global forums, influencing decisions and driving alignment across stakeholders.

What You Bring

Required Experience & Skills

• Bachelor's degree required.
• 7+ years of experience in benefits operations, vendor management, or total rewards administration.
• Deep knowledge of U.S. health and welfare programs and regulatory requirements (ERISA, COBRA, HIPAA, FMLA, ACA, ADA).
• Demonstrated ability to lead through complex problem solving, including issues spanning multiple systems, vendors, and stakeholders.
• Advanced analytical skills, including experience working with large datasets, reconciliations, and root cause analysis.

Preferred

Experience & Skills

• CEBS, SHRM-CP, or similar certifications preferred.
• Strong operational and systems expertise across HRIS, vendor platforms, and service delivery tools.
• Proven ability to work independently with broad direction, developing solutions to complex and ambiguous problems.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills, with the ability to engage senior stakeholders and external partners effectively.
• Demonstrated experience leading initiatives or key workstreams in a matrixed or shared services environment.
• Strong process orientation with a continuous improvement mindset and comfort challenging the status quo.
• Experience with automation, digital enablement, or transformation initiatives.
• Exposure to global benefits programs and multi-country environments.
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Benefits of Joining Albemarle

• Competitive compensation

• Comprehensive benefits package

• A diverse array of resources to support you professionally and personally.

We are partners to one another in pioneering new ways to be better for ourselves, our teams, and our communities. When you join Albemarle, you become our most essential element and you can anticipate competitive compensation, a comprehensive benefits package, and resources that foster your well-being and fuel your personal growth. Help us shape the future, build with purpose and grow together.