Benefits Manager

About the Role

The Benefits Manager is responsible for the strategic design, administration and continuous improvement of the organization’s benefit programs. This role ensures these programs are competitive, compliant, employee-centered and aligned with organizational goals that enhance attraction, retention, engagement and overall workforce well-being. The position oversees the full lifecycle of benefits administration, including health and welfare plans, retirement programs, leave and vendor management. This role partners closely with HR leadership, payroll, legal, finance, management and external vendors to ensure seamless integration of benefits and leave processes across the organization. The Benefits Manager also plays a key role in process optimization, system implementation and integration efforts, data analysis, and guides the development of communication and education strategies to improve understanding and utilization of benefits resources.

What You'll Bring

Minimum Education

• Bachelor's Degree Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university in Human Resources, Business, Information Systems or related area of study required. (Required)
• Master's Degree (Preferred)

Minimum Work Experience

• 5 years of progressive compensation and benefits experience and at least 3 years of which includes leading teams. (Required)

Required Skills/Knowledge

• Strong knowledge of multi state leave laws and a demonstrated understanding of state and local leave requirements with the ability to interpret, apply and operationalize evolving legislation across a multi state workforce.
• Superior analytical, quantitative analysis and project management skills
• Excellent problem-solving skills and continuous process improvement orientation
• Excellent planning, time management, written and verbal communication skills, decision-making, presentation, organization and interpersonal skills
• Must possess the ability to establish, develop and maintain relationships with all employee levels
• Ability to establish and manage client relationships
• Ability to lead a team of 3+ individuals to deliver results
• Ability to adapt to different communication styles
• Expertise in reward technology platforms, managing the vendor and ensuring users are leveraging the technology to the fullest extent possible
• Advanced negotiation skills to enable optimal vendor selection with favorable terms to meet organizational needs
• Proficiency in MS Excel, (pivot tables, vlook-ups, etc.)

Benefits Strategy, Systems & Administration

• Design, implement and manage comprehensive benefits programs including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, leave and disability, and retirement plans.
• Oversee leave administration programs including (but not limited to), paid family and medical leave programs, FMLA, short- & long-term disability and ensure consistent application and interpretation of policies, practices, and regulatory requirements across the organization. Ensures accurate coordination between leave administration, payroll, timekeeping and benefits continuation processes.
• Evaluate plan effectiveness, utilization, and cost trends; recommend enhancements aligned with workforce needs.
• Leads annual open enrollment, including planning, vendor coordination, systems readiness, testing, communication strategy and execution.
• Partner with stakeholders such as HRIS, IT, Payroll, etc. to ensure accurate configuration and integration of benefit programs within HR systems and timekeeping platforms.
• Support system implementations, upgrades, testing, and process redesign initiatives impacting benefits and leave administration.
• Work closely with brokers, vendors, and internal stakeholders to optimize plan offerings and cost efficiency.

Compliance & Risk Management

• Ensure compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local regulations (e.g. FMLA, ADA, HIPAA, ERISA, COBRA)
• Maintain plan documents, SPDs, and required filings.
• Partner with Legal and HR leadership to mitigate risk and ensure policy alignment.

Team & Vendor Management

• Provides leadership, coaching, and direction to the benefits team members.
• Manage vendor relationships, performance, and contract negotiations. Reviews and monitors invoices, reporting and financial performance metrics.
• Builds strong partnerships and ensures coordination across HR, payroll, legal and Finance teams.

Benefits That Support You

• Comprehensive health coverage, including medical, prescription, infertility, and transgender health services.
• Generous paid time off, including vacation accrual from day one, sick leave, holidays, and a personal day.
• Financial wellness support, including a 401(k) plan and healthcare and dependent care spending accounts.
• Employer-paid life, AD&D, and long-term disability coverage, with optional supplemental plans.
• Additional perks, including tuition assistance, fitness resources, employee assistance, commuter benefits, and more.

Why Join Us

• Nationally Recognized Excellence – Consistently ranked among the Top 10 Children’s Hospitals in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.
• Leading Pediatric Care – One of the largest and most comprehensive children’s hospitals in the country, offering nationally ranked specialties and cutting-edge treatments.
• Innovation & Research – A premier academic medical center with a strong commitment to pediatric research, education, and advancing the future of child health.
• Mission-Driven Culture – Dedicated to providing family-centered care while fostering a collaborative, supportive environment for clinical teams.

The disclosed salary range includes the minimum and maximum rates within which Children’s National believes an individual’s base pay rate will fall for this position. It is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the maximum of the pay range. The exact pay rate for this position will be based on a variety of factors in alignment with the Children’s National compensation philosophy. These factors are legitimate and non-discriminatory including, but not limited to, the current market conditions; organizational needs; the individual’s combination of prior work experience, level of education, knowledge, skills, and other qualifications. Children’s National is committed to providing a fair and competitive total rewards package to each of our employees. This base salary range does not include our comprehensive benefits package or any additional compensation for which this position may be eligible.

Childrens National Hospital is an equal opportunity employer that evaluates qualified applicants without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, marital status, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender, identity, or other characteristics protected by law. The “Know Your Rights” poster is available here: and the pay transparency policy is available here: Know Your RightsPay Transparency Nondiscrimination Poster.

Please note that it is the policy of Children's National Hospital to ensure a “drug-free” work environment: a workplace free from the illegal use, possession or distribution of controlled substances (as defined in the Controlled Substances Act), or the misuse of legal substances, by all staff (management, employees and contractors). Though recreational and medical marijuana are now legal in the District of Columbia, Children's National and its affiliates maintain the right, in accordance with our policy, to enforce a drug-free workplace, including prohibiting recreational or prescribed marijuana.