Job Description

The Benefits Program Manager will play a strategic role in the EMEA region in shaping the future of our organization’s employee benefits offerings through delivering programs that attract and retain best in class talent, empower our employees to be their best selves, and aligns with the overall strategic objectives of the organization. The ideal candidate will be forward-thinking with strong business and financial acumen, deep understanding of benefits strategy, market trends, and regulatory compliance.

This is an excellent opportunity for a Benefits Program Manager to develop their career in a global strategic role benefitting from a flexible working policy.

In this role you will:

• Design, implement, and oversee employee programs that align with organizational values, goals, strategies and market competitive practices

• Develop and execute employee communication plans on benefit programs and changes that effectively convey the value of programs.

• Design and implement efficient and effective delivery models for benefits programs to deliver consumer grade employee experience, leveraging appropriate internal/ external support and technology.

• Manage relationships with benefit vendors and brokers, including negotiating contracts/renewals and vendor performance monitoring/ review

• Provide leadership and partnership in operationalization of benefits programs with People Operations, Payroll, HRIS, IT and other teams.

• Provide guidance to People Operations/ Services on employee escalations

• Manage compliance and risk management related to benefits programs. including but not limited to related local regulatory reporting, audits, retirement committees.

• Continuous assessment of program effectiveness through benefits data/ analytics to drive program optimization.

• Lead global initiatives across team aimed at elevating Benefits at Zendesk.

To succeed you must have:

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business or a related field OR equivalent experience necessary to obtain theoretical and practical knowledge to successfully fulfill the scope and responsibilities of the position.

• Experience in Benefits or Human Resources demonstrating the ability to perform the role at level, typically seen with 7+ years of professional working experience.

• Knowledge of global statutory benefits requirements.

• Knowledge of global government regulations related to benefits programs, including EEOC, ADA, HIPAA, GDPR requirements.

• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities.

• Excellent interpersonal interaction skills, with a customer-focused and collaborative mindset.

• Strong knowledge of benefits programs design and management including health, risk, retirement, leave, etc. and market trends

• Strong written and verbal communication skills to create a good understanding of programs by employees.

• Strong negotiation skills and experience managing vendor relationships.

• Strong proficiency in leading and implementing change management efforts for benefits programs changes.

• Strong attention to detail.

• Strong proficiency in interpreting/ leveraging data to drive program decisions

• Strong cultural awareness and appreciation for diverse employee backgrounds.

• Ability to balance empathy and understanding of employees’ needs with business goals and objectives.

• Strong financial acumen.

• Proficiency in process design for benefits programs.

• Previous experience in HRIS and benefits administration software

• Adaptable and flexible, with the ability to respond to changing priorities in a fast-moving environment/ industry.

• Strong growth mindset and learning agility

• Ability to think global and act local to effectively drive global initiatives and manage local benefits programs

• Ability to analyze complex data sets and draw key actionable insights

• Holding a creative approach towards problem solving

Hybrid: In this role, our hybrid experience is designed at the team level to give you a rich onsite experience packed with connection, collaboration, learning, and celebration - while also giving you flexibility to work remotely for part of the week. This role must attend our local office for part of the week. The specific in-office schedule is to be determined by the hiring manager.

The intelligent heart of customer experience

Zendesk software was built to bring a sense of calm to the chaotic world of customer service. Today we power billions of conversations with brands you know and love.

Zendesk believes in offering our people a fulfilling and inclusive experience. Our hybrid way of working, enables us to purposefully come together in person, at one of our many Zendesk offices around the world, to connect, collaborate and learn whilst also giving our people the flexibility to work remotely for part of the week.

Zendesk is an equal opportunity employer, and we’re proud of our ongoing efforts to foster global diversity, equity, & inclusion in the workplace. Individuals seeking employment and employees at Zendesk are considered without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, medical condition, ancestry, disability, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We are an AA/EEO/Veterans/Disabled employer. If you are based in the United States and would like more information about your EEO rights under the law, please click here.

Zendesk endeavors to make reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities and disabled veterans pursuant to applicable federal and state law. If you are an individual with a disability and require a reasonable accommodation to submit this application, complete any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participate in the employee selection process, please send an e-mail to peopleandplaces@zendesk.com with your specific accommodation request.