Director, Benefits and Leave Administration

Job Title: Director, Benefits and Leave Administration

Location: Irvine, CA (Hybrid; onsite preference 4 days/week)

Employment Type: Direct Hire

Salary: $130,000-$145,000 + 20% bonus

Our client, a leading North American employer with a workforce of more than 300,000 employees across the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico, is seeking a strategic and experienced Director of Benefits & Leave Administration to lead health and welfare benefits, leave programs, compliance, and team development in a highly complex, multi-state environment.

This is a high-impact leadership opportunity for a benefits professional who thrives in large-scale organizations and enjoys balancing strategy, compliance, operations, vendor management, and people leadership.

This position supports a highly complex benefits operation that includes multiple employee populations, union and non-union workforces, leave administration programs, and extensive compliance requirements across North America.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead administration and strategy for health and welfare benefit programs
• Oversee enterprise leave programs, including FMLA, ADA, paid leave, military leave, and state-specific leave laws
• Ensure compliance with ERISA, ACA, COBRA, HIPAA, FMLA, ADA, IRS, and DOL requirements
• Manage Form 5500 filings, audits, reporting, and regulatory compliance activities
• Lead annual renewals, open enrollment, and employee communication initiatives
• Manage relationships with brokers, carriers, TPAs, consultants, and outside counsel
• Analyze claims, utilization, and cost trends to support business decisions
• Provide leadership and mentorship to the benefits and LOA team
• Support benefit-related integrations during mergers and acquisitions
• Partner closely with HR, Finance, Legal, Payroll, and Executive Leadership

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, age, ancestry, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy, or military or veteran status. We consider all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with state and local laws, including the California Fair Chance Act, City of Los Angeles' Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, and Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance.