The Director of Benefits and Wellness plans, coordinates, and administers all university employee benefit programs for faculty and staff, including competitive health and welfare coverage, wellness and employee assistance programs, tuition benefits, and retirement/pension benefit programs, ensuring consistency with university goals. This position also provides recommendations to promote the effective, efficient, and compliant administration of employee benefits and reports directly to the Associate Vice President for Human Resources as a member of the HR leadership team.

Bachelors Degree, preferably in human resource management, business administration or a related field.
Six years of administrative work experience in human resources.
Three years of experience in benefit administration.
Knowledge of regulations and compliance requirements related to benefits administration.
Demonstrated strong organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
Demonstrated ability to lead and supervise the work of others.
Excellent communication skills including the ability to establish and maintain positive interpersonal relationships and work with diverse clientele within a unionized environment.
Demonstrated proficiency with spreadsheets, current office software such as Microsoft Office, and various software applications.
Ability to perform the essential functions of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation.

Certification in a professional HR program such as CEBS, CBP, GBA, RPA, or PHR/SPHR, etc.
Experience with self-funded benefits programs.
Experience working in a higher education environment.
Experience working with HR information systems.

Manages the administration of all university employee benefit programs including regular evaluation and analysis of programs and services.
Works with CMUs external benefit consultant, Marsh McLennan Agency (MMA), to develop and maintain productive vendor/consultant relationships, ensuring adherence to contracts, satisfactory service delivery and issue resolution, and to assess benefit markets, identifying benefit trends and best practices, evaluating and recommending programs, carriers, and plan designs, along with utilization and claims analysis, developing rate structures and costing.
Collaborates with legal counsel to ensure that CMUs benefits comply with state and federal laws, advising management on changes as necessary.
Prepares benefit documentation such as plan documents and amendments, summary plan descriptions, vendor agreements, etc.
Develops, implements, and evaluates benefits-related policies and procedures.
Oversees the accurate and timely processing of third-party billing payments including auditing, overseeing reconciliation of benefit accounts, resolution of discrepancies, and managing reserve fund assets.
Manages annual open enrollment including communications, presentations, coordination with collective bargaining, and enrollment processes.
Designs and facilitates the new employee benefit orientation process, educating employees on benefit programs, policies, and procedures.
Leads and facilitates CMUs Health Care Committee, participates with the Michigan Universities Coalition on Health (MUCH) purchasing coalition, and coordinates the Retirement Investment Advisory Committee.
Manages and supervises the benefits & wellness team, fostering a culture of collaboration and strong customer-service orientation.
Develops goals and provides direction to staff completing daily responsibilities and promotes/encourages staff professional development.
Maintains the Benefits & Wellness unit budget and improves processes and efficiencies as necessary.
Ensures that comprehensive employee benefit records and files are maintained in a systematic, confidential format.
Serves on the HR Leadership team, collaborating with other HR leaders to advance the goals and objectives of Benefits & Wellness in accordance with university goals, applicable university policies, state and federal regulations, and collective bargaining agreements.
Performs other duties as assigned.

Supervisors are expected to support the Leadership Standards of Central Michigan University and foster a culture that inspires excellence. The Leadership Standards define how we lead and treat others in our teams. As leaders, it is our responsibility to seek input from our teams to continuously improve leadership abilities and demonstration of the standards. Additionally, it is our responsibility to encourage and support the growth and development of those whom we lead. At CMU, we encourage employees to grow both personally and professionally, and thus advance CMUs culture of excellence.

Central Michigan University has a more than 125-year legacy of preparing students to become leaders and changemakers in their communities and in their personal and professional lives.

We serve nearly 15,500 students on our Mount Pleasant campus, in satellite locations around the state and throughout the country, and through flexible online programs. Many of our approximately 300 undergraduate, masters, specialist and doctoral programs in the arts, media, business, education, human services, health professions, liberal arts, social sciences, medicine, science and engineering are nationally ranked for excellence.

CMU leads the nation in leadership development programming through our Sarah R. Opperman Leadership Institute, and we are proud to be among only 5% of U.S. universities in the top two Carnegie research classifications. Our faculty work with graduate and undergraduate students in areas such as Great Lakes research, medical innovation, engineering technology and more.

Central is home to 17 mens and womens Division 1 sports including football, basketball, gymnastics, baseball, wrestling and more. Our student-athletes achieve great success in competition and in the classroom, capturing Mid-American Conference championships and maintaining an average cumulative GPA of 3.17.

CMU is located in Mount Pleasant, a community that blends the best of small-town living with big-city amenities. Its part of the culturally varied and vibrant Great Lakes Bay Region that also includes Saginaw, Bay City, Midland and the states largest Native American community, centered on the Saginaw Chippewa Isabella Reservation in Mount Pleasant.

Area residents enjoy the mix of outdoor activities, cultural events, shopping and dining options, and family attractions. Other major Michigan destinations and attractions - Lansing, Grand Rapids, Detroit, Traverse City, wineries, beaches, golf and ski resorts, and many more - are within easy reach of the citys central location in Michigans Lower Peninsula.

CMU employees enjoy access to a nationally recognized wellness program along with health care and benefits that exceed regional, state and national norms.

Central Michigan University is a place where we value students and work for their success, where we act as family, and where employees are engaged, appreciated and have extraordinary opportunities to make a difference.

We intentionally maintain and strengthen the hallmark CMU culture that sets us apart from our peers by expecting CMU leaders and employees to model the following Leadership Standards and develop them within their teams.

Please review the Leadership Standards before applying for this position.

Central Michigan University is dedicated to fostering a broadly diverse and inclusive campus that respects all social identities, experiences, and perspectives. In an effort to further this initiative, we are especially interested in candidates who will advance and promote an inclusive and supportive environment for every member of our university community.

You must submit an on-line application in order to be considered as an applicant for this position.

Cover letters may be addressed to the Hiring Committee.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit recommendation letters.

Supervisors are expected to support the Leadership Standards of Central Michigan University and foster a culture that inspires excellence. Please review the Leadership Standards before applying for this position.