Benefits Program Manager

About the Role

The Benefits Program Manager will serve a pivotal strategic function across the EMEA region, shaping the future landscape of employee benefits offerings. This role is dedicated to delivering programs that attract and keep top talent while enabling employees to perform at their best, fully aligned with the company’s core strategic priorities. Acting as the regional expert, the manager must harmonize an employee-focused experience with effective cost management by employing innovative strategies, financial insight, and modern technology. This position presents a unique opportunity to grow within a global strategic capacity by managing vendor relations, mitigating cross-functional risks, and continuously enhancing processes.

Key Responsibilities

• Create and execute benefits programs reflecting company values, goals, and market trends.
• Develop clear and impactful communication plans to articulate benefits program value and changes to employees.
• Establish and maintain efficient delivery models for benefit plans, ensuring a high-quality employee experience through technology and external or internal support.
• Oversee vendor and broker partnerships, including contract negotiations and performance evaluations.
• Collaborate closely with People Operations, Payroll, HRIS, IT, and other units to implement benefits programs operationally.
• Provide guidance on employee-related benefits escalations to People Operations and Services teams.
• Ensure compliance with benefits regulations and manage risks, including local reporting, audits, and retirement committees.
• Analyze benefits data to continuously improve programs and inform decision making.
• Lead and contribute to global initiatives aimed at elevating the benefits function within the organization.

Required Qualifications and Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business, or a related field, or equivalent experience providing theoretical and practical knowledge relevant to the responsibilities.
• Minimum seven years of professional experience in benefits or human resources roles.
• In-depth knowledge of global statutory benefits and relevant government regulations such as EEOC, ADA, HIPAA, and GDPR.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with a customer-oriented and collaborative approach.
• Expertise in designing and managing benefits programs, including healthcare, risk, retirement, and leave benefits, with awareness of market trends.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills to effectively explain program details to employees.
• Proven negotiation abilities and experience managing vendor contracts and relationships.
• Skilled in leading change management for benefits program updates.
• High attention to detail and accuracy.
• Proficient in using data to drive benefits program decisions.
• Strong cultural sensitivity and the ability to appreciate diverse employee backgrounds.
• Capacity to balance empathy toward employees’ needs with organizational goals and constraints.
• Sound financial literacy relevant to benefits program management.
• Experience in process design related to benefits administration.
• Familiarity with HRIS and benefits administration platforms.
• Ability to adapt flexibly to shifting priorities in a dynamic industry environment.
• A growth mindset and openness to continuous learning.
• Global thinking with local execution capabilities for managing benefits programs across markets.
• Competency in analyzing complex datasets to extract meaningful insights.
• Innovative problem-solving approach.

Additional Information

Zendesk is a leading software company dedicated to improving customer relationships globally and supports over 100,000 paying customers in more than 150 countries. The company advocates for inclusivity and equal opportunity, welcoming applicants from all backgrounds and identities. Employee data privacy is respected per Zendesk's policies.

The Poland-based equivalent annual base salary ranges from 190000 to 286000 PLN, with actual compensation tailored to qualifications and experience. Please note this position qualifies for bonuses, benefits, and other incentives discussed during hiring.

Zendesk embraces a hybrid working model to blend remote flexibility with collaborative office engagement. Reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities are available upon request. This role may be subject to AI-assisted application screening following applicable laws and internal guidelines.