Manager, Benefits Operations

At Bristol Myers Squibb, our employees often ask, “Who are you working for?”—a question that fuels collaboration, accountability, and urgency in our work. Our purpose-driven culture inspires us to discover, develop, and deliver innovative medicines to prevail over serious diseases. We offer uniquely interesting and meaningful work, opportunities for growth, and a supportive environment that values inclusion, wellbeing, flexibility, and comprehensive benefits. This is work that transforms the lives of patients, and the careers of those who do it.

Position Summary

The Manager, Benefits Operations is a high-impact member of People Services, accountable for the operational integrity, strategic execution, and continuous improvement of Bristol-Myers Squibb's (BMS) benefits and retirement programmes across EMEA markets. This role holds central responsibility for governing all company-sponsored health, welfare, and wellness benefits — delivering Tier 2 expertise while driving cross-functional alignment with internal partners including Payroll, Communications, HR Business Partners, and Workforce Administration, as well as external stakeholders such as benefit administrators, insurance carriers, vendors, and brokers.

Functioning with a strong degree of autonomy, this role brings deep functional knowledge and a sophisticated understanding of the benefits landscape to resolve complex challenges, lead project initiatives, and elevate operational standards. The Manager applies best practices and awareness of evolving business conditions to shape smarter processes, develop junior colleagues, and deliver measurable value to the organisation.

Key Responsibilities

Programme Governance & Operational Excellence

• Own and govern the end-to-end administration of EMEA benefits programmes — including medical, pensions, dental, vision, life insurance, disability, and wellness — upholding efficiency, compliance, and a high-quality employee experience as the function's second-level authority.
• Serve as the primary subject matter expert and trusted advisor across People Services on all benefits operations matters, providing authoritative guidance to team members and cross-functional partners alike.
• Apply best practices and knowledge of internal and external business issues to continuously enhance programme delivery, service quality, and operational performance.
• Oversee and govern benefit-related operational activities — including eligibility, enrolments, status changes, terminations, claims, provider portal administration, and payment processes — ensuring rigour, accuracy, and compliance at every stage.

Strategy, Planning & Continuous Improvement

• Partner with Benefit Strategists and product design leads to assess the feasibility of proposed programme changes or enhancements; provide informed SME perspective to shape decision-making and support effective operationalisation.
• Lead Annual Enrollment planning and execution; manage renewals, enrolment windows, and annual activity calendars in partnership with internal and external stakeholders.
• Identify and implement process improvements and automation opportunities that reduce manual effort, increase accuracy, and build scalable, future-ready operations.
• Leverage enrolment data, utilisation metrics, employee feedback, and cost analysis to surface meaningful trends and translate them into actionable recommendations that drive programme optimisation and long-term value.
• Interpret, document, and govern benefit plan provisions and operational workflows; ensure Knowledge Articles, work instructions, and employee reference materials are current, accurate, and continuously refined to reflect best practice.

Financial Oversight & Systems

• Establish and maintain strong financial controls over benefit utilisations and vendor payments; oversee purchase order management, invoice processing, auditing, and reconciliation across carriers and vendors.
• Prepare financial reports and programme performance analyses, delivering clear insights into cost trends and opportunities for optimisation.
• Direct the specification, testing, and implementation of system changes and technology enhancements; lead the deployment of BMS benefit plans and platforms with a focus on quality outcomes and operational continuity.
• Coordinate M&A activities within Benefit Operations, including employee data load coordination, enrolment windows, M&A concessions, Prism reporting, and historical archiving requirements.

Stakeholder Partnerships & Talent Development

• Act as the escalation authority for complex and unprecedented benefit issues; deliver well-reasoned, decisive solutions that protect the employee experience and meet organisational needs; utilise ServiceNow to manage and resolve Tier 2 benefit cases to a high standard.
• Cultivate trusted partnerships with internal teams and external providers, fostering collaboration that elevates the overall quality and consistency of benefits service delivery.
• Lead the work of project teams and formally develop junior staff, building functional capability and contributing to a high-performance team culture.
• Collaborate with internal and external partners to design and deliver impactful training resources, webinars, workshops, and communications that drive employee understanding and engagement with BMS benefits offerings.
• Maintain a proactive and informed perspective on regulatory developments, industry trends, and emerging best practices, advising the organisation on implications and appropriate responses.

Requirements

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration or related field, or equivalent experience.
• Professional certifications such as Polskie Stowarzyszenie Zarządzania Kadrami (PSZK) preferred.

Experience:

• Minimum of 7 years of hand on experience in benefits administration.
• Experience with self-insured benefit plans or large, complex benefits programs required; Medicare and retirement knowledge preferred.
• Experience with benefits administration software and HRIS platforms required; familiarity with Workday and Benifex preferred.
• Prior experience implementing new benefit technologies, upgrading systems and operational redesigns strongly preferred.
• Knowledge of HR policies, processes, and regional benefits-related legislation.
• Experience in fast-paced, complex environments managing multiple priorities.

Skills:

• Strong analytical capability with advanced proficiency in Excel (VLOOKUPs, pivot tables) and Microsoft Office; able to interpret and present complex benefits data with clarity and precision.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to distil complex information and engage credibly with stakeholders at all levels.
• Proven ability to independently resolve complex problems — including situations without established precedent — with sound judgement and structured thinking.
• Demonstrated experience leading project teams and formally mentoring or developing junior professionals.
• Strong interpersonal and networking skills with the ability to build effective relationships across a global, multifunctional organisation; operates with initiative and delivers results with minimal supervision.
• Genuine continuous improvement mindset with a bias for sustainable, high-impact change.

Work Environment:

• Ability to work in a typical office environment.
• 50% hybrid work schedule.
• Occasional travel may be required, but not part of typical work requirements.

Note: Market responsibility is subject to change based on evolving business needs

#LI-Hybrid

We hire for skills and capabilities, not just credentials – if this role excites you, but doesn’t perfectly match your resume, we encourage you to apply anyway.

The starting compensation range(s) for this role are listed above for a full-time employee (FTE) basis. Additional incentive cash and stock opportunities (based on eligibility) may be available. The starting pay takes into account characteristics of the job, such as required skills, where the job is performed, the employee’s work schedule, job-related knowledge, and experience. The final compensation will be determined based on demonstrated experience and in accordance with pay equity principles and applicable employment laws.

How We Work

Where you work matters – because collaboration, innovation and patient impact happen in many settings. Our roles are structured across four work models: site-essential, site-by-design, field-based and remote-by-design. The model assigned to this role is based on its core responsibilities. Learn more at https://careers.bms.com/ways-of-working.

Supporting People with Disabilities

BMS is dedicated to ensuring that people with disabilities can excel through a transparent recruitment process, reasonable workplace accommodations/adjustments and ongoing support in their roles. Applicants can request a reasonable workplace accommodation/adjustment prior to accepting a job offer. If you require reasonable accommodations/adjustments in completing this application, or in any part of the recruitment process, direct your inquiries to [email protected]. Visit careers.bms.com/eeo-accessibility to access our complete Equal Employment Opportunity statement.

Candidate Rights

BMS will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records, pursuant to applicable laws in your area.

For roles based in Los Angeles County only:  If you live in or expect to work from Los Angeles County if hired for this position, please visit this page for important additional information: https://careers.bms.com/california-residents/

Data Protection

We will never request payments, financial information, or social security numbers during our application or recruitment process. Learn more about protecting yourself at https://careers.bms.com/fraud-protection.

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If this posting is missing required information required by local law or incorrect, contact BMS at [email protected] with the Job Title and Requisition number. Do not send application-related inquiries to this email. To check your application status, please login to your Candidate Home Account.