Benefits & Wellness Manager

About Us

Lush North America supports over 262 (and growing!) retail stores in Canada and the USA, a mail order business based in Vancouver, and manufacturing centers in both Vancouver and Toronto. We're known worldwide for our unique bath and beauty products. We pride ourselves on amazing skin and hair care, personalized customer service, environmental activism and a vibrant store atmosphere. Charitable giving is at the heart of our business, and we believe it's our responsibility to advocate for the environment, animals and people in need.

Lush is a values-led organization where decisions about our people programs have a direct impact on thousands of employees across North America.

In this role, you will have meaningful scope to influence how benefits operate. This role will suit someone who enjoys taking ownership, creating structure, solving complex benefits situations, and making programs easier for people to understand and use.

The Role

As the Benefits and Wellness Manager, you will positively impact the staff experience at Lush, by ensuring that benefits programs are of exceptional value, and highly valued by our staff. You will ensure that our benefits processes are well-communicated, transparent, and user-friendly. You have sound knowledge of benefits program design and administration best- practices in US and Canada, as well as the capacity to influence across the organization to ensure consistent application of benefits policies and processes and thorough understanding of benefits and wellness programs.

Reporting to the Assistant Controller, the Benefits and Wellness Manager will be responsible for managing relationships with US and Canadian Benefits vendors, creating and executing an annual plan for benefits and wellness communication and education, overseeing the efficient administration of staff benefits, and measuring and reporting on the success of such programs.

Your core RESPONSIBILITIES will include: 

• Oversee the administration of the benefits plans including researching/recommending strategies related to benefits costs, improving processes and leading changes to plan design or carriers.
• Collaborate with all People and Culture departments, Payroll and Finance to ensure Canadian and US Health, Dental and Vision Benefits, RRSP & 401k and other programs are managed effectively.
• Spearhead the annual planning of the evolution of benefits and wellness at Lush, including the annual review of costs, ensuring that the budget is managed efficiently, and that benefits are good value for the company and the staff.
• Develop and coach the Benefits team by providing guidance, feedback and support to ensure they are effective in their role
• Lead the annual review of retirement plans including monitoring of trends, best practice, utilization and cost/benefit analysis to recommended opportunities for enhancements
• Ensure that STD and LTD claims are well-managed to control costs and enhance employee experience.
  • Collaborate with managers, HR Partners and vendors to ensure roles are well-understood and the claims process is transparent and effective
  • Communicate benefits options during leaves and partner with payroll/accounting as required to ensure that premiums are paid
• Partner with internal stakeholders to execute all aspects of Employee Benefit communications including, inquiries from employees, open enrollment, new hire orientations and special communications
• Ensure that staff are provided with current, engaging information on benefits and wellness, including changes to benefits, benefits premiums, and education on benefits use.
• Provide effective communication tools and training to Managers and Business Partners to ensure they can support staff questions about benefits.
• Share results to stakeholders on benefits KPI’s on a monthly, quarterly and annual basis
• Participate and collaborate on initiatives and projects across the employee life cycle which affect staff’s journey and well-being in Lush including ad hoc support for total rewards initiatives including bonus and compensation
• Management of inbox to ensure enquiries are handled quickly, and reflects ‘best in class’ service.
• Partner with internal teams and external vendors to ensure billing and vendor relations are timely and best-in-class
• Oversee benefits administration and reconciliation within ADP.
• Development and communication of Disability and Leave policies

Compliance:

• Ensure compliance with benefit plan applications; ACA, 401K and audit for discriminatory practices, COBRA compliance, policy enforcement
• Ensures compliance with US national health care policies, HIPAA, FMLA, ERISA and associated reporting requirements
• Ad hoc benefit reporting, analysis and audits as required to ensure compliance and cost-effectiveness and staff satisfaction with benefits and wellness offerings
• Manages the relationship with benefits consultants and vendors to ensure active monitoring of benefits usage, compliance/cost containment, transfer of data to applicable stakeholders and service level agreements are adhered to

You bring the following Qualifications:

Required:

• 5+ years of experience in benefits or HR, with a strong understanding of U.S benefits regulations and compliance
• 2+ years of people leadership experience
• Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration or a related field
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Strong conflict resolution skills
• Strong project management skills, particularly in work involving multiple stakeholders
• Creative and resourceful
• Collaborative, proactive and inclusive approach to business support
• Excitement and a commitment to learn, understand and relate to Lush’s core brand values

Preferred:

• Experience in retail, CPG, or North America-wide organizations

Thriving with a diverse company culture, celebrating the uniqueness of our staff and committed to inclusion. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer.

We thank all interested applicants; however, only qualified candidates will be contacted.

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Job Type: Permanent, Full Time. Hybrid (2 days in office)

Office Location: 35 Jutland Road, Etobicoke, Ontario, M8Z 2G6

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