Senior Associate, Benefits Admin (EMEA)

Job description

Career Category Human Resources Job Description ABOUT AMGEN Amgen harnesses the best of biology and technology to fight the world’s toughest diseases, and make people’s lives easier, fuller and longer. We discover, develop, manufacture and deliver innovative medicines to help millions of patients. Amgen helped establish the biotechnology industry more than 40 years ago and remains on the cutting-edge of innovation, using technology and human genetic data to push beyond what’s known today. ABOUT THE ROLE Role Description The Senior Associate, Benefits supports the administration, compliance, and day-to-day operations of employee benefits programs for the assigned EMEA region. This role is responsible for ensuring accurate plan administration, a seamless employee experience, strong vendor performance, and adherence to local statutory and regulatory requirements. The position partners closely with HR, Payroll, Finance, Legal, vendors, brokers, and external advisors to deliver high-quality benefits services and drive operational excellence across regional benefit offerings. Roles & Responsibilities Benefit Administration & Operations Oversee day-to-day administration of benefit plans including health, dental, life insurance, disability, retirement/pension plans, wellness programs, statutory benefits, and region-specific employee benefit programs. Serve as a primary point of contact for employees, managers, and HR partners regarding benefit enquiries, eligibility requirements, enrolments, life events, and issue resolution. Manage benefit enrolments, dependent updates, life-event changes, leaves of absence, and terminations while ensuring timely and accurate updates in HR systems and vendor platforms. Partner with Payroll teams to support benefit deductions, taxable benefit processing, reconciliation activities, and issue resolution. Maintain accurate employee benefits records and ensure data integrity across internal systems and third-party administrator platforms. Support employee onboarding and offboarding activities related to benefits administration. Vendor & Partner Management Partner with benefit providers, insurers, pension administrators, wellness vendors, brokers, and third-party administrators to resolve operational issues and ensure effective service delivery. Monitor vendor performance against service level agreements (SLAs) and escalate issues as appropriate. Review and validate eligibility files, vendor reports, invoices, and benefit-related data to ensure accuracy and completeness. Support annual plan renewals, vendor transitions, implementation of new programs, and operational enhancements. Coordinate with internal stakeholders and external vendors to ensure timely resolution of employee and operational issues. Compliance & Governance Ensure benefits programs are administered in accordance with local statutory, tax, regulatory, and data privacy requirements. Maintain audit-ready documentation including policies, standard operating procedures (SOPs), process documentation, and benefits records. Support internal and external audits by providing accurate documentation, reports, and supporting evidence. Ensure adherence to established controls, governance standards, and operational procedures. Identify and escalate potential compliance risks and support remediation efforts as needed. Employee Experience & Communication Support the development and delivery of employee benefit communications, enrolment materials, employee guides, Knowledge Articles, FAQs, and intranet content. Facilitate benefit-related onboarding and offboarding communications and employee education initiatives. Partner with HR stakeholders to improve employee understanding and awareness of available benefits programs. Support resolution of complex employee benefit inquiries while maintaining a high level of customer service. Identify opportunities to enhance employee experience and simplify benefit processes. Projects & Continuous Improvement Contribute to annual Open Enrollment planning, execution, and post-enrolment activities. Support benefits-related projects including process improvements, vendor implementations, operational transitions, and technology enhancements. Analyze operational trends, employee inquiries, and vendor performance metrics to identify process improvement opportunities. Participate in initiatives focused on service delivery excellence, process standardization, and operational efficiency. Support knowledge management activities including updates to procedures, training materials, and operational documentation. Basic Qualifications and Experience Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Finance, Commerce, or a related discipline. 4-7 years of overall experience in with at least 3 years in Benefits Administration, Benefits Operations, Total Rewards Operations, HR Shared Services, or Employee Benefits Consulting. Experience supporting regional or multinational employee benefits programs in a global organization. Strong understanding of employee benefits administration, statutory frameworks, and tax considerations. Experience working with HRIS platforms such as Workday and case management tools such as ServiceNow. Experience partnering with global vendors, insurers, brokers, third-party administrators, and cross-functional stakeholders. Experience supporting Open Enrollment, plan renewals, benefits implementations, or vendor transitions. Experience maintaining compliance, supporting audits, and managing operational controls within a benefits environment. Skills Functional Skills Benefits Administration & Operations Vendor & Third-Party Administrator Management Benefits Compliance & Governance Employee Benefits Lifecycle Management Open Enrollment Administration Benefits Data Validation & Reconciliation Process Documentation & SOP Management Payroll Coordination Knowledge Management Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement Technical Skills Workday ServiceNow Microsoft Excel Microsoft PowerPoint Microsoft Office Suite HR Systems and Vendor Platforms Professional Skills Strong stakeholder management and collaboration skills Excellent written and verbal communication skills Strong customer service and employee experience mindset Attention to detail and commitment to accuracy Strong organizational and prioritization skills Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment Analytical problem-solving capabilities Ability to work effectively across global teams and time zones Adaptability and ability to navigate complex organizational environments Preferred Qualifications Experience supporting multi-country benefits programs. Experience working in a shared services, global business services (GBS), or global capability center (GCC) environment. Exposure to benefits consulting, insurance administration, pension administration, or vendor management environments. Familiarity with process improvement methodologies and operational excellence practices. EQUAL OPPORTUNITY STATEMENT Amgen is an Equal Opportunity employer and will consider you without regard to your race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided with reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request an accommodation. Ready to Apply for the Job? We highly recommend utilizing Workday's robust Career Profile feature to complete the application process. A link to update your profile is available when you click Apply. You can then complete your Workday profile in minutes with the “Upload My Experience” functionality to upload an updated copy of your resume or you can simply edit the individual sections of your Career Profile. Please note that you should be in your current position for at least 18 months before applying to internal positions. Staff must notify their current manager if invited for an interview. In addition, Staff are ineligible to apply for open positions if (a) their performance is currently being managed on a performance improvement plan (PIP) or other locally utilized formal coaching document or (b) their most recent performance rating was not a “Partially Meets Expectations” or higher. Please visit our Internal Transfer Guidelines for more detailed information .