Position Overview:
The Director, Benefits & HR Operations provides strategic leadership, governance, design, and operational oversight for Polaris' benefits, well-being, retirement, leave administration, and HR operations. The role develops and executes strategies that enhance employee experience, operational effectiveness, compliance, and financial stewardship while supporting the company's talent and business objectives.
This leader partners closely with HR Business Partners, Compensation, HR Technology, Payroll, Finance, Legal, and external vendors to ensure the successful delivery of scalable, efficient, and employee-focused programs and services. The position serves as a key member of the Total Rewards & HR Operations leadership team reporting to the VP, Total Rewards & HR Technology.
The position will be based in Tempe, AZ.
Key Responsibilities:
Benefits Strategy & Program Design
- Develop and lead enterprise benefits strategies aligned with business objectives, talent priorities, and Total Rewards philosophy.
- Design, evaluate, and enhance health, welfare, retirement, leave, and wellbeing programs to ensure competitiveness, affordability, and employee value.
- Monitor industry trends, benchmarking data, healthcare inflation, utilization metrics, and legislative developments to inform program recommendations.
- Lead annual benefits reviews and recommend plan design changes based on employee feedback, market competitiveness, and financial impact.
- Support executive leadership in evaluating emerging benefits strategies and workforce wellbeing initiatives.
Retirement Programs & Financial Well-being:
- Provide strategic oversight of retirement programs including 401(k), profit sharing, ESOP, and other financial wellbeing offerings.
- Partner with Finance, Legal, fiduciary committees, and external advisors to support governance, audits, and compliance requirements.
- Ensure retirement programs remain competitive, compliant, and aligned with enterprise objectives.
HR Operations & Employee Services:
- Lead enterprise HR operations, employee services, workforce administration, and employee support processes.
- Establish service delivery standards, performance metrics, escalation procedures, and operational controls.
- Drive process simplification and service excellence initiatives that improve employee and manager experiences.
- Oversee administration of employee lifecycle processes including onboarding, employment changes, workforce transactions, and separations.
- Ensure consistent, efficient, and compliant delivery of HR services across the organization.
Process Excellence & Continuous Improvement:
- Identify and implement process improvements that increase efficiency, reduce risk, and enhance service quality.
- Partner with HR Technology to automate manual processes and maximize utilization of Workday and related systems.
- Establish operational governance standards, documentation, controls, and service-level metrics.
- Utilize data and analytics to drive decision making and operational effectiveness.
Vendor, Financial & Compliance Leadership:
- Lead relationships with brokers, consultants, carriers, administrators, and operational service providers.
- Manage benefits and HR operations budgets, vendor performance, and associated financial plans.
- Identify opportunities to optimize costs while maintaining strong employee value propositions and service delivery.
- Ensure compliance with applicable regulations, filings, notices, audits, governance requirements, and internal policy standards.
- Partner with Legal, Internal Audit, Payroll, Finance, and HR Technology to effectively manage risk and compliance obligations.
Leadership & Talent Development:
- Lead, coach, and develop Benefits and HR Operations team members.
- Establish clear goals, accountability measures, development plans, and succession strategies.
- Foster a culture of customer service, continuous improvement, collaboration, and operational excellence.
- Build strong partnerships across the HR function and broader business organization.
Required Competencies:
Strategic Leadership-
Ability to develop and execute long-term strategies while balancing employee experience, business objectives, operational efficiency, and financial stewardship.
Operational Excellence-
Demonstrated ability to build scalable processes, improve service delivery, drive efficiency, and maintain strong governance and controls.
Business & Financial Acumen-
Ability to evaluate financial impacts, manage budgets, assess vendor performance, and develop cost-effective solutions.
Analytical & Problem-Solving Skills-
Ability to leverage data, trends, and business insights to solve complex problems and improve decision making.
Change Leadership-
Ability to lead transformation initiatives, influence stakeholders, and effectively manage organizational change.
Communication & Executive Presence-
Ability to communicate complex concepts clearly and effectively to employees, leaders, executives, and governance committees.
Required Experience & Education:
- Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Finance, or related field preferred.
- 12+ years of progressive experience in Benefits, HR Operations, Shared Services, Total Rewards, or related HR leadership roles.
- Experience leading benefit programs, employee service functions, operational excellence initiatives, and vendor relationships.
- Demonstrated success leading teams and cross-functional projects within a complex organizational environment.
- Experience managing budgets, compliance requirements, and operational performance metrics.
Preferred Experience:
- Master's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field.
- CEBS, SHRM-SCP, SPHR, CBP, or similar professional certification.
- Experience supporting global programs and operations within a publicly traded company.
- Experience leading HR technology-enabled transformation and process automation initiatives.
- Workday experience preferred.
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To qualify for this position, former employees must be eligible for rehire, and current employees must be in good standing.
At Polaris we put our employees first, by offering a holistic approach to their health and financial wellbeing. Polaris is proud to offer competitive compensation, including a market-leading profit-sharing plan that is fundamental to our pay-for-performance culture. At Polaris, employees are owners of the company through company contributions to our Employee Stock Ownership Plan and discounted employee stock purchases plan. Employees receive a generous matching contribution to 401(k), financial wellness education and consultation to plan for their financial future. In addition to competitive pay, Polaris provides a comprehensive suite of benefits, including health, dental, and vision insurance, wellness programs, paid time off, gym & personal training reimbursement, life insurance and disability offerings. Through the Polaris Foundation and our Polaris Gives paid volunteer time off, we support employees who actively volunteer their time, efforts, and passions to improve the health and wellbeing of the communities in which they live, play and work. Employees at Polaris drive our success and are rewarded for their commitment.
