Manager, Benefits Education & Engagement

Position Overview

We are seeking a Manager of Benefits Education & Engagement to lead the development and execution of an employee benefits education program. This individual will build a scalable operation that combines an internal team of Benefits Counselors with external enrollment partners to deliver effective, consistent, and engaging benefits education to employees across a diverse client base.

The Manager will oversee counselor recruitment and development, external vendor relationships, enrollment campaign planning, operational processes, and performance measurement. Working closely with cross-functional teams, this leader will ensure employees receive clear, accurate, and accessible information to help them understand available benefits and make informed enrollment decisions.

This is a hands-on leadership position suited for someone who combines employee benefits knowledge with team management, vendor oversight, process improvement, and a strong commitment to customer service.

Key Responsibilities

Benefits Education Program Development

• Build and implement a scalable operating model for employee benefits education and enrollment support.

• Establish standardized procedures for benefits counseling, enrollment assistance, employee follow-up, and ongoing education.

• Develop staffing strategies that balance internal Benefits Counselors with external enrollment resources.

• Determine staffing requirements for client implementations based on workforce size, geographic distribution, enrollment timelines, delivery methods, and anticipated participation.

• Create service standards, operating procedures, quality assurance measures, and escalation guidelines.

• Evaluate program effectiveness and identify opportunities to improve employee engagement, service quality, and operational efficiency.

Team Leadership and Development

• Recruit, hire, onboard, and manage an internal team of Benefits Counselors.

• Define team responsibilities, performance expectations, productivity goals, and professional development opportunities.

• Develop training programs to ensure counselors understand available products, enrollment procedures, supporting technology, employee communications, and approved messaging.

• Coach team members on benefits education, employee engagement, communication, and service delivery.

• Conduct quality reviews of counseling and enrollment interactions, providing constructive feedback and ongoing development.

• Maintain appropriate staffing levels to support existing clients, ongoing education needs, and new client implementations.

External Partner and Vendor Management

• Identify and develop relationships with benefits enrollment organizations, staffing firms, call centers, independent enrollment professionals, and other service providers.

• Build a network of qualified external resources to support increased enrollment demand and large-scale implementations.

• Participate in vendor evaluations, requests for proposals, contract discussions, pricing reviews, and service-level negotiations.

• Establish clear vendor expectations, performance standards, and accountability measures.

• Coordinate product, process, and service training for external enrollment teams.

• Monitor vendor performance using quality, employee experience, enrollment results, compliance, and cost-effectiveness metrics.

• Maintain a flexible network of enrollment resources to accommodate business growth and changing client requirements.

Client Education Campaign Planning and Execution

• Partner with implementation and client success teams to develop benefits education strategies tailored to each client.

• Assess workforce characteristics, including employee population, locations, work shifts, language needs, communication preferences, and enrollment deadlines.

• Coordinate with marketing and other internal stakeholders to develop effective employee education materials and campaign communications.

• Establish campaign plans covering pre-enrollment awareness, active enrollment, employee follow-up, and post-enrollment support.

• Coordinate internal counselors and external partners to ensure consistent execution across client locations and enrollment channels.

• Monitor campaign progress and address staffing, scheduling, communication, or service issues as they arise.

Benefits Education and Employee Engagement

• Ensure Benefits Counselors can clearly explain available services, eligibility requirements, enrollment procedures, payroll deductions, and supplemental benefit options.

• Help employees understand how available offerings complement their existing employer-sponsored benefits.

• Promote a consistent, employee-focused education experience across in-person, telephone, and virtual channels.

• Ensure employee communications and counseling practices align with established guidelines and applicable compliance requirements.

• Use employee and client feedback to identify gaps in understanding and improve education strategies.

• Collaborate with internal stakeholders to keep counselors informed of product updates, process changes, and new program offerings.

Performance Measurement and Continuous Improvement

• Develop and maintain key performance indicators for counselor productivity, enrollment campaign execution, service quality, employee engagement, and vendor performance.

• Analyze enrollment and operational data to identify trends, measure results, and guide resource allocation.

• Prepare performance updates and recommendations for leadership.

• Identify opportunities to improve processes, control costs, strengthen vendor relationships, and enhance the employee experience.

• Establish repeatable workflows that support business growth without compromising service quality.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• At least five years of experience in employee benefits, voluntary benefits, benefits enrollment, insurance enrollment, benefits administration, or a related field.

• At least two years of experience leading Benefits Counselors, enrollment specialists, call center teams, field enrollment teams, or similar customer-facing groups.

• Demonstrated experience planning and managing employee benefits enrollment campaigns.

• Experience recruiting, onboarding, training, coaching, and managing enrollment professionals.

• Experience managing third-party vendors, outsourced service providers, or external enrollment partners.

• Strong understanding of employee benefits and the enrollment process.

• Demonstrated ability to develop operational processes and scale service delivery programs.

• Strong project management, planning, and organizational skills.

• Experience developing, tracking, and analyzing operational performance metrics.

• Excellent written, verbal, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills.

• Ability to collaborate effectively with clients, employees, vendors, senior leaders, and cross-functional teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with voluntary benefits or supplemental health insurance products.

• Background with an insurance carrier, benefits enrollment provider, benefits administrator, brokerage, or benefits consulting organization.

• Experience managing both onsite and virtual enrollment programs.

• Experience supporting large, geographically dispersed, or high-volume employee populations.

• Established relationships with external benefits enrollment organizations or enrollment staffing providers.

• Experience developing employee benefits education materials and communication campaigns.

• Experience supporting hourly, part-time, temporary, staffing, hospitality, healthcare, or other distributed workforces.

Key Success Factors

The successful candidate will be an organized, service-oriented leader who can build a program, develop strong teams, manage external partnerships, and oversee multiple enrollment initiatives simultaneously. The ability to balance strategic planning with hands-on execution, adapt to changing client needs, and use performance data to drive continuous improvement will be essential to success.