Lead Associate, Health & Benefits

The Role

• Materially contribute to core health and benefits projects involving the design and management of group medical, dental, life, disability and time off benefits for large, complex clients, including:
  • Benefit plan analysis, design, cost savings and funding strategies
  • Vendor procurement, negotiation and optimization
  • Incorporation of specialized health management, absence and disability management, pharmacy, data analytics and compliance strategies
• Partner with Consultants to deliver superior project management on select clients
• Perform financial analyses including developing pricing and employee contributions strategies, modelling plan design alternatives and calculating reserves
• Conduct benchmarking studies and other research; provide value added analyses and summaries
• Analyze and compare vendor products, services and contracts
• Design, distribute and evaluate responses to surveys and RFPs
• Build relationships internally and collaborate effectively on cross-functional teams
• Review analytical work, mentor and develop junior level staff
• Contribute to the development of new intellectual capital

The Requirements

• 3+ years’ experience dealing with the financials of health and welfare plans, ideally gained in a benefit consulting/brokerage firm or health underwriting / actuarial function of an insurance company
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and produce quality deliverables on time and within budget
• Flexibility and proven ability to identify and resolve issues
• Strong client service orientation and ability to respond to all communications effectively and in a timely manner
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Self-starter attitude and ability to work individually and as part of a team
• Strong analytical, creative and integrative skills
• Desire to mentor/develop more junior staff
• Excellent Microsoft Office skills, particularly in Excel and PowerPoint
• Bachelor’s degree required, preferably with significant quantitative coursework
• Life license required within 90 days of joining
• Pursuit of CEBS designation, or health and welfare actuarial / underwriting training desired