Benefits Specialist, Americas

Are you passionate about delivering employee experiences through impactful benefits programs? Join our dynamic HR team as a Benefits Specialist supporting the Americas region. In this role, you’ll help shape and manage benefits offerings that support our diverse workforce across Latin America and North America.

Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.

Responsibilities

Program Design & Adaptation

• Identifies patterns of benefits issues, process breakdowns, and design issues, and recommends solutions to manager.
• Creates materials to socialize proposed change associated with benefits programs.
• Identifies business needs, compliance requirements, and existing legislation for multiple components of a benefits program. Uses this insight to improve design.

Program Implementation

• Reviews and modifies implementation and readiness materials for multiple components of a benefits program (e.g., leaves of absence, program templates, Knowledge-Based Articles [KBAs], employee-facing content, benefits portal, HR Web).
• Builds relationships and partners with internal teams (e.g., IT, Legal, Tax, Communications, HR Services) using up-to-date expertise to execute plans and shares materials during the benefits program design, launch, and ongoing management. Provides support by reviewing frequently asked questions (FAQs), participating in testing efforts, identifying gaps, etc.
• Interacts with internal and external stakeholders to gather information regarding upcoming legal and regulatory changes and create readiness plans with the support of others.

Program Management

• Manages end-to-end benefits programs, including annual processes and collateral resources by providing, requesting, reviewing, and analyzing information. Utilizes resources to deliver program through partnership with suppliers and stakeholders.
• Creates and delivers benefits presentations to internal audiences as applicable for employee-facing roles, or as requested.
• Audits information and answers questions related to policy, tools, technology issues, or web content from stakeholders.
• Advises stakeholders on benefits policies and packages.
• Solves escalations and escalates serious issues to management and partners with team members to resolve complex or high-impact issues.
• Manages compliance of benefits programs by incorporating Microsoft philosophy, policies, and procedures, as well as regulatory, governmental, and other external compliance considerations into program management and execution. Learns to identify and escalate compliance risks that emerge from legal requirements. Reviews and updates resources (e.g., web content, toolkits) to maintain compliance. Supports the regular evaluation of business and employee-specific needs and conducts analysis to identify program needs.

Supplier Selection & Management

• Analyzes and monitors supplier data and the employee experience and looks for trends. Identifies supplier-delivery issues and ensures that suppliers are accountable to performance targets.
• May participate in discussion and provides feedback around supplier selection for their own areas and contributes to screening processes. May contribute to supplier on-boarding into Microsoft systems (e.g., Supplier Security, Privacy Assurances).
• May collaborate on supplier service contracts for new and current suppliers to define performance targets and deliverables.

Other

• Embody our culture and values

Qualifications

Required/Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resources (HR), Business, Social Sciences, or related field AND 2+ years experience in HR or benefits
• OR Master’s Degree in Human Resources (HR), Business, Social Sciences, or related field AND 1+ year(s) experience in HR or benefits
• OR equivalent experience.
• 1+ year(s) experience in project management

Additional Or Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resources (HR), Business, Social Sciences, or related field AND 5+ years of HR or benefits experience
• OR Master’s Degree in Human Resources (HR), Business, Social Sciences, or related field AND 3+ years of HR or benefits experience
• OR equivalent experience.
• Written and verbal fluency in Spanish
• Written and verbal fluency in Portuguese
• Benefits administration and design experience
• Proven experience in identifying opportunities, devising strategies, and executing sourcing and negotiation of complex engagements and contracts.
• Proven capability to successfully handle multiple internal partner and supplier relationships.
• Ability to work independently with minimal guidance and collaboratively across various functions both externally and internally.
• Analytical skills to extract data from different sources, draw conclusions, and translate those into clear opportunities and actions.
• Ability to drive clarity and deliver results in a fast-paced and highly matrixed environment.
• Customer-focused, responsive, and action-oriented, demonstrating urgency as needed to meet business requirements.

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. Consistent with applicable law, all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.