Senior Manager Of Healthcare & Retirement Benefits

About Northwest Center

Northwest Center is an ambitious, dynamic, and driven social enterprise organization that operates successful businesses to drive societal change. We are focused on our collective North-a world where all children have equitable access to education, and the employment rate for people with disabilities is the same as the general population. Since its inception in 1965, Northwest Center has built and acquired a portfolio of commercial businesses to fuel our mission of disability inclusion and enable our journey North.

The Role

Northwest Center is seeking a Senior Manager of Healthcare & Retirement Benefits to own and actively evolve our healthcare, wellness, and retirement programs. This role has broad responsibility across strategy and execution and plays a central role in how benefits are designed, administered, and communicated across the organization.

The Senior Manager partners closely with Finance, brokers, vendors, and HR leadership to ensure programs are compliant, competitive, cost-effective, and clearly understood by employees. The role requires strong judgment, comfort with complexity, and the ability to bring clarity and structure to benefits programs that support a diverse workforce.

This position is well-suited for a benefits professional who operates with accountability, engages confidently with senior stakeholders, and can translate complex benefit structures into clear recommendations, decisions, and communications.

Location: Seattle, WA

Salary: $125,000 - $145,000

Benefits

• Competitive and affordable Medical (including hearing & hardware coverage!), Dental, Vision, Disability, and Life Insurance
• Parental Leave & Paid Compassion Leave
• Employment Assistance Program (EAP) via Spring Health
• Mental Wellness Program, including six free therapy sessions per year
• Physical Wellness Reimbursement Program - $25/month
• Student Loan Contribution Program - $50/month
• Pet Insurance Discount Program

Essential Duties

Benefits Strategy & Program Leadership

• Own the design, administration, and continuous improvement of all employee benefit programs, including medical, dental, vision, life, disability, EAP, wellness, and commuter benefits.
• Serve as the internal subject matter expert on benefits strategy, including plan design, cost drivers, and market positioning.
• Own recommendations and outcomes for benefits decisions, applying sound judgment to balance cost, compliance, employee experience, and operational complexity.
• Partner with HR leadership and Finance on renewal strategy, vendor selection, and long-term planning.

Retirement Plans & Governance

• Lead administration and oversight of the organization's 401(k), 403(b), and 457 plans.
• Serve as the primary liaison to retirement plan advisors and recordkeepers.
• Coordinate plan audits, compliance testing, Form 5500 preparation, and required notices.
• Prepare materials and insights for retirement plan committee meetings and executive review.

Vendor & Broker Management

• Act as the primary point of contact for all benefit vendors, brokers, and consultants.
• Set clear expectations and hold external partners accountable for performance, service quality, and deliverables.
• Evaluate vendor effectiveness and address issues or escalations as needed to ensure timely, accurate service.

Cross-Functional Partnership & Communication

• Partner closely with Finance on billing reconciliation, accruals, forecasting, and audit support.
• Translate complex benefits topics into clear recommendations and employee-facing communications.
• Lead open enrollment planning and execution, including system configuration, communications, and post-enrollment review.

Compliance & Risk Management

• Ensure all benefit programs comply with applicable federal, state, and local regulations.
• Represent the organization confidently in audits, reviews, and executive discussions related to benefits and retirement plans.
• Monitor legislative and regulatory changes and recommend necessary updates.
• Maintain accurate documentation, SOPs, and internal controls related to benefits administration.

Process & Operational Effectiveness

• Establish clear processes and guardrails to scale benefits operations reliably, reducing reliance on manual and individual handling.
• Ensure knowledge, decisions, and workflows are shared and accessible, with self-service as the default wherever possible.

Requirements

• 8+ years of progressive benefits experience, with demonstrated leadership and hands-on administration, owning end-to-end healthcare and retirement plans in complex or multi-entity environments.
• Demonstrated experience working directly with brokers, advisors, and senior leaders.
• Strong working knowledge of benefits compliance, audits, and retirement plan governance.
• Proven ability to operate independently, manage multiple priorities, and bring structure to complex programs.
• High comfort level partnering with Finance and navigating detailed, data-driven discussions.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• CEBS, CBP, PHR, SPHR, or related certification preferred.
• Experience leading or supporting benefits strategy through periods of organizational change preferred.

Northwest Center is committed to offering reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. If a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact us at jobs@nwcenter.org.

At Northwest Center, we do not just accept diversity and inclusion - we celebrate it, support it, live it, and flourish in it to benefit our employees, the community, and our clientele. We believe that our strength lies within our diversity and the forward motion towards a day when people of all abilities can learn and work together.

We believe that curiosity and critical thinking are essential to dialogue and improving decision-making, planning, resource allocation, and how we treat others. Our goal is to create and implement more equitable practices, policies, and culture. To be equitable means to value and respect individuals from all cultural backgrounds, genders, races, identities, and abilities. Northwest Center is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, including disability and veterans' status.