Head of Benefits, NAM

Diageo is seeking a Head of Benefits, NAM to lead the non-pension benefits strategy across North America. The successful candidate will own the strategy, design, governance, and performance of non-pension employee benefits, establishing a clear multi-year roadmap that balances employee needs, market competitiveness, regulatory requirements, and affordability.

The Head of Benefits, NAM will serve as the senior regional subject-matter expert and strategic partner for Benefits, working across Reward, HR, Finance, Procurement, Legal, Tax, and Payroll. The role involves setting the North America non-pension benefits roadmap and operating priorities, leading strategic decisions on annual renewals and vendor performance interventions, and determining the governance, controls, service standards, measures, and escalation actions required to maintain compliant and effective benefit delivery.

Key responsibilities include:

• Developing and executing the North America non-pension benefits strategy and multi-year roadmap
• Translating external trends, employee needs, utilization and claims insights, and business priorities into clear design choices and investment recommendations
• Leading sourcing/RFPs, contracting input, negotiations, SLAs, and governance for brokers, carriers, administrators, and benefit-vendors
• Forecasting and managing benefit spend; analyzing claims, utilization, and vendor data; identifying cost optimization opportunities; and measuring value and ROI
• Ensuring benefits are delivered accurately, simply, and consistently through effective administration and technology
• Serving as a senior benefits subject-matter expert and key representative for North America benefits

The ideal candidate will have:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience in Human Resources, Business, Finance, or a related discipline
• Experience managing employee benefits across multiple U.S. states, with an understanding of the complexity of differing state requirements and employee populations
• Benefits/Total Rewards professional qualification (e.g., CEBS or equivalent) desirable
• Strong working knowledge of North America health and welfare benefits and applicable U.S./Canadian regulatory requirements
• Typically 8+ years of progressive Benefits/Total Rewards experience, with substantial ownership of complex health and welfare programs in a large, matrixed organization