Principal Employee Benefits Analyst

A Moving Experience.

Great opportunity to join global HR team as an employee benefits subject matter expert!  In this role you will be responsible for  the day to day administration and communication of employee benefits in the U.S. and Canada including working with vendors to develop recommendations to maintain competitiveness, compliance, and manage costs.

Under the direction of the Director Payroll & Benefits, this individual provides subject matter expertise on administration, compliance, vendor management, communication and education on benefits, wellbeing, and leave management to new and existing employees.

Daily Functions / Responsibilities:

• Oversee third party administration of various employee benefits programs, including, but not limited to, medical, dental, vision, life, accident and disability programs, flexible spending account programs, Employee Assistance Program and retirement plans (401k and RRSP).

• Stay abreast of changes to laws and regulations and ensure benefit programs remain compliant. Recommend and implement changes as required.

• Administer leave of absence processes, including tracking leave time in Workday, and coordinating disability payments with payroll.

• Plan and deliver ongoing global wellbeing programs and challenges utilizing third party software.

• Assist employees with benefit tasks including enrollment in administrative system (Workday or ADP), submitting applications for late enrollment, leaves of absence and COBRA administration.

• Oversee the payment of the monthly billing/premium statements for all group employee benefits programs. Assists with reconciliation and problem resolution.

• Liaison with vendors to resolve participant benefit concerns and issues.

• Participate in annual vendor negotiations and plan design sessions with benefits broker.

• Coordinate quarterly 401k Committee meetings with vendors

• Coordinate annual 401k ERISA audit.

• Prepare and deliver communications explaining benefits policies and procedures to a variety of audiences.

• Plan and deliver the Annual Benefits Enrollment process for the United States.

• Collaborate and Work effectively with multiple HR team partners, including : HR Business Partners, Communications, HR Shared Services & Payroll.

• Partner with International Payroll & Benefit Team members on Global project initiatives.

• Communicate & Liaison with Finance and Legal on various projects and requirements to ensure compliance.

Requirements:

• Strong knowledge of benefit plan design and compliance requirements (for example ACA, FMLA, HIPAA, COBRA).

• Experience with US and Canada Benefits administration (includes vendor management, billing/invoices, enrolments, audits etc.) and US and Canada LOA administration.

• Proficient with Microsoft programs and HRIS systems. Workday and ADP experience a plus.

• Strong analytic, problem solving, organization, project management, communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills.

• Self-starter with flexible attitude and approach to business solutions.

• Experience with Equity programs (ESPP and Long-Term Incentive Plans) a plus.

• Experience with immigration administration and international benefit experience is a plus.

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience usually obtained in 5-7 years’ related experience.

• Minimum of 4 years’ benefits administration experience in publicly traded multinational company.

Cerence Inc. (Nasdaq: CRNC and www.cerence.com) is the global industry leader in creating unique, moving experiences for the automotive world. Spun out from Nuance in October 2019, Cerence is a new, independent company that has quickly gained traction as a leader in the automotive voice assistant space, working with all of the world’s leading automakers – from Ford and Fiat Chrysler to Daimler, Audi and BMW to Geely and SAIC – to transform how a car feels, responds and learns. Its track record is built on more than 20 years of industry experience and leadership and more than 500 million cars on the road today across more than 70 languages.  

As Cerence looks to the future and continues an ambitious growth agenda, we need someone to join the team and help build the future of voice and AI in cars. This is an exciting opportunity to join Cerence’s passionate, dedicated, global team and be a part of meaningful innovation in a rapidly growing industry. 

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Cerence is firmly committed to Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and to compliance with all federal, state and local laws that prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of age, race, color, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sex, sex stereotyping, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, citizenship status, sexual orientation, protected military or veteran status, genetic information and other protected classifications. Cerence Equal Employment Opportunity Policy Statement.

All prospective and current Employees need to remain vigilant when it comes to executing security policies in the workplace. This includes:

- Following workplace security protocols and training programs to familiarize with the ways to maintain a safe workplace.
- Following security procedures to report any suspicious activity.
- Having respect for corporate security procedures to allow those procedures to be effective.
- Adhering to company's compliance and regulations.
- Encouraging to follow a zero tolerance for workplace violence.

- Basic knowledge of information security and data privacy requirements (e.g., how to protect data & how to be handling this data).

- Demonstrative knowledge of information security through internal training programs.