Senior Benefits Manager

About the Job: LaunchDarkly is seeking a Senior Benefits Manager to design, run, and continuously improve the health, wellness, and financial benefits programs that support our growing, distributed workforce. You will be the senior subject matter expert on benefits within People Operations, owning the strategy and delivery of our programs end to end, managing carrier and vendor relationships, and ensuring our offerings are competitive, compliant, and cost-effective. This is a senior individual contributor role. You will work independently on complex, ambiguous problems, influence decisions across People, Finance, Legal, and IT, and serve as a trusted advisor to the Chief People Officer and other senior leaders. You will not have direct reports, but you will guide and coach teammates and external partners through your expertise. We are looking for someone who pairs deep technical benefits knowledge with sound business judgment, a bias for operational excellence, and a genuine commitment to the employee experience. Responsibilities: • Own the benefits strategy and roadmap, covering medical, dental, vision, life and disability, FSA/HSA, 401(k), leave of absence, mental health and wellness, and global/international offerings, and recommend changes backed by data and market benchmarking. • Lead the annual benefits renewal and open enrollment cycle: plan design analysis, funding and cost modeling, carrier negotiation, communications, system configuration, and post-enrollment audits. • Manage broker, carrier, PEO/EOR, and third-party administrator relationships, holding vendors accountable to service levels, pricing, and employee experience standards. • Partner with Finance to forecast, budget, and report on benefits spend, and identify cost containment and plan optimization opportunities without compromising employee value. • Ensure compliance with ACA, ERISA, HIPAA, COBRA, FMLA, state and local leave laws, and non-discrimination testing; own required filings, notices, and audits, partnering with Legal and outside counsel as needed. • Administer and optimize benefits technology (HRIS, benefits administration platform, and carrier feeds), including integrations, data accuracy, and reconciliation of invoices and eligibility. • Serve as the escalation point for complex employee benefits, leave, and accommodation cases, and coach People Operations teammates on resolution. • Design and deliver clear, engaging benefits communications and education that help employees make informed choices. • Evaluate benefits for new geographies and acquisitions, and support the integration of new employee populations. • Build scalable processes, documentation, and metrics (participation, cost per employee, utilization, satisfaction) and report insights to People leadership. • Stay current on regulatory changes, market trends, and emerging benefits solutions, and proactively bring recommendations to the team. Qualifications: • 8+ years of progressive benefits experience, including significant ownership of renewals, open enrollment, and vendor management in a high-growth technology or similarly fast-paced environment. • Deep working knowledge of US benefits regulations (ACA, ERISA, HIPAA, COBRA, FMLA, and state/local requirements) and of health plan funding models, including fully insured and self-funded arrangements. • Demonstrated ability to analyze plan data, build cost models, and turn them into clear recommendations for senior stakeholders. • Experience with benefits administration platforms and HRIS systems (for example, Workday, Rippling, or similar) and with managing carrier and eligibility integrations. • Strong negotiation and vendor management skills, with a track record of improving cost, service, or employee outcomes. • Excel