Global Benefits Lead

Xero is a beautiful, easy-to-use platform that helps small businesses and their accounting and bookkeeping advisors grow and thrive. 

At Xero, our purpose is to make life better for people in small business, their advisors, and communities around the world. This purpose sits at the centre of everything we do. We support our people to do the best work of their lives so that they can help small businesses succeed through better tools, information and connections. Because when they succeed they make a difference, and when millions of small businesses are making a difference, the world is a more beautiful place.

Our Purpose

 At Xero, we’re here to make running a business beautiful. By making small business more efficient every day, connecting them with big business technology and empowering a community behind them, their potential is limitless. When that happens, we’re not only helping small business, we’ll be building a stronger economy that can change the world.

How you’ll make an impact

The Global Benefits Lead will develop, design, and deliver benefits across North America and EMEA, and provide support for APAC. They will ensure programmes align with Xero’s strategy and support talent attraction, motivation, and retention. This role involves close collaboration with Finance, Legal, Procurement, Payteam, Accounts, and People and Talent Experience teams.

What you’ll do 

Strategic Planning and Development;

- Develop and implement a global benefits strategy aligned with Xero’s objectives

- Conduct annual reviews and manage open enrollment, wellness fund planning, and policy updates

- Lead global benefits projects, designing and implementing new initiatives to meet employee needs

- Lead the development and implementation of “green’ benefits across Xero

- Integrate benefit programs for newly acquired groups, ensuring alignment with Xero’s structure and legal requirements

Benefits Administration and Compliance;

- Manage employee benefits and vendor relationships in North America and EMEA

- Ensure benefits plans comply with company policies and local laws (US, CA, EMEA)

- Complete all compliance activities for US benefit plans, including regulatory filings, updates, and audits

- Oversee systems for employee benefits, ensuring data integrity and successful data exchange

- Support all benefits activities across the group, including APAC

 Vendor and Stakeholder Management;

- Collaborate with brokers and senior leadership to review and implement benefit plan changes

- Manage relationships with brokers, vendors and platform providers, overseeing plan reviews, open enrollment, and new vendor setups

- Oversee the US Leaves of Absence program, ensuring proper documentation and support for employees

- Partner with People Experience and stakeholders to gather employee feedback and improve benefits programs and processes

Communication and Employee Support;

- Develop regular communication campaigns to keep employees informed about their benefits

- Address employee inquiries and manage escalations, improving processes and communication to minimise issues

- Support regional wellbeing programs and initiatives

- Data Analysis and Reporting Use data analytics to evaluate and improve benefits programs

- Prepare and present performance reports to senior leadership

- Act as the contact for benefit expense estimates, forecasts, and calculations, ensuring alignment with Finance 

Success looks like

Helping drive Xero’s reward strategy and ensuring programmes support our global business goals and objectives.

What you’ll bring with you

Critical competencies:

- Benefits Management: Experience managing US benefits is essential; experience in Canada and EMEA is strongly preferred.

- Global Experience: Successful in geographically and culturally diverse environments

- Regulatory Knowledge: Strong understanding of US benefits regulations and market trends

- Analytical Skills: Conduct complex analysis and provide clear findings and recommendations

- Project Management: Independently manage projects, keeping stakeholders informed and resolving issues efficiently

- Effective communication: Clearly explain complex ideas and escalate issues when necessary

- Employee Support: Handle employee inquiries and escalations, and support regional wellbeing programs.

Experience:

- Experience in managing Benefits in a technology company globally with a specific focus on US and UK

- Experience in a fast-growing company is preferred

- Experience managing senior global stakeholders

- Strong project management and communication skills

- Background in HCM systems, with Workday experience preferred

Why Xero? 

Diversity of people brings diversity of thought, and we like that. Our human-first culture of respect, fairness, and inclusion is what helps Xeros thrive and work and beyond. Offering very generous paid leave to use however you’d like (plus statutory holidays!), dedicated paid leave to care for your physical and mental wellbeing as well as an Employee Assistance Program to access mental health care for you and your family, employee resource groups, wellbeing programming and allowances, medical, dental, vision, and disability insurance, fertility and family forming financial support, 401k contribution matching, 26 weeks of paid parental leave for primary caregivers, an Employee Share Plan, beautiful offices with snacks and break areas, flexible working, career development and many other benefits that reflect our human value, you’ll do the best work of your life at Xero.

Research has shown that women and underrepresented groups are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single competency or experience. If you are excited about this role, but your past experience doesn't align perfectly, we encourage you to apply anyway. You could be just the right person for this role and Xero. If you have any support or access requirements, we encourage you to advise us at time of application and throughout the interview process.