Benefits Manager

Company Description

Guardant Health is a leading precision oncology company focused on guarding wellness and giving every person more time free from cancer. Founded in 2012, Guardant® is transforming patient care and accelerating new cancer therapies by providing critical insights into what drives disease through its advanced blood and tissue tests, real-world data and AI analytics. Guardant tests help improve outcomes across all stages of care, including screening to find cancer early, monitoring for recurrence in early-stage cancer, and treatment selection for patients with advanced cancer. For more information, visit guardanthealth.com and follow the company on LinkedIn, X (Twitter) and Facebook. 

Position Summary:

The Global Employee Benefits Manager is responsible for managing and continuously improving our employee benefits programs outside the United States while partnering on global benefits initiatives that support our Total Rewards strategy. This role works closely with the People, Finance, and Legal teams plus external partners to deliver competitive, compliant, and employee-centric benefits programs that support our global workforce.

The ideal candidate brings a strong foundation in benefits management, program administration, and vendor partnerships, along with a passion for continuous improvement. While experience managing global benefits is valuable, we also welcome candidates with deep domestic benefits expertise who are excited to broaden their scope and build experience supporting employees around the world.

Key Responsibilities:

Global Benefits Strategy

• Evaluate and enhance benefits offerings to ensure market competitiveness, cost effectiveness, and compliance.

• Conduct regular benchmarking and market analyses to assess benefits trends and emerging practices across global markets.

• Partner with internal stakeholders to ensure benefits programs support talent attraction, retention, and employee well-being.

Benefits Administration & Operations

• Manage the administration of international benefit programs, including:

• Health and medical plans

• Retirement and pension programs

• Life and disability insurance

• Wellness initiatives

• Leave and time-off programs

• Supplemental and country-specific benefits

• Oversee annual renewals, enrollment processes, and ongoing program administration.

• Ensure accurate benefits data management and coordination with payroll.

• Develop and maintain benefits policies, procedures, and documentation.

Vendor & Broker Management

• Manage relationships with global brokers, insurers, and third-party administrators.

• Monitor service levels and identify opportunities for process improvement.

Compliance & Risk Management

• Ensure benefits programs comply with local regulations, employment laws, tax requirements, and reporting obligations in each country.

• Monitor legislative changes and assess impacts to existing programs.

• Partner with Legal, Finance, Payroll, and external advisors to mitigate compliance risks.

Employee Experience & Communications

• Maintain clear, employee-friendly materials that improve understanding and utilization of benefits programs.

• Partner with regional HR teams to address employee inquiries and provide benefits education.

• Support onboarding and life-event processes related to benefits.

Analytics & Reporting

• Prepare presentations and reporting for leadership and key stakeholders.

• Support benefits budgeting and forecasting activities.

Qualifications Required:

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent experience.

• 5+ years of benefits experience, including expertise in benefits administration, vendor management, and regulatory compliance.

• Demonstrated experience managing benefits programs, vendors, compliance, and cross-functional projects. 

• Strong analytical, communication, and project management skills. 

• Ability to navigate ambiguity, build relationships, and manage multiple priorities in a fast paced environment.

Preferred:

Experience in biotechnology, healthcare, life sciences, or high-growth technology environments.

• Experience supporting benefits implementations or expansion into new countries.

AI & Digital Fluency

• Demonstrate curiosity, sound judgment, and the ability to critically evaluate and responsibly leverage AI-enabled tools in accordance with company policies, ethical standards, and regulatory requirements to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and quality of work.

Hybrid Work Model: This section is applicable to onsite employees who are eligible for hybrid work location as specified by management and related policies.  Guardant has defined days for in-person/onsite collaboration and work-from-home days for individual-focused time. All U.S. employees who live within 50 miles of a Guardant facility will be required to be onsite on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. We have found aligning our scheduled in-office days allows our teams to do the best work and creates the focused thinking time our innovative work requires. At Guardant, our work model has created flexibility for better work-life balance while keeping teams connected to advance our science for our patients. 

The annualized base salary ranges for the primary location and any additional locations are listed below. This range does not include benefits or, if applicable, bonus, commission, or equity. Each candidate’s compensation offer will be based on multiple factors including, but not limited to, geography, experience, education, job-related skills, job duties, and business need. Primary Location: Palo Alto, CA Primary Location Base Pay Range: $130,700 - $179,750 Other US Location(s) Base Pay Range: $111,095 - $152,788 If the role is performed in Colorado, the pay range for this job is: $117,630 - $161,775