Benefits Lead, International

Job Description:

Rakuten International oversees 7 businesses with over 4,000 employees globally. The brand is recognized for its leadership and innovation in e-commerce, digital content, advertising, entertainment and communications, bringing the joy of discovery and access to more than 1 billion members across the world. Our teams deliver on the company's mission to delight merchants and customers through innovation, optimism, and teamwork

Job Summary:

We are seeking a highly skilled and detail-oriented Benefits Lead to join our HR team in the UK office. This role will be responsible for administering benefits and company perks for employees across the UK, France, Germany, Australia, and Brazil. The Benefits Lead will manage enrollments, serve as the primary liaison for benefit vendors, ensure compliance with relevant regulations, and monitor benefits utilization to assess program effectiveness. Additionally, the ideal candidate will collaborate closely with the Global Total Rewards team on benefits plan renewals and policy updates, as well as engage with various stakeholders to provide clear communication and training on benefits programs, while consistently seeking opportunities for process enhancement.

• Benefits Administration: Administer employee benefits and company perks across five countries. Manage the enrollment process in the benefits system for new hires and life events, ensuring employees understand their options. Maintain accurate records of benefits enrollments, changes, and terminations in the enrollment system.
• Regional Expertise: Possess intimate knowledge of benefits and stay informed of trends and best practices across EMEA, Australia and Brazil, ensuring that benefits programs are tailored to meet local regulations and cultural expectations in each region.
• Customer Service: Provide exceptional support to employees regarding benefit inquiries, including follow-through to answer employee questions and navigate issues.
• Employee Communication: Develop and deliver clear communication materials to employees about available benefits and updates. Conduct training sessions for employees and HR staff on benefits programs, policies, and procedures, and create resources and tools to help employees effectively navigate their benefits options.
• Content Management: Create and maintain benefits communication materials, such as benefits guides and FAQs, and manage the benefits content on internal platforms.
• Vendor Liaison: Act as the primary point of contact for benefit vendors, facilitating communication and addressing day-to-day issues.
• Program Evaluation: Support GTR's efforts to monitor and report on benefits utilization and other relevant metrics to assess the effectiveness and competitiveness of offerings and gather employee feedback on benefits programs to identify areas for improvement.
• Annual Renewals: Partner with and support the Global Total Rewards team on the annual renewal of benefits plans. Assist in implementing changes to benefits programs, including new offerings or modifications to existing plans, and support the development and revision of benefits policies and procedures to align with organizational goals.
• Stakeholder Partnership: Work closely with various teams, including Global Total Rewards, brokers, benefit consultants, Payroll, Legal, Privacy, and People Experience to ensure cohesive benefits administration.
• Leave and Time Off Administration: Administer Leaves of Absences and all related processes. Administer time off plans, including company sick pay and statutory sick pay.
• Pension and Reimbursement Administration: Administer pension plans. Manage reimbursements for various employee expenses.
• Financial Administration: Manage benefits invoices and purchase orders for benefit vendors.
• Regulatory Compliance and Reporting: Ensure adherence to GDPR and local regulatory and compliance requirements across all regions. Ensure all compliance-related reports are submitted to appropriate entities and ensure adherence to benefits regulations.
• Record Keeping: Maintain accurate and organized records of all benefits-related documentation, including enrollment forms and compliance reports.
• Process Improvement: Identify root causes of issues and improve processes with a continuous improvement mindset.

• Strong knowledge of benefits regulations and compliance in Europe and APAC countries.
• In-depth knowledge of GDPR and local regulatory and compliance requirements.
• Experience partnering with stakeholders to identify and resolve issues.
• Excellent attention to detail and organizational skills.
• Strong customer service skills and the ability to communicate effectively with employees at all levels.
• Proficiency in using benefits enrollment systems and HRIS.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Project Management experience.
• Experience managing financial aspects of benefits, including invoices and purchase orders.

• Minimum of 7 years of experience in benefits administration, with a focus on multi-country benefits management, preferably in a multi-national company
• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field.
• CIPD Level 5 or Level 7 Certification (or equivalent) is highly desirable, demonstrating advanced knowledge in HR practices.
• Fluency in English; additional languages (e.g. French, German, Portuguese) are a plus.