Principal Specialist, Rewards

About us

Every day we deliver safe and secure energy to homes, communities, and businesses. We are there when people need us the most. We connect people to the energy they need for the lives they live. The pace of change in society and our industry is accelerating and our expertise and track record puts us in an unparalleled position to shape the sustainable future of our industry. To be successful we must anticipate the needs of our customers, reducing the cost of energy delivery today and pioneering the flexible energy systems of tomorrow. This requires us to deliver on our promises and always look for new opportunities to grow, both ourselves and our business.

At National Grid, we aim to create an environment where everyone is welcomed for who they are and where our differences are celebrated. We utilize the insights of our employees that come from all different cultures, backgrounds, and beliefs to better serve our customers and communities.

National Grid is hiring a Principal Specialist of Global Benefits. This hybrid role can sit in either our Brooklyn, NY or Waltham, MA office.

Job Purpose

The Principal Specialist of Global Benefits is an individual contributor role with significant autonomy, responsible for overseeing and ensuring compliance across health and welfare benefit plans, life Insurance and disability programs, and various employee benefits policies including paid time off. This role manages regulatory adherence across the U.S. and U.K. at Federal, State, and Local level, supporting both active employees and retirees in a multi-state, multi-union environment.

Key Accountabilities

- Lead the compliance of health and welfare benefit plans, including medical, dental, vision, wellness, and voluntary offerings.

- Oversee life and disability insurance programs and vendor relationships, ensuring effective administration, management and adherence to regulatory requirements.

- Develop, maintain, and implement human resource and benefits policies including paid time off, statutory leave, and salary sacrifice programs, among others.

- Project Manage implementing, maintenance, and process improvement of strategic benefits initiatives and leave programs, which may include vendor selection, development of eligibility and other administrative requirements.

- Ensure compliance with ERISA, HIPAA, ACA, IRS, DOL, and other federal/state/local regulations in the U.S., as well as national insurance and private medical requirements, salary sacrifice and other statutory requirements in the U.K.

- Maintain and update plan documentation and regulatory filings, including SPDs, SMMs, SARs, Form 5500, and other reporting and disclosures.

- Manage benefits related to contract negotiations and tracking on behalf of the business while collaborating with internal and external legal, procurement, IT and Risk stakeholders, benefit providers and third-party administrators.

- Collaborate with various internal stakeholders including People Support, Labor Relations, Legal, Finance, Communications, and Tax to ensure seamless execution of benefit programs and policies.

- Support labor negotiations and M&A activities related to benefits, including due diligence and integration.

- Provide technical advice, guidance, and support for retiree benefit programs and rate case filings, including testimony and documentation.

Qualifications

- Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree or CEBS certification preferred.

- Extensive (10+ years) experience in benefits compliance, administration, and policy management within large, complex organizations. Experience as a paralegal or attorney is a plus.

- Deep knowledge of U.S. and U.K. benefit regulations, particularly in health, welfare, life, and disability domains, as well as industry trends and standards.

- Ability to interpret, design, and implement legislation changes including time off and leave of absence programs (state, federal, and local) and collaborate with internal and external legal counsel.

- Strong communication and presentation skills, especially with executive audiences.

- Experience with digital benefits platforms and employee self-service tools.

Salary

Downstate NY $156,000 - $183,000 a year

New England MA $145,000 - 171,000 a year

National Grid utilizes an assessment that evaluates the job qualifications/characteristics using AI or statistically based scoring. For more information, please view NYC Local Law 144.

This position has a career path which provides for advancement opportunities within and across bands as you develop and evolve in the position; gaining experience, expertise and acquiring and applying technical skills. Candidates will be assessed and provided offers against the minimum qualifications of this role and their individual experience.

National Grid is an equal opportunity employer that values a broad diversity of talent, knowledge, experience and expertise. We foster a culture of inclusion that drives employee engagement to deliver superior performance to the communities we serve. National Grid is proud to be an affirmative action employer. We encourage minorities, women, individuals with disabilities and protected veterans to join the National Grid team.