Joining King’s Hawaiian makes you part of our `ohana (family). We are a family-owned business for over seventy years, respecting our roots while thinking about our future as we continue to grow and care for our customers and the communities we serve. Our `ohana members build an environment of inclusivity as they freely collaborate, pursue learning through curiosity, and explore innovation as critical thinkers. Beyond that, we are also passionate about supporting the long-term health and well-being of our employees and their families. If you’re excited to rise with our team, come and join our `ohana!
The Manager of Benefits & Well-being owns how we design, deliver, and continuously improve benefits as a core part of how we care for our people and support our culture of ‘ohana, in alignment with King’s Hawaiian’s business goals, objectives and strategic plan.
This critical role is accountable for building and leading a benefits function that delivers real value to employees and creates programs that are understood, used, and trusted, while also driving strong financial outcomes and long-term sustainability across our growing enterprise.
Success means getting the balance right: supporting employees today while improving long-term wellness, financial security, and cost performance as King’s Hawaiian continues to grow and scale across corporate and plant populations.
This role reports to the Vice President, People Experience and leads the Benefits function across all locations, including the direct management and continued development of a Benefits Analyst.
Key Responsibilities:
Benefits strategy and ownership:
- Define and own a clear, multi-year benefits strategy aligned to business priorities
- Translate market trends into practical decisions on plan design, vendors, and investments
- Ensure benefits are competitive and aligned to our culture, values, and commitment to caring for our ‘ohana
Cost management and performance:
- Own total benefits spend and cost trend
- Identify and deliver measurable savings and efficiencies over time
- Partner with Finance to model tradeoffs and support decision-making
Employee experience and utilization:
- Deliver a benefits experience that is simple, clear, and used
- Increase employee understanding, participation, and perceived value
- Ensure programs meet the needs of both corporate and plant populations across the enterprise
Vendor and Ecosystem Management:
- Own vendor strategy across all benefits programs
- Hold partners accountable for performance, cost, and innovation
- Continuously simplify and improve the overall ecosystem
Governance and Compliance:
- Ensure compliance with all applicable regulations
- Stay ahead of changes and adjust programs proactively
- Maintain strong governance and audit readiness
What Success Looks Like:
- Building and driving a clear, focused benefits strategy with defined priorities aligned to company growth and prioritizing employee needs
- Measurable improvement in cost management and efficiency
- Increased employee engagement and utilization
- Simpler, more intuitive benefits experience that reflects a people-first, high-care culture
- Strong vendor performance and accountability
- A team operating with ownership, speed, and impact
Experience:
- 5+ years of progressive experience in benefits, well-being, or total rewards
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience required
- Strong expertise in self-funded plans, benefits design, funding, and regulations
- Experience building and guiding benefits in the manufacturing industry
- Understanding of Workday and vendor integrations
- Multi-state benefit experience
- Experience leading leave of absence strategy, administration, and compliance
- Proven ability to manage cost and improve program effectiveness
- Strong analytical and financial skills
- Experience simplifying complex programs or systems
- Ability to influence senior leaders and drive decisions
- Track record of aligning benefits strategy with business objectives and measurable outcomes
- Ability to travel up to 25% of the time
- Required to be in office 5 days per week
King's Hawaiian is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for our ohana.
