Benefits Operations Manager - South America

Descripción del puesto:

Job Description
Please attach your résumé in English.

Hybrid: for this position is required to be on site 3x/week

The Role
As Benefits Operations Manager - South America, you will lead the end-to-end operational delivery of General Motors' benefits programs across South America, ensuring a seamless experience for employees, retirees, and their eligible dependents. You will be responsible for key markets including Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Chile, Argentina, and others.

You will oversee the day-to-day administration of healthcare and Primary Health Clinic (PHC), insurance, and other local benefits programs, manage a portfolio of external vendors, and drive strong governance, compliance, and continuous improvement in partnership with regional and global Total Rewards, HR, Labor Relations, and Finance teams.

You will collaborate and influence stakeholders on benefits operations performance, risks, and strategic operational initiatives (e.g., RFPs, support tax reform credits, PHC rollout, healthcare improvement).

This role is ideal for a hands-on benefits operations leader who is comfortable working in complex, unionized environments, and who is passionate about using data and process discipline to improve the employee experience and financial outcomes.

What you will do (responsabilities):

* Lead regional benefits operations across South America, ensuring compliance with local legislation, CBAs, and corporate policies.
* Oversee daily administration of medical, life, disability, and other benefits, including Brazil's self-insured health plan model.
* Define and implement regional process standards and manage the annual benefits operations calendar.
* Ensure accurate eligibility, enrollments, payroll deductions, contributions, and vendor payments through cross-functional coordination.
* Act as the escalation point for complex employee and retiree issues, ensuring timely resolution.
* Manage relationships with insurers, health carriers, wellness partners, and TPAs, monitoring SLAs, KPIs, audits, and service quality.
* Lead regional negotiations and annual renewals with vendors to optimize cost, quality, and employee experience.
* Implement and expand health, primary care, telemedicine, and wellbeing initiatives, including Brazil's PHC program.
* Drive employee engagement and utilization of health and wellbeing programs through targeted, data-driven campaigns.
* Strengthen data governance, internal controls, compliance, and system integrations (e.g., Workday to vendor interfaces).
* Develop dashboards and reports (Power BI/Tableau) to support claims, cost, utilization, and performance analytics.
* Lead, coach, and develop the benefits operations team, promoting a continuous improvement mindset.
* Identify and implement process improvements, automation, and operational excellence initiatives.
* Support communications, stakeholder updates, and benefits education across the region.
* Collaborate with HRBPs, Labor Relations, Medical, Global Benefits, and Benefits Strategy on projects and change management.
* Interact regularly with leaders across South America in English, Portuguese, and Spanish.

Location: São Caetano do Sul/SP

Your skills and abilities (required qualifications):

* Bachelor's degree in HR, Business Administration, Finance, Public Health, or related field
* Strong experience in Benefits, Total Rewards, and HR Operations, including hands-on health plan management
* Experience managing benefits across South America, with solid knowledge of local healthcare and regulatory environments
* Fluent in English and Portuguese; intermediate Spanish required
* Proven background in vendor and insurer management, including negotiations, renewals, and contracts
* Experience leading regional implementations, vendor transitions, and large-scale benefits programs
* Track record in multinational, region-wide South America roles
* Experience working in unionized environments and supporting collective bargaining on benefits topics
* Strong expertise in health and risk benefits (medical, dental, life, disability, mental health, occupational health)
* Solid understanding of funding models, claims, and utilization analytics
* Proficiency in HRIS/benefits systems, Excel, and data analysis; dashboards and BI tools a plus
* Experience with self-insured healthcare operations in Brazil, including primary care models and network design
* Highly data-driven mindset, able to translate analytics into cost optimization and improvement initiatives
* Strong knowledge of South America benefits market data and surveys to support strategic decision-making

What can you give a competitive edge (preferred qualifications):

* Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills across countries, cultures, and functions
* Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities; able to translate data into clear recommendations
* Clear, objective written and verbal communication in English, Portuguese, and Spanish
* High integrity, discretion, and attention to detail, especially when handling sensitive personal and health data
* Proven ability to lead large-scale change initiatives and communications
* Strong capability to manage complexity, prioritize in dynamic environments, and drive continuous improvement
* Experience balancing and prioritizing benefits operations across multiple South American countries

#LI-AS
GM does not provide immigration-related sponsorship for this role. Do not apply for this role if you will need gm immigration sponsorship now or in the future. This role is categorized as hybrid. This means the selected candidate is expected to report to a specific location at least 3 times a week {or other frequency dictated by their manager}. The selected candidate will be required to travel About GM
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