Human Capital Management, EMEA Pensions & Benefits, Vice President, Birmingham

Our division recruits, develops and rewards the people of Goldman Sachs. Our teams advise, design and implement strategies, processes and technologies that help our people advance professionally, drive productivity and help the firm and our clients achieve superior results. We look for individuals with strong problem solving and analytical skills, innovative thinking and intellectual curiosity who want to make an impact on the success of the firm’s most valuable asset, our people.

Human Capital Management (HCM) is at the forefront of supporting business growth and change at Goldman Sachs, and our people are at the centre of driving that change. We are looking for professionals with strong analytical and communication skills, enthusiasm, and intellectual curiosity.

Our team is comprised of individuals who understand data, people, process, technology and operations. Our work is fast-paced and requires individuals to be proactive and have strong business acumen. HCM works across the organization and has stakeholders at all levels of the firm across all business areas.

Emea Pensions & Benefits – Team & Role Overview

Reporting to the Head of Europe, Middle East and Africa (“EMEA”) and APAC Benefits & Wellness, this position supports EMEA & APAC Head of Benefits & Wellness to lead strategy, management, operations, governance/compliance and oversight of pension and benefit programmes across 20+ EMEA locations with a primary focus on Pensions and Benefit arrangements outside of the UK. The team also focuses on engagement, innovation and education. We work closely with vendor partners and expert advisors to provide a high quality offering to employees.

The ideal candidate will leverage their substantial benefits expertise to design and deliver comprehensive benefit programmes to over 5,000 employees across the region. The candidate will work closely with other internal groups (e.g., Legal, Tax, Finance, and the Vendor Management Office,) to deliver a best in class programme. This position is at the Vice President level and based in either London or Birmingham.

Responsibilities

Support the EMEA & APAC Head of Benefits & Wellness to deliver EMEA Benefits strategy, risk management, governance and operations including:

STRATEGY

• Lead on day to day EMEA Pension and Benefits (Life, Disability, Healthcare, etc.), with a focus on arrangements outside the UK, ensuring innovation and that plan design maximises the employee experience and associated pension and benefit outcomes, whilst leveraging cost saving opportunities for the firm.
• Support strategy and ensure strategy is aligned to business requirements.
• Lead policy reviews on ongoing basis ensuring critical review, compliance with internal requirements as well local regulation and legislation.
• Partner with the global team on cross regional pension and benefits projects including cross regional and cross functional working group activity.
• Collaborate strategically with the EMEA UK and other Global Pension and Benefit teams.

GOVERNANCE

• Ensure compliance of all pension and benefit programmes in line with internal policy and local regulation and legislation.
• Responsibility for managing Trust governance and supporting pension and benefit Trustee Boards and consultative committees.
• Support the development of Global Governance and Policy and ensure EMEA pension and benefit programmes operate within the global governance framework.
• Manage internal pensions and benefits governance ensuring alignment to internal policy, e.g. Records Management.
• Seeking relevant approval to all pension and benefit programme/policy changes.

OPERATIONS

• Day-to-day management of pension and benefit programmes, including funding.
• Manage effective routine delivery of the EMEA pensions and benefits administration process via third party administrators including payroll files, tax data and vendor enrolment transactions. Identify and implement ongoing opportunities to automate processes and gain efficiencies across all EMEA locations.
• Drive ongoing development of management reporting across all areas of benefits and wellness to enable global parity.
• Oversee the management of vendor service providers including budget, performance and innovation.
• Managing key stakeholders and vendors, ensuring compliance in local jurisdictions and leveraging opportunities to increase the quality of the pensions and benefits offering.
• Set and manage budgets for relevant pensions and benefits and initiatives across EMEA, working with both local and global teams to address questions, prepare budgets, and present analyses / reporting to senior stakeholders.

PEOPLE MANAGEMENT

• Direct line management of pensions and benefits team members (up to 8 people), including the Operations Team.
• Ability to manage, motivate and drive performance of the team.

Other

• Provide advisory service to the business including postings, presentations and the delivery of other stakeholder management documentation.
• Support and advice on merger, acquisition and sale activity as relates to EMEA pensions and benefits policies.

Skills & Experience Required

• 8+ years of EMEA Pensions and Benefits experience with focus on EMEA pensions, healthcare, risk, cars and voluntary benefits and working knowledge of non-UK pensions and benefits legislation.
• Working knowledge of Defined Benefit and Defined Contribution pension arrangements preferable.
• Experience of Global Pensions and Benefits an advantage.
• Strong project management and organization skills with superior attention to detail and excellent follow-through.
• Results-oriented; ability to successfully manage multiple tasks, take initiative to improve own performance, and ability to work intensely towards extremely challenging goals in the face of obstacles or setbacks.
• Ability to develop relationships with people at all levels of the organization and a broad base of stakeholders.
• Strong communication, influencing and persuasion skills and comfortable working in a global team that both welcomes and challenges new ideas.
• Strong analytical and problem solving skills; ability to perform detailed analysis of problems and identify resolutions; understands when and how to escalate issues to manage risk.
• Innovative approach with ability and appetite to challenge existing policies and processes.
• Creative strength to transform abstract ideas into tangible actions/products.
• Ability to operate in a virtual work environment where teams may be spread across multiple locations.
• Self-starting and enthusiastic in approach to work.
• Strong understanding of finance and metrics management and reporting.
• Advanced computer literacy: Advanced Microsoft Office and Excel skills a requirement.

About Goldman Sachs

At Goldman Sachs, we commit our people, capital and ideas to help our clients, shareholders and the communities we serve to grow. Founded in 1869, we are a leading global investment banking, securities and investment management firm. Headquartered in New York, we maintain offices around the world.

We believe who you are makes you better at what you do. We’re committed to fostering and advancing diversity and inclusion in our own workplace and beyond by ensuring every individual within our firm has a number of opportunities to grow professionally and personally, from our training and development opportunities and firmwide networks to benefits, wellness and personal finance offerings and mindfulness programs. Learn more about our culture, benefits, and people at GS.com/careers.