Americas Benefits Specialist AVP

KKR's Gurugram office provides best in class services and solutions to our internal stakeholders and clients, drives organization wide process efficiency and transformation, and reflect KKR's global culture and values of teamwork and innovation. The office will contain multifunctional business capabilities and will be integral in furthering the growth and transformation of KKR.

POSITION SUMMARY

KKR’s Global Benefits team is seeking an experienced Benefits Specialist to support the administration and evolution of employee benefit programs across the Americas, including healthcare, retirement, wellness, and work-life initiatives. Based in Gurugram and reporting to the Head of Americas Benefits, this role will primarily support employees in the U.S., Bermuda, and Canada.

The Benefits Specialist will manage day-to-day benefits operations and contribute to the design and delivery of wellness and benefits programming. As part of a collaborative, matrixed team, the role requires flexibility and a willingness to adapt responsibilities as business needs evolve.This individual will play a key role in enhancing the employee experience, improving benefits engagement and utilization, and driving operational efficiency through strong vendor management and strategic program support.

We are operating in a 4-day in office, 1-day flexible work arrangement.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Support the administration and oversight of benefits programs across the Americas, including managing vendor and broker relationships and assisting with the U.S. Open Enrollment cycle.
• Contribute to the development and advancement of the Americas healthcare and wellness strategy, with a focus on preventive care, mental and financial well-being, work-life integration, and leave policies.
• Manage day-to-day benefits operations, including employee life cycle events (onboarding, transfers, terminations), and maintenance of benefits-related content in HRIS (Workday) and SharePoint systems.
• Serve as a key point of contact for employee benefits inquiries, ensuring timely, accurate, and high-quality support across all benefit programs.
• Assist in the creation and execution of effective communication strategies and materials to drive awareness and engagement in benefits and wellness programs across the region.
• Support enhancements to the benefits governance framework and identify opportunities to drive operational efficiencies.
• Maintain a strong technical understanding of benefits programs and trends across the U.S., Bermuda, and Canada, including competitive plan design and regulatory requirements.
• Collaborate with Finance and Payroll teams to analyze and reconcile benefits data, support budgeting processes, and identify risks or opportunities related to benefits spend and planning.
• Oversee vendor lifecycle management, including onboarding, contracting, ongoing relationship oversight, and performance evaluation in alignment with KKR’s procurement processes.
• Ensure compliance with applicable federal, state, and local regulations, including oversight of Form 5500 filings, 1095-C reporting, non-discrimination testing, and other compliance-related deliverables.
• Assist with benefits integration and due diligence activities related to mergers, acquisitions, or divestitures within the Americas region.
• Provide support for employee leaves of absence and disability/accommodation processes in accordance with applicable laws and internal policies.
• Leverage AI-powered tools to streamline benefits operations, enhance benefits data analysis and reconciliation, and develop high-quality employee communications, while ensuring outputs are accurate, compliant, and handled in line with data privacy and confidentiality requirements

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in business, finance, Human Capital or related field, or equivalent practical experience
• Experience working in a dynamic, matrixed, fast-paced, and pressurized environment.
• Motivated self-starter with the ability to work with a high degree of autonomy.
• Commitment to confidentiality and experience interacting with employees’ complex private medical and financial matters; HIPAA training to be completed upon hire.
• At least seven years of recent professional experience with U.S. employee benefits and wellness plan development and delivery.
• Proven track record in health/wellness and work-life programs.
• Demonstrated experience using AI tools to analyze data, generate content, or streamline processes.
• Track record of identifying opportunities to apply AI to improve efficiency or business outcomes
• Familiarity with effective prompt design and generating reliable results using generative AI tools

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• 10+ years of progressive benefits/wellness experience for plans in the U.S.
• Meaningful knowledge of Americas benefits plan design including healthcare, work-life (i.e., family building and support) and retirement plans along with plan administration, associated payroll processes, regulatory requirements and benefits program taxability
• Exceptional project management skills with the ability to deliver on tight deadlines with follow through and attention to detail
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to interface with all levels of the organization
• Strong sense of accountability and sound personal judgment, including an understanding of competitor offerings and the general marketplace with the ability to use data to influence key stakeholders
• Successful record of handling employee benefits inquiries, building efficient operational processes, and demonstrating influence with key internal stakeholders
• Proven ability in vendor/broker/consultant relationship management and establishing effective partnerships with external service providers to ensure quality service, including but not limited to working with HRIS systems such as Workday