Senior Manager, Benefits

As Marqeta's Senior Manager, Benefits , you will own the strategy, design, and operational excellence of our US and global benefits programs. You'll be the most senior benefits leader in the organization—setting the vision for how Marqeta invests in employee wellbeing, leading a lean benefits function, and partnering with People, Payroll, Finance, and Legal to deliver a high-impact program that scales with us. You'll balance strategic program ownership with hands-on execution, acting as a trusted advisor to leadership, a champion for employees, and a driver of innovation as we continue to grow. This is a player-coach role: you'll shape where the program is going while staying close enough to the details to ensure flawless execution. We work Flexible First. This role can be performed remotely within the United States or from our Oakland, CA office. We'd love for you to join us! The Impact You'll Have Benefits Strategy & Program Ownership Own the strategy, design, and roadmap for Marqeta's US and global benefits programs, ensuring they remain competitive, cost-effective, and aligned to our Total Rewards philosophy. Evaluate program performance and market trends, and recommend plan design changes, new offerings, and cost-management strategies to leadership. Define and track program metrics (cost, utilization, participation, employee satisfaction) and use data to inform decisions and demonstrate impact. Partner with Finance on benefits budgeting, forecasting, and cost modeling. Serve as the senior subject-matter expert and trusted advisor to People leadership and cross-functional stakeholders. Team & Stakeholder Leadership Lead and develop the benefits function, mentoring team members and/or managing work delivered through brokers and vendors. Build strong cross-functional partnerships with People Partners, Payroll, Finance, Legal, and Talent teams to develop, implement, and communicate benefits policies and procedures. Represent benefits in leadership discussions, translating complex program and compliance topics into clear guidance and recommendations. Set standards for process excellence and continuously improve how the function operates as headcount and complexity grow. Vendor & Financial Management Own vendor strategy and relationships end to end, including selection, RFPs, negotiations, contracts, and renewals. Manage broker and vendor performance against service level agreements (SLAs), and hold partners accountable to quality and service standards. Oversee weekly vendor file feeds/integrations and troubleshoot issues, ensuring data accuracy across systems. Own the processing, auditing, and reconciliation of benefits-related invoices, and ensure spend aligns to budget. Benefits Operations & Administration Oversee the accuracy and integrity of all benefits records and transactions in Workday. Ensure benefits enrollments reconcile to payroll deductions, including spending accounts, and drive resolution of discrepancies. Lead operational projects such as enrollment audits, system and process implementations, and communication campaigns. Establish and maintain scalable processes, controls, and documentation for benefits operations. Lead benefits integration for mergers, acquisitions, or divestitures. Identify and escalate process, data, or employee-impact gaps, and drive them to resolution. Employee Experience Own the overall employee benefits experience, from onboarding through life events, and set the bar for responsive, high-quality service. Oversee resolution of complex escalations, acting as the senior point of contact between employees and benefit providers. Ensure timely handling of Workday Help tickets and benefits inbox inquiries, and evolve support processes as the population grows. Design and deliver clear, engaging benefits communications and education. Annual Open Enrollment Own and drive a successful annual Open Enrollment, including strategy, planning, communications, system testing, and post-enrollment reconcil…