Benefits Strategy Executive Advisor

Title: Benefits Strategy Executive Advisor

Location: 4000 Jones Bridge Road, Chevy Chase, MD, 20815

Work Type: Hybrid, Full Time

Job ID: R-4480

Job Description:

HHMI is focused on supporting and moving science forward in a variety of different ways ranging from conducting basic biomedical research, empowering educators, inspiring students, developing the next generation of scientists – even stretching into film and media production.  Our Headquarters is in the greater Washington, DC metro area and is home to over 300 employees with expertise in investments, communications, digital production, biomedical sciences, and everything in between.  The work housed here supports and augments the groundbreaking research conducted in HHMI labs across the nation.  As HHMI scientists continue to push boundaries in laboratories and classrooms, you can be sure that your contributions while working here are making a difference.

Summary of the Role

Howard Hughes Medical Institute seeks a Benefits Strategy Executive Advisor to serve as the organization's internal subject matter expert through a multi-workstream benefits transformation. This is a limited-term engagement, structured as an independent contractor or consulting firm arrangement, focused on a defined and consequential body of project work rather than an ongoing administrative role. The advisoroperatesas a seat at the table with senior leadership,advisingthe Chief Operating Officer and Office of General Counsel with authority throughout the initiative. Theinitialengagement runs throughearly2028go-live and initial implementation, with extension considered based on the project roadmap.

Why This Role Matters

Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) is one of the nation's largest private biomedical research philanthropies, supporting a community of approximately 2,600 employees across three populations: headquarters in Chevy Chase, MD; the Janelia Research Campus in Ashburn, VA; and host site scientists and staff embedded at more than 100 universities nationwide.

HHMI's benefits program is a strategicallyimportant componentof its ability to attract andretainworld-class scientific talent. The Institute is now undertaking its most significantbenefitsmodernization in years, and this engagement is central to that work. The Institute's goals for this work are clear: bend the long-term cost curve, improvethe employeeexperience, and adopt modern benefit designs that are not limited by how the program has always been structured.

HHMI engages external benefits consultants and brokers to support itsbenefitswork. The advisor serves as the internal counterpart to those relationships, ensuring HHMI’s priorities and independent judgmentleadevery engagement with external partners.

The advisor will report directly to the Chief of People & Culture and will work in close daily partnership with the Sr. Director of Total Rewards & Benefits and the broader Benefits team. This structure is intentional: the advisor brings specialized medical and pharmacy benefitsexpertiseand strategic depth that this engagement requires, while the Sr. Director and Benefits team bring institutional knowledge, carrier relationships, and operational continuity. The advisor advises andleads onstrategy; the team executes and owns ongoing administration. Success requires genuine collaboration between the two.

The advisor will also work closely with the Chief Operating Officer and Office of General Counsel throughout the engagement, serving as a trusted internal expert that HR, Legal, Finance, and leadership can all rely on for authoritative, independent guidance.

The engagement spans four active workstreams drawn from HHMI’s near- and long-term benefits roadmap:

• Pharmacy Benefit Strategy & Vendor Procurement (immediate priority)

• Medical Plan Portfolio Redesign

• Near-Term Benefits Efficiency Initiatives

• Long-Term Benefits Sustainability

What You Will Actually Do

• Serves as HHMI’s internal expert counterpart to external benefits consultants and brokers,evaluating recommendations and vendor analyses independently, directing firm priorities, holding consultants accountable to timelines and deliverables, and escalating where their outputs fall short of HHMI’s needs.

• Deconstructs vendor and actuarial proposals, including pricing structures, contract terms, guarantees, and savings claims,to distinguish genuine value from repackaging,identifywhere spread and rebate economics sit, and surface the trade-offs leadership needs to decide.

• Partners closely with the Sr. Director of Total Rewards & Benefits and the Benefits team,aligning on strategy day to day, advising on vendor relationships, plan design decisions, and negotiation positioning, and supporting the team’s capacity on active projects without displacing team accountability.

• Advises onplan design, contract negotiation, vendor relationships, and regulatory complianceacross all active workstreams, including incumbent and prospective carriers, PBMs, and specialty partners, bringing independent market perspective.

• Translates complex benefits decisions and broker outputs into clear options analyses and recommendations for senior leadership,communicating effectively with both vendors and executives and advising on communication strategies for employee-facing plan changes.

• Partners with the assigned project management resource on workstream coordination and stakeholdercommunications,andsupports People & Culture and Finance alignment on cost modeling, funding strategy, and plan change impacts.

• Identifiesrisks and escalates issues with recommended mitigationsbefore they reach leadership as surprises.

What We Are Looking For

• Demonstrated experience with PBM RFPs and carve-outs at employer scale,either executing them directly or managing a broker or consultant through the process with full command of the substance.

• Deep familiarity with pharmacy benefit structures,including formulary design, specialty pharmacy, GLP-1 policy, biosimilar strategy, and direct manufacturer contracting.

• Experience managing externalbenefitsconsultants and brokers,understanding how consulting firms work, where their incentives lie, and how to direct them effectively on behalf of an employer.

• Experience advising C-suite and legal stakeholders,comfortable presenting independent recommendations and holding a position under scrutiny.

• Strong vendor market knowledge,including understanding of the PBM landscape, carrier relationships, and how to structure negotiations.

• Ability to work independently with minimal ramp-up;HHMI needsexpertiseon day one.

• 15+ years of benefits strategy experience,with direct accountability for complex plan design and vendor management.

Nice to Have

• Prior experience on the broker or consulting firm side, inbenefitsconsulting, actuarial, or brokerage,bringing market perspective and vendorleveragethat internal-only backgrounds may lack.

• Experience with value-based benefit design, Centers of Excellence networks, and incentive-based steerage models.

• Familiarity with self-funded employer plan structures, stop-loss, and funding strategy.

• Experience working with research institutions, universities, or nonprofitswith complex employee populations.

• Knowledge of California-specific plan considerations,including Kaiser, state mandates, and multi-site compliance.

What This Role Is Not

• Not a project management or coordination role;it is a seat at the table with senior leadership.

• Not a replacement for HHMI's externalbenefitsconsultants and brokers;it is the internal counterpart to them.

Practical Details

Work Arrangement:Hybrid, based at HHMI headquarters in Chevy Chase, MD

Reports To:Chief of People & Culture

Works Closely With:Chief Operating Officer, Office of General Counsel, Sr. Director of Total Rewards & Benefits, the Benefits team, and the assigned project management resource

Role Type:This is a limited term role, but conversion to a full-time employee arrangement will be considered for the right candidate upon successful delivery of theinitialworkstream

Duration:Approximately September 2026 through early 2028, including go-live and initial implementation, with potential extension based on the project roadmap

Compensation and Benefits

Our employees are compensated from a total rewards perspective in many ways for their contributions to our mission, including competitive pay, exceptional health benefits, retirement plans, time off, and a range of recognition and wellness programs. Visit our Benefits at HHMI site to learn more. 

Compensation Range

$180,589.60 (minimum) - $225,737.00 (midpoint) - $293,458.10 (maximum)

Pay Type:

Annual

HHMI’s salary structure is developed based on relevant job market data. HHMI considers a candidate's education, previous experiences, knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as internal consistency when making job offers. Typically, a new hire for this position in this location is compensated between the minimum and the midpoint of the salary range.