Director of Benefits

Director, Benefits

With our strong investment in research and development and our culture of continuous improvement, Hexcel is the industry leader in the manufacturing of advanced composite materials, including carbon fiber, woven reinforcements, resins, prepregs, honeycombs and engineered core. We invite you to join the Hexcel team at various manufacturing sites, sales offices and R&D centers around the globe. Become a part of the "strength within."

Hexcel is currently seeking a Director, Benefits for our Stamford, CT, USA location. This position follows a hybrid working arrangement reports to the Vice President, Global Total Rewards & HRIS.

The Director, Benefits is a strategic leadership role responsible for defining and executing Hexcel's U.S. benefits strategy across health & welfare, retirement, leave, and ESPP programs. The role provides senior oversight of compliance, financial management, and vendor governance, ensuring cost-effective, competitive, and compliant benefit offerings.

This leader partners with senior stakeholders to translate business priorities into effective plan design, leverages data and benchmarking to drive decisions, and supports executive governance through Retirement and Compensation Committee materials. The Director also builds and leads a high-performing team while delivering strong vendor performance, employee communications, and continuous improvement across the benefits function.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead a multi-year U.S. benefits strategy aligned with business priorities to drive workforce productivity, engagement, and the attraction and retention of top talent.
• Provide subject matter leadership across retirement, health & welfare, and leave programs, ensuring full compliance with ACA, ERISA, and applicable regulations while advising leadership on risk and strategy.
• Responsible for financial stewardship of benefit programs, including cost forecasting, budget management and pension funding analysis.
• Lead vendor and broker strategy, including negotiation of rates and contracts, oversight of recordkeepers and consultants, and optimization of vendor performance and service delivery.
• Leverage data analytics, benchmarking, and utilization trends to inform plan design, improve outcomes, and optimize benefit costs.
• Establish KPIs and dashboards to measure benefits performance, vendor effectiveness, and return on investment.
• Evaluate market competitiveness through benchmarking and external surveys, making data-driven recommendations to leadership.
• Deliver effective employee communications and education, including financial wellness, benefits literacy, and long-term financial planning, to drive engagement and informed decision-making.
• Partner with HR and labor relations to support collective bargaining for bargaining units, providing benefits expertise and cost analysis.
• Oversee ESPP administration, including plan design, compliance, vendor management, and driving employee participation.
• Prepare and coordinate quarterly Retirement Committee materials with the plan advisor and plan recordkeeper, ensuring accurate analysis of plan performance, market trends, and strategic considerations.
• Support executive governance by preparing health & welfare, and retirement materials for the Compensation Committee.
• Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing benefits team to ensure service excellence and continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Business Administration, Human Resources, or a related field required; CEBS or other relevant certifications preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive benefits experience, including significant leadership responsibility within a corporate environment.
• Proven ability to develop and execute data-driven benefits strategies that inform plan design, cost management, and workforce outcomes.
• Demonstrated leadership in benefits transformation, program redesign, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Detail-oriented with the ability to analyze and interpret complex datasets.
• Extensive experience managing complex vendor ecosystems, including oversight of 25+ third-party providers and driving performance, value, and service excellence.
• Experience evaluating and implementing digital benefits platforms, decision-support tools, and emerging technologies (e.g., AI) preferred.
• Experience with Workday benefits, payroll, reporting, and integrations preferred.
• Experience supporting mergers, acquisitions, and related change management initiatives preferred.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to effectively engage and influence stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
• Willingness to travel up to 10% as needed.

Eligible candidates must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, person lawfully admitted for permanent residence, temporary resident under sections 210(a) or 245(A) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, person admitted in refugee status, or person granted asylum. Hexcel (NYSE: HXL) is a global leader in advanced composites technology, a leading producer of carbon fiber, and the world leader in honeycomb manufacturing for the commercial aerospace industry.

Hexcel is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other protected class.