POSITION SUMMARY
The Employee Benefits Manager is responsible for leading the day-to-day operations of McClone’s Employee Benefits department, ensuring operational excellence, service consistency, and a strong client experience.
This role directly manages Employee Benefits Account Executives (AEs), Account Managers (AMs), Client Advocates (CAs), various support roles, and the EB Team Lead, with accountability for team performance, workflow execution, quality standards, and departmental scalability. The Employee Benefits Manager is a critical partner to Sales Leadership, Risk Advisors (RAs), Business Development (BD), and carrier partners to ensure seamless execution from sale to service.
This position plays a key role in executing McClone’s growth, innovation, and efficiency strategy by reinforcing sales-to-service handoffs, supporting cross-sell and round-out opportunities, and cascading AI and efficiency initiatives across the Employee Benefits team.
QUALIFICATIONS
o High School diploma or equivalent
o Associate or bachelor’s degree in related field, preferred
o 2+ years of employee benefit insurance management experience, preferred
o 2+ years of experience leading a team
o Wisconsin Life and Health insurance license required within 90 days of employment and maintained throughout the course of employment
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
Daily Operations & Performance Management
- Lead the daily operations of the Employee Benefits department, directly managing AEs, AMs, and the EB Team Lead
- Monitor team performance, enforce accountability, and ensure consistent service delivery aligned with McClone’s standards
- Conduct regular 1:1s, lead department meetings, and complete annual performance reviews
- Partner with HR on hiring and termination decisions; handle coaching and performance issues as needed
- Monitor department workflows to ensure work is distributed effectively and turnaround times are met
- Responsible for new business assignments, managing a book of business capacity, setting strategy for book moves and client reassignments to ensure sustainable workloads
Sales & Growth Execution
- Partner with Sales Leadership, RAs, and BD to ensure effective sales-to-service handoffs
- Support growth initiatives by coaching the team on identifying cross-sell, round-out, and account expansion opportunities
- Attend client and prospect meetings as needed to reinforce value and operational alignment
- Reinforce the execution of client segmentation strategies as directed by the Senior Leadership Team
- Attend relevant internal sales/strategy meetings to stay connected with revenue goals
Client & Carrier Relationship Management
- Maintain carrier relationships; resolve routine carrier issues and questions from the team
- Serve as a point of escalation for client and carrier matters; escalate complex or high-impact issues to the VP of Client Experience as needed
- Support AEs/AMs in maintaining strong client relationships and ensuring a high standard of client service
- Audit vendor billing statements and provide approval for accounting prior to payment
Process Improvement, AI & Efficiency
- Execute and maintain department workflows and playbooks, ensuring consistency and clarity
- Partner with the EB Team Lead to implement AI initiatives and efficiency projects; monitor adoption and ensure changes are embedded into daily workflows
- Ensure adoption of new workflows, tools, and technology across the EB team
- Identify gaps, inefficiencies, and risks within EB processes and develop solutions
Training & Development
- Identify training needs for AEs and AMs based on performance trends, quality reviews, and business needs
- Support professional development by providing coaching, identifying growth opportunities, and aligning individual goals with department objectives
- Partner with the EB Team Lead and Director of Training & Development to deliver ongoing technical and professional training
- Ensure that new hires are onboarded smoothly and trained to McClone’s standards
