China Operations Leader – Health & Benefits

Company:

Description:

We are seeking a talented individual to join our Operations team at Mercer China. This role will be based in Shenzhen or Guangzhou Office. This is a hybrid role that has a requirement of working at least three days a week in the office.

The role will establish and manage colleagues and teams across multiple locations in China, primarily our in-house Health & Benefits (H&B) service centre in China. This strategic role requires a high level of operational excellence, a mindset for continuous improvement, and the ability to lead a large team across multiple workstreams while fostering a collaborative, high-performance culture.

We will count on you to:

Leadership & Operational Oversight

• Lead the set-up and manage the internal (non-third-party) H&B service centre in the Greater Bay Area, ensuring alignment with global & regional service delivery standards.
• Lead the management of ‘on-shore’ O&T teams ensuring transition of work between ‘onshore’ and service centre, providing “manager once removed” (MOR) leadership for up to 100 operations staff and offer guidance to direct team leaders.
• Oversee day-to-day operations, assigning and managing workloads to ensure delivery of high-quality outcomes and adherence to service standards.
• Lead regular performance reviews, team meetings, and one-on-one sessions to ensure KPIs and SLAs are consistently met or exceeded.
• Monitor workflow and productivity, implementing data-driven reporting to track team and individual performance.
• Drive operational excellence by refining processes and reinforcing a culture of ownership and accountability.

Client & Stakeholder Management

• Lead stakeholder engagement sessions, partnering closely with business leaders and client teams to improve client experience.
• Ensure all internal and external communications are of high quality, accurate, and aligned with business standards.
• Manage and resolve escalated issues, complaints, and queries, while overseeing the complaints management system.

Process & Compliance Management

• Facilitate effective communication across business functions, resolving issues quickly to maintain workflow efficiency.
• Oversee and produce complex and confidential documentation including quotations, invoices, policy slips, and pre-renewal materials.
• Ensure compliance protocols are adhered to by liaising with the Compliance team, identifying emerging risks, and implementing effective operational controls.
• Support Smart Benefits initiatives and ensure quality administrative support for SaaS-based and other H&B solutions.

Continuous Improvement & Strategic Projects

• Implement a metrics-driven management approach, promoting continuous improvement and service innovation.
• Lead or contribute to delivery of new implementations and change initiatives.
• Manage transitions of end-to-end brokerage tasks to the service centre, ensuring minimal disruption and maximum efficiency.

What you need to have:

• Minimum 7 years of experience in Health & Benefits operations.
• Proven experience setting up and managing in-house service centres.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• English fluency required
• Willingness to travel to Shanghai quarterly and service centre location on a more regular basis

What makes you stand out:

• Strong understanding of the full brokerage process and operations transitions.
• Demonstrated leadership of large operational teams and performance management.
• Experience in SaaS delivery, flexible benefits administration, and operational compliance.

Why join our team:

• We help you be your best through professional development opportunities, interesting work and supportive leaders.
• We foster a vibrant and inclusive culture where you can work with talented colleagues to create new solutions and have impact for colleagues, clients and communities.
• Our scale enables us to provide a range of career opportunities, as well as benefits and rewards to enhance your well-being.