Global Benefits Lead

About Vercel: Vercel is the agentic infrastructure company. We free people and agents to ship what’s next. For more than a decade, Vercel has shaped how the web is built. As the team behind Next.js, v0, and AI SDK, we create products that help builders move from idea to production with speed, security, and exceptional developer experience. Now, software is entering a new era, and the next generation of products will not just be used by people. They will be built, extended, and operated by agents. We are building the platform for that future, trusted by companies like OpenAI, PayPal, Ramp, Supreme, and millions of developers worldwide . Whether you’re building our products, supporting our customers, growing our community, or shaping our story, you’ll help define what comes next. About the Role: We are looking for a Global Benefits Lead to join our People team. In this role, you will own the strategy, design, and execution of Vercel’s global benefits programs. You’ll ensure our offerings are competitive, compliant, and scalable across a distributed workforce spanning 30+ countries, including EOR hiring. This includes health and welfare, retirement, leave of absence, time off, stipends, and wellness programs. You’ll lead shaping our long-term benefits strategy, including evaluating and implementing a self-insured model in the U.S. as we continue to scale. This is a high-impact individual contributor role with meaningful cross-functional partnership across the People, Finance, Legal and Payroll teams. You will report to the Head of People Ops and will be located in San Francisco or New York City. If you’re based within commuting distance of one of our offices (SF or NY), this role includes in-office anchor days on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday. For location-specific details, please connect with our recruiting team. If you’re based within a pre-determined commuting distance of one of our offices (SF, NY, London, or Berlin), the role includes in-office anchor days on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday. If you're located beyond that distance, the role is fully remote. For location-specific details, please connect with our recruiting team. What You Will Do: Develop Vercel’s global benefits philosophy and strategy across health and welfare, retirement (401k and global equivalents), leave of absence, time off, stipends, and wellness programs Evaluate, design, and implement a potential U.S. self-insured health plan, including financial modeling, risk assessment, vendor selection (TPA, stop-loss, PBM), and compliance considerations Partner with EOR providers to design and manage benefits programs, ensuring local compliance while maintaining a consistent global philosophy Lead analysis, benchmarking and implementation for benefits in new entities from global expansion Lead global open enrollment cycles end-to-end, including vendor coordination, systems readiness, employee communication, and reporting Manage the global benefits budget, including forecasting, cost analysis, and scenario modeling to support executive decision-making Oversee broker and vendor relationships, negotiating contracts and holding partners accountable to performance and service standards Administer employee stipend programs (wellness, remote work, educational reimbursement) with clear governance and operational rigor Ensure compliance with U.S. and international benefits and leave regulations, proactively mitigating risk as we expand Build and document scalable processes that support continued global growth About You: 8+ years of experience building and managing global benefits programs at a scaling company Experience supporting a distributed workforce across multiple countries, with significant reliance on EOR partners Direct experience evaluating, implementing, or managing a U.S. self-insured health plan Strong expertise in U.S. health and welfare, 401k administration, and leave compliance, with working knowledge of international statutory benefits Experience managing benef