The Company

About ILWU-PMA Benefits Plans

The ILWU-PMA Benefits Plans office administers healthcare and pension benefits for approximately 16,000 active and 9,500 retired longshore workers on the West coast, as well as their dependents and survivors. The benefit plans are governed by joint Board of Trustees representing the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association.

After over eleven years in the role of Executive Director, John Barton has announced his retirement. The Trustees have commenced a national search for his replacement with a desired 2025 start date.

About The International Longshore and Warehouse Union

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) represents approximately 40,000 members in over 50 local unions in the states of California, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and Hawaii. An additional 6,000 members belong to the autonomous ILWU Canada. The ILWU was formed as an independent union in the summer of 1937.

About Pacific Maritime Association

Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) provides industry leadership to member companies through labor relations, human resources, and administrative services. Its members are 68 ocean carriers and terminal operators who operate at the 29 West Coast Ports in California, Oregon, and Washington.

For more information about ILWU-PMA, its work, and its history, please visit: www.benefitplans.org.

Purpose of the Position

The ILWU-PMA Benefits Plans Office seeks a dynamic executive with a track record of leadership in complex organizations. The position requires a thoughtful individual able to manage operations for an organization assisting a workforce of more than 25,000 active and retired workers. The individual should be able to create and execute organizational strategies while remaining bipartisan between the ILWU and PMA.

The Executive Director must have significant experience in employee benefit management and administration and with labor relations in general. The ideal candidate will is a superior communicator – both orally and in writing – and is experienced working with diverse stakeholders. This individual will serve as the primary spokesperson for ILWU-PMA Benefits Plans.

Key Responsibilities

Executive Leadership

▪ Serve as the senior member of ILWU-PMA’s senior leadership team, empowering and developing staff for continued professional growth.

▪ Develop and recommend plans to achieve the mission of the Benefits Plans Office.

▪ Evaluate existing and prospective staff to meet the needs of the Benefits Plans Office and its stakeholders.

▪ Maintain organizational alignment with Board-adopted policies and procedures and develop and recommend new policies as needed.

▪ Ensure effective systems to track progress, regularly evaluate program components, and measure successes that can be effectively communicated to all constituents.

▪ Delegate specialist responsibility for benefit administrators, information technology managers, accountants, and other responsible professionals.

▪ Sustain a culture based on inclusivity, diversity, and professional development

External Engagement

▪ Work with Trustees, their representatives, and staff to represent the ILWU-PMA Benefits Plans Office as its primary ambassador.

▪ Manage a wide range of vendor relationships.

▪ Serve as the intermediary between Trustee representatives and other key stakeholders. 

Staff and Operational Management

▪ Manage a team of more than 60 staff members, over half of which are themselves union members.

▪ Further existing, and install as needed, processes enabling the best operational practices and determine their potential applications for the Benefit Plans Office.

▪ Serve as the key ambassador across all organizational initiatives.

▪ Review existing staff knowledge and resources, play a key role in developing more efficient structures, processes, and staff to improve deliverables as needed.

▪ Manage the organizational budget and ensure it is financially viable, sustainable, and on target.

▪ Maintain a thorough knowledge of current issues as they relate to ILWU-PMA Benefit Plans internal operations.

▪ Stay up-to-date on regulatory requirements for employee benefits plans in the multiemployer sector.

▪ Remain current on developments in health care delivery and be prepared to implement innovations

The Candidate

Experience and Professional Qualifications

The Executive Director is responsible for the successful administration of benefit plans covering more than 65,000 plan participants (working and retired ILWU members and their eligible dependents and survivors). The ideal candidate will have the requisite interpersonal skills necessary to develop meaningful relationships with a variety of stakeholders and the ability to execute business plans in a dynamic environment. The Benefit Plans Office seeks a thoughtful leader with a record of administering benefits in the ERISA regulator environment.

▪ Fifteen years of leadership experience with at least five years of demonstrated success in leading a team.

▪ Ten years of experience in a labor relations field, ideally inclusive of experience with Boards of Trustees and a variety of stakeholders.

▪ A detail-focused mindset with a desire to implement process improvements.

▪ Technological savvy and experience utilizing technology to combat cyber security threats.

▪ A record of interfacing with participants and developing communications strategies to help them navigate benefit decisions.

▪ Excellent written and oral communication skills and a diplomatic style of operation.

Personal Attributes

The Executive Director demonstrates:

▪ A strong set of positive and guiding core values and principles.

▪ A commitment to the mission of ILWU-PMA Benefit Plans Office.

▪ A collaborative operating style.

▪ Demonstrated leadership and organizational management skills with ability to coach staff and develop and develop teams, including with remote workers.

▪ Credible experience achieving strategic objectives.

▪ Fiscal acumen with experience managing a multi-million dollar budget.

Compensation: $275,000/yr - $300,000/yr

Korn Ferry shall provide equal employment opportunity to all qualified candidates, and will refer candidates without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, veteran status or any other legally protected basis.