Employee Benefits Product Owner, State Paid Family & Medical Leave (hybrid OR Remote)

Employee Benefits Product Owner, State Paid Family & Medical Leave (HYBRID OR REMOTE)

Primary Location: UNITED STATES-NC-Charlotte

Other Locations: UNITED STATES-Remote, UNITED STATES-NY-Syracuse

Organization: Equitable

Schedule: Full-time

About the Role

At Equitable, we help clients secure their financial well-being so they can pursue long and fulfilling lives- a mission we've honed since 1859.

Equitable is seeking a seasoned Senior Product Leader to own and advance our State Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) product strategy across all jurisdictions. This role will serve as the company's foremost expert on state-mandated PFML programs-responsible for end-to-end strategy, compliance interpretation, implementation, and cross-functional enablement. The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in the evolving PFML landscape, exceptional stakeholder management skills, and a proven track record of translating complex regulation into market-leading employee benefit solutions. The role will be reporting into our Life, Disability, and Absence Product Leader.

What You'll Be Doing

Key Responsibilities

Own PFML Strategy: Lead the enterprise-wide strategy for all state-mandated Paid Family and Medical Leave programs, ensuring alignment with our broader absence and disability portfolio.

Regulatory Intelligence & Implementation: Maintain a comprehensive understanding of current and emerging PFML legislation. Interpret statutory requirements, assess business impact, and drive timely updates to ensure full compliance.

Cross-Functional Leadership: Partner with Distribution, Operations, Claims, Underwriting, Legal, and Compliance to ensure PFML integration across the product lifecycle-from pricing and plan design to administration and client delivery.

Product Development & Market Competitiveness: Develop and enhance PFML product offerings to strengthen market differentiation. Monitor competitor activity and market trends to identify opportunities for innovation.

Annual Product Updates: Own the annual PFML update cycle-translating statutory changes into actionable business requirements and coordinating cross-functional execution.

Thought Leadership & Enablement: Serve as the organization's PFML subject matter expert, representing the company externally with regulators, brokers, industry forums, and strategic partners. Provide training, guidance, and communication to internal teams and client/market facing audiences.

Partner Collaboration: Collaborate with third-party administrators, payroll vendors, and technology partners to enhance digital integration and streamline client experiences.

This position offers a flexible work schedule: it may be fully remote/hybrid. If you are located near one of our offices (e.g., Charlotte, NC or Syracuse, NY), a hybrid schedule with 2-3 days on-site per week is expected to foster collaboration and connection.

The base salary range for this position is $100,000 - $120,000. Actual base salaries vary based on skills, experience, and geographical location. In addition to base pay, Equitable provides compensation to reward performance with base salary increases, spot bonuses, and short-term incentive compensation opportunities. Eligibility for these programs depends on level and functional area of responsibility.

For eligible employees, Equitable provides a full range of benefits. This includes medical, dental, vision, a 401(k) plan, and paid time off. For detailed descriptions of these benefits, please reference the link below.

Equitable Pay and Benefits: Equitable Total Rewards Program

What You Will Bring

Required Qualifications

Bachelor's degree required

5 years of experience in employee benefits, disability, or paid leave field/industry

Demonstrated expertise in state PFML programs and their interaction with employer-sponsored benefits

Proven success leading cross-functional initiatives and managing regulatory complexity

Preferred Qualifications

Graduate degree (MBA, JD or equivalent)

10 years of experience in employee benefits, disability, or paid leave field/industry

Deep understanding of leave administration, claims operations, and product pricing methodologies

Strong analytical, strategic, and communication skills

Ability to navigate ambiguity and influence across matrixed organizations

Passion for building compliant, customer-centric solutions that simplify complexity

Skills

Accuracy and Attention to Detail: Understanding the necessity and value of accuracy; ability to complete tasks with high levels of precision.

Business Acumen: Knowledge of business concepts, tools, and processes that are needed for making sound decisions in the context of the company's business; ability to apply this knowledge appropriately to diverse situations.

Cross-functional Collaboration: Knowledge of collaborative techniques and approaches; ability to promote a culture of continuous improvement and working together across functions to solve business problems and meet business goals.

Effective Communications: Understanding of effective communication concepts, tools and techniques; ability to effectively transmit, receive, and accurately interpret ideas, information, and needs through the application of appropriate communication behaviors.

Managing Multiple Priorities: Knowledge of effective self-management practices; ability to manage multiple concurrent objectives, projects, groups, or activities, making effective judgments as to prioritizing and time allocation.

Products and Services: Knowledge of major products and services and product and service groups; ability to apply knowledge of product and service appropriately to diverse situations.

Quality Management: Knowledge of quality management methods, tools, and techniques and ability to create and support an environment that meets the quality goals of the organization.

About Equitable

At Equitable, we're a team committed to helping our clients secure their financial well-being so that they can pursue long and fulfilling lives.

We turn challenges into opportunities by thinking, working, and leading differently - where everyone is a leader. We encourage every employee to leverage their unique talents to become a force for good at Equitable and in their local communities.

We are continuously investing in our people by offering growth, internal mobility, comprehensive compensation and benefits to support overall well-being, flexibility, and a culture of collaboration and teamwork.

We are looking for talented, dedicated, purposeful people who want to make an impact. Join Equitable and pursue a career with purpose.

Equitable is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to our employees, applicants and candidates based on individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity and expression, age, national origin, mental or physical disabilities, sexual orientation, veteran status, genetic information or any other class protected by federal, state and local laws.

NOTE: Equitable participates in the E-Verify program.

If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process or to perform the essential job functions of this position, please contact Human Resources at (212) 314-2211 or email us at TalentAcquisition@equitable.com.

Req ID: 2600004H