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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Wellness Program Consultant

💰 $65,000 - $110,000

Human ResourcesWellnessConsultingBenefitsHealth Promotion

🎯 Role Definition

A Wellness Program Consultant designs, implements, and measures strategic employee wellness and population health initiatives that increase employee engagement, reduce health risk, and deliver measurable ROI for organizations. This role blends program design, vendor management, health coaching best practices, data analytics, and stakeholder engagement to build scalable, evidence-based wellness programs aligned to organizational goals, benefits strategy, and regulatory compliance (HIPAA, ADA).

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Health Coach, Certified Wellness Coach, or Certified Health Educator transitioning into program design and vendor management.
  • HR Generalist, Benefits Analyst, or Employee Experience Specialist with exposure to wellness and leave programs.
  • Population Health Analyst, Occupational Health Nurse, or Preventive Health Specialist moving into corporate wellness consulting.

Advancement To:

  • Senior Wellness Program Consultant / Lead Wellness Strategist
  • Director of Wellbeing, Total Rewards & Wellbeing
  • VP of Employee Experience or VP of Total Rewards (senior leadership roles integrating benefits and wellbeing)

Lateral Moves:

  • Benefits Manager or Benefits Strategy Consultant
  • Employee Engagement Manager or Organizational Health Specialist

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Lead the end‑to‑end design and delivery of integrated corporate wellness programs (including health risk assessments, biometric screening campaigns, chronic disease management, health coaching, fitness challenges, mental health resources, and preventive care initiatives) that align with company culture and business objectives.
  • Conduct comprehensive needs assessments and population health analyses using HRA, claims, biometric screening, and engagement data to identify high‑impact opportunities and prioritize interventions.
  • Develop evidence‑based wellness strategies and annual program roadmaps with clear KPIs (participation, engagement, clinical outcomes, cost avoidance, ROI) and a timeline for phased implementation.
  • Partner with HR, benefits, finance, and senior leadership to align wellness initiatives with compensation, benefits design, and organizational goals while securing stakeholder buy‑in and budgets.
  • Select, evaluate, and manage third‑party vendors and wellness technology platforms (wellness portals, telehealth, EAP, digital coaching, wearable integrations) including RFP development, contract negotiation, onboarding, SLA monitoring, and performance audits.
  • Design targeted behavior‑change campaigns using proven frameworks (motivational interviewing, stages of change, SMART goals) and develop content, communications, and incentives to maximize adoption and sustained participation.
  • Oversee company‑wide biometric screening and health assessment programs (logistics, vendor coordination, consent/HIPAA compliance, data transfer, and confidential results reporting) to ensure accurate and secure data collection.
  • Implement and manage health coaching programs (1:1 and group coaching) including hiring, training, clinical oversight, and quality assurance to drive clinical outcomes and employee satisfaction.
  • Create and execute tailored chronic disease management pathways (diabetes prevention, hypertension control, weight management) that integrate clinical resources, coaching, care managers, and benefits-level coordination.
  • Monitor program metrics and generate regular dashboards and performance reports that translate engagement and clinical results into financial analyses (ROI, cost trends, utilization changes) for leadership.
  • Lead ongoing program optimization through A/B testing of incentives, communications, and program design, using experimental insights to increase engagement and improve health outcomes.
  • Ensure all wellness initiatives meet regulatory requirements (HIPAA, ADA, ACA), respect employee privacy, and integrate appropriately with benefits administration and legal counsel.
  • Train and empower internal champions (HR business partners, site leads, managers) to deliver onsite programming, culture activation, and local engagement tactics that scale across locations.
  • Develop and execute population segmentation strategies and targeted interventions for high‑risk cohorts, remote/hybrid employees, and diverse demographic groups to reduce disparities and improve reach.
  • Manage program budgets, forecast spend, and identify cost‑savings opportunities through vendor consolidation, utilization management, and preventive care initiatives.
  • Produce compelling program communications, toolkits, manager guides, and multimedia campaigns to drive adoption, highlight success stories, and reinforce wellbeing culture.
  • Lead wellness incentive strategy design and manage administration and compliance of incentive programs tied to HRAs, screenings, and preventive care completion.
  • Serve as subject matter expert on preventative health, behavioral change, and workplace wellbeing, presenting findings, recommendations, and business cases to executive audiences and cross‑functional teams.
  • Coordinate cross‑functional pilots and integrations with benefits, payroll, leave of absence, disability, and EAP partners to ensure seamless employee journeys and data integrity.
  • Facilitate onsite and virtual wellbeing events (workshops, lunch‑and‑learns, resilience training, mental health first aid), including curriculum development, facilitator selection/training, and evaluation.
  • Mentor and develop junior wellness staff, coaches, and program coordinators, establishing best practices, SOPs, and continuous learning processes.
  • Maintain current knowledge of industry trends, clinical guidelines (CDC, USPSTF), and emerging digital health solutions to inform strategy and vendor roadmap.
  • Produce case studies, measurement frameworks, and benchmarking analyses to demonstrate program value and support organizational decisions.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad‑hoc reporting requests and exploratory analyses to answer business questions about employee health trends, utilization, and program impact.
  • Contribute to the organization’s wellness data strategy and roadmap, including data governance, integration, and vendor APIs.
  • Collaborate with HRIS, benefits administration, and IT teams to translate program needs into technical requirements for wellness platforms and integrations.
  • Participate in cross‑functional agile planning, sprint ceremonies, and project tracking to ensure timely delivery of wellness features and initiatives.
  • Provide subject matter input for communications, training, and change management related to benefits enhancements and wellbeing programs.
  • Act as liaison with external research partners or academic institutions for program evaluation and evidence generation.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Program design and implementation for corporate wellness, employee wellbeing, and population health programs.
  • Health risk assessment (HRA) interpretation and biometric screening program management.
  • Data analytics and reporting: SQL or analytics tools (Tableau, Power BI, Looker), experience building dashboards and calculating ROI and cost‑savings.
  • Vendor selection and contract negotiation for wellness vendors, telehealth, digital coaching, EAP, and biometric vendors.
  • Knowledge of HIPAA, ADA, ACA requirements and experience maintaining employee health data privacy and security.
  • Clinical familiarity with chronic disease management (diabetes, hypertension, behavioral health) and preventive care guidelines (CDC, USPSTF).
  • Digital wellness platform administration and integrations (SaaS wellness platforms, APIs, SSO, HRIS/benefits connectivity).
  • Evaluation methodology: program evaluation, outcomes measurement, cohort analysis, and statistical reporting for population-level interventions.
  • Experience designing incentive programs and managing compliance for wellness incentives.
  • Experience with motivational interviewing, health coaching methodologies, or certification (e.g., CHES, CWWP, ACE Health Coach, NASM, NCHEC).
  • Budget management and financial modeling to forecast program spend and demonstrate ROI.

Soft Skills

  • Excellent stakeholder management and executive communication — ability to craft business cases and present results to senior leadership.
  • Strong project management and organizational skills, able to manage multiple cross‑functional initiatives and vendor deliverables.
  • Persuasive communication and marketing mindset for employee engagement campaigns, storytelling, and behavior change.
  • Empathy and coaching presence when working with employees and clinical teams; culturally competent and inclusive in program design.
  • Critical thinking and problem solving using data to drive continuous improvement.
  • Facilitation and workshop design skills for delivering trainings, webinars, and onsite programming.
  • Collaboration and partnership — experience working with HR, Benefits, Finance, Legal, and clinical partners.
  • Adaptability and innovation mindset to pilot new programs and iterate quickly based on feedback and data.
  • Attention to detail and strong ethical standards for handling sensitive health information.
  • Negotiation and vendor management skills for obtaining competitive pricing and optimized service delivery.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Public Health, Health Promotion, Kinesiology, Nursing, Human Resources, Business, or a related field.

Preferred Education:

  • Master’s degree in Public Health (MPH), Health Promotion, Healthcare Administration (MHA), or similar advanced degree.
  • Professional certifications such as Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES), Certified Wellness Practitioner (CWP), WellCertified, or certified health coach credentials (ACE, NASM).

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Public Health
  • Health Promotion / Health Education
  • Kinesiology / Exercise Science
  • Nursing or Allied Health
  • Human Resources / Organizational Development
  • Healthcare Administration / Population Health

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 3–7 years in wellness, benefits, population health, or related consulting roles with progressive responsibility.

Preferred:

  • 5+ years designing and managing corporate wellness or population health programs, including vendor management, analytics, and executive reporting.
  • Demonstrated experience working with large employers or multi-site organizations and measurable evidence of improving engagement and health outcomes.
  • Experience integrating wellness programming with benefits strategy, leave/disability, EAP, and health plan partners.
  • Proven track record of delivering programs that achieved engagement targets, reduced risk factors, or produced cost‑savings/ROI.
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