Manager, Total Rewards

Overview

This role manages the organization’s total rewards function, including employee benefits, compensation, and payroll. The position is responsible for both strategic direction and day-to-day operations in a high-growth, multi-state environment, strengthening processes, controls, systems, and the overall employee experience.

The ideal candidate is located in the EST or CST time zone.

Responsibilities

• Stay current on evolving benefits and payroll legislation, regulations, and industry practices; proactively recommend changes as needed
• Partner with HR, HRIS, Finance, Accounting, and Talent Acquisition as a member of the HR Operations team
• Ensure benefit and payroll accruals and expenses are properly established, reviewed for accuracy, and aligned with Accounting
• Oversee benefits and payroll tracking, reporting, audits, and metrics to support compliance, operational decision-making, and senior management needs
• Lead the annual 401(k) audit and coordinate Form 5500 filing and other retirement plan compliance activities with the TPA and applicable partners
• Recommend, evaluate, and modify benefits policies and programs to ensure offerings are competitive, cost-effective, aligned with organizational objectives, and compliant with legal requirements
• Manage benefit plan administration (eligibility, enrollment, deductions, billing, audits, reconciliations, and issue resolution)
• Oversee benefits vendor management and maintain relationships with brokers, carriers, third-party administrators, and other external partners
• Develop communication strategies related to benefits offerings, payroll programs, and employee education
• Manage annual compensation and benefit processes, including annual market pricing exercises, salary increase cycles, bonus plan administration, and benefits open enrollment
• Identify and implement improvements to compensation, payroll, and benefits processes, including automation, controls, efficiency, and the employee experience
• Partner with HRIS and vendors to maintain compensation, payroll, and benefits system configuration, integrations, interfaces, file feeds, deductions, and data accuracy
• Manage payroll and benefit related employee inquiries and escalations, ensuring timely, accurate, service-oriented resolution
• Oversee payroll tax administration and year-end activities, including W-2 processing, corrections, reconciliations, and coordination with payroll vendors
• Ensure compliance with applicable federal, state, and local wage and hour, payroll tax, withholding, garnishment, and recordkeeping requirements
• Partner with Finance and Accounting on payroll funding, general ledger reconciliations, accruals, payroll reporting, and discrepancy resolution
• Establish and maintain payroll controls, audits, reconciliations, standard operating procedures, and documentation to reduce risk and ensure data integrity
• Review and approve payroll prior to final submission, ensuring earnings, deductions, taxes, garnishments, benefits, timekeeping, and other payroll inputs are accurate
• Oversee the end-to-end payroll process to ensure accurate and timely processing of regular, off-cycle, bonus, commission, and other supplemental payrolls
• Manage and develop payroll team members, including direction, coaching, performance feedback, workload prioritization, and operational support
• Lead day-to-day administration and ongoing strategy of employee benefits and payroll programs
• Perform other duties as assigned

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business, Finance, Accounting, or a related field, or equivalent years of relevant work experience
• Dayforce experience preferred, including backend HRIS configuration experience from the payroll and benefits perspective
• 7+ years of progressive experience in benefits and payroll administration

Skills

• Strong knowledge of benefits, payroll, wage and hour, payroll tax, and employment laws/compliance requirements; experience with Dayforce/Ceridian or a comparable HRIS/payroll platform strongly preferred
• Strong attention to detail and organizational skills
• Interpersonal communication skills to work effectively with all levels of the organization
• Knowledge of applicable federal, state, and local regulations and compliance obligations affecting employee benefits and payroll, including ACA, ERISA, COBRA, FMLA, ADA, Section 125, workers’ compensation, Medicare, FLSA, wage and hour requirements, payroll tax, garnishments, and recordkeeping
• Ability to manage deadlines and multiple competing priorities
• Strong technical skills, systems acumen, and analytical ability; advanced proficiency with payroll and benefits data, reporting, audits, and reconciliations
• Strong problem-solving, root-cause analysis, and process improvement skills
• Ability to handle highly confidential and sensitive employee and payroll information with discretion
• Understanding of payroll accounting, general ledger reconciliation, internal controls, and cross-functional partnership with Finance and Accounting
• Demonstrated ability to lead, coach, and develop payroll professionals and manage performance in a deadline-driven environment

Travel

Limited travel, scheduled per needs of the business.

Working Conditions

All roles require:

• Sitting
• Ability to sit for extended periods stationary or while driving
• Dexterity/Effort
• Repetitive motion for typing and/or texting
• Good manual dexterity for handling packages, paperwork, operation of motor vehicles and/or electronic devices
• Sense Acuity
• Ability to see/read computer monitors or other electronic devices

Additionally, on-site or at location positions (e.g., Mailroom, IT, or Admin) may require:

• Lift/Carry/Push/Pull
• Occasional movement of equipment or materials up to 50/75 pounds
• Bend/Twist
• Occasional bending, twisting, and stooping
• Occasional need to kneel or crouch

Additionally, traveling positions (e.g., Field Care Navigators or Quality Practice Advisors) may require:

• Sense Acuity
• Ability to see/read road signs, maps, and electronic devices
• Good visual acuity for driving, including peripheral vision and depth perception
• Environmental exposure to travel, traffic, and/or other outdoor hazards
• Possible exposure to various weather conditions, including extreme heat, cold, rain, and snow

Equal Opportunity

The employer is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate based on age, race, religion, ethnicity, national origin, gender, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, disability, familial status, veteran status, marital status, parental status, or pregnancy. Reasonable accommodations may be made for individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.