Director of Total Rewards

Leap Brands•Phoenix, AZ

6d•$145,000 - $175,000

About The Position

The Director of Total Rewards leads the development, implementation, and administration of the organization’s compensation, benefits, and broader total rewards strategy. The role ensures compensation programs are competitive, benefits support employee needs, and rewards align with business objectives, talent retention, and organizational growth. It combines strategic planning with analytical and operational leadership across compensation planning, benefits administration, salary benchmarking, incentive programs, and regulatory compliance. The Director partners with HR, Finance, and executive leadership to build scalable programs that attract talent, reward performance, and support the organization’s long-term success. The role also leads compensation and benefits professionals, advises senior leaders, and improves the efficiency, accuracy, and scalability of total rewards processes.

Requirements

At least 7 years of progressive experience in compensation, benefits, total rewards, or related HR functions.
Demonstrated expertise in compensation strategy, salary benchmarking, job architecture, and incentive program design.
Strong knowledge of employee benefits programs, vendor management, plan administration, and cost optimization.
Experience leading annual compensation cycles, merit planning, bonus programs, and benefits open enrollment.
Strong analytical skills, including interpreting compensation data, evaluating trends, and developing actionable recommendations.
Working knowledge of applicable employment, compensation, and benefits regulations.
Experience partnering with executive leadership, Finance, HR business partners, and external vendors.
Proficiency with HRIS, compensation management platforms, benefits administration systems, and Microsoft Excel or comparable analytical tools.
Excellent communication, leadership, project management, and stakeholder management skills.

Nice To Haves

Previous experience as a Director of Total Rewards, Compensation Director, Benefits Director, or senior compensation and benefits leader is preferred.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute compensation strategies aligned with business goals, workforce needs, and external market conditions.
Oversee salary structures, pay ranges, job evaluations, and compensation benchmarking across the organization.
Lead annual compensation planning, including merit increases, salary adjustments, bonuses, and incentive compensation.
Evaluate internal pay equity and external competitiveness to support fair, consistent, market-aligned compensation.
Partner with HR business partners and hiring leaders on compensation decisions, offers, promotions, and retention strategies.
Develop compensation guidelines and processes that promote consistency across departments, business units, and geographic markets.
Oversee the design, administration, and evaluation of employee benefits programs, including medical, dental, vision, retirement, life insurance, disability, and voluntary benefits.
Manage relationships with benefits brokers, consultants, carriers, and third-party administrators.
Evaluate benefit plan performance, utilization, employee feedback, and cost trends; identify improvement opportunities and balance competitive offerings with cost management.
Oversee annual open enrollment, benefits communications, plan changes, employee education, and accurate, compliant benefits administration.
Design and manage short- and long-term incentive programs that support organizational performance and employee engagement.
Partner with executive leadership and Finance to establish bonus structures, performance metrics, payout methodologies, and eligibility criteria.
Evaluate sales incentives, management bonuses, executive compensation, and other variable-pay programs as applicable.
Assess incentive program effectiveness and recommend changes to strengthen accountability, retention, and business results.
Use compensation data, market surveys, workforce analytics, and industry benchmarks to inform total rewards decisions.
Develop reporting on compensation costs, benefits expenses, pay equity, incentive payouts, and program effectiveness.
Analyze retention, turnover, hiring competitiveness, and compensation-related workforce trends; present recommendations to senior leadership for workforce planning and budgeting.
Establish metrics to evaluate the effectiveness and financial impact of total rewards programs.
Ensure compensation and benefits programs comply with applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations.
Maintain documentation, policies, controls, and audit procedures for compensation and benefits administration.
Oversee compliance with wage and hour requirements, pay transparency rules, benefits regulations, and retirement plan obligations.
Support pay equity reviews and compensation audits in partnership with Legal and HR leadership.
Maintain confidentiality and appropriate governance regarding employee compensation, executive pay, and sensitive personnel information.
Lead, coach, and develop compensation and benefits professionals.
Collaborate with HR leadership to align total rewards with talent acquisition, performance management, retention, and employee engagement initiatives.
Partner with Finance on budgets, labor cost projections, benefits forecasting, and compensation planning.
Advise executive leadership on compensation strategy, market competitiveness, and evolving total rewards practices.
Evaluate HR systems and technology to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and scalability of compensation and benefits processes.
Lead initiatives to streamline workflows, improve employee experience, and strengthen the organization’s rewards philosophy.
Improve the organization’s ability to attract and retain high-performing employees, strengthen pay equity and competitiveness, optimize benefits costs, improve incentive effectiveness, and establish scalable total rewards processes.