Executive Director, Total Rewards

WakeMed Health & Hospitals•Raleigh, NC

About The Position

At WakeMed, we're looking for a forward-thinking Executive Director of Total Rewards who can modernize how we reward, support, and recognize our 13,000+ employees. This role is perfect for a strategic, data-savvy leader who thrives at the intersection of compensation, benefits, HR technology, and talent strategy. This high-impact role involves leading Compensation & Performance Management, HR Technology, Data, & Insights, Benefits Strategy & Administration, and Total Rewards Strategy for the region's premier health system, committed to world-class care and world-class employee experience. It offers access to senior leadership and the opportunity to modernize how Total Rewards fuels talent attraction, performance, and engagement. If you're a strategic, innovative Total Rewards leader who wants to shape the future of rewards for a mission-driven health system, WakeMed would love to talk.

Requirements

Master's Degree Business Administration Or Human Resources Or Accounting Required
7+ Years Human Resources Required

Nice To Haves

Professional or Senior Professional in Human Resources Preferred
Certified Benefits Professional Preferred
Certified Compensation Professional Preferred
10+ Years Human Resources Preferred

Responsibilities

Oversee a $1B payroll and $16M merit budget, ensuring competitive, equitable, and financially responsible pay practices.
Own all pay architecture: job evaluation, job descriptions, market pricing software, compensation programs, and salary administration.
Lead performance management for executives, leaders, and staff, improving clarity, fairness, and accountability across the organization.
Deliver accessible, practical training to help leaders confidently navigate performance and pay decisions.
Provide the analytics executives depend on from pay trends to performance insights to drive better, faster business decisions.
Drive upgrades and enhancements to Infor and other HR systems, expanding self-service, automation, and employee/leader adoption.
Elevate the organization's people analytics maturity, turning data into actionable insights on turnover, vacancy trends, talent pipelines, and pay/benefit analytics.
Partner across HR to improve processes, simplify experiences, and strengthen workforce decision-making.
Lead the strategy and management of $120M in health/welfare plans and $1B+ in retirement/pension assets.
Oversee benefits operations for 11,000+ eligible employees, ensuring an exceptional, service-focused experience.
Manage vendor performance, plan audits, compliance, and delivery standards.
Continuously assess plan competitiveness, cost, and employee value leading annual planning and long-term benefit design.
Partner with marketing/communications to create clear, compelling Total Rewards messaging that employees understand and value.
Strengthen leaders ability to discuss pay, benefits, recognition, and work/life programs with confidence.
Champion and evolve WakeMed's Total Rewards philosophy to support attraction, engagement, and retention.
Lead strategic planning, RFP processes, vendor evaluations, and long-term program design.