Sr Director, Global Total Rewards
About The Position
The Senior Director, Global Total Rewards & Systems leads compensation, benefits, payroll, and HR systems for Watlow’s more than 5,000 employees in over 30 countries. The position reports to the CHRO, serves on the Global HR Leadership Team, and leads a team of four direct reports. This is a hands-on leadership role combining rewards strategy and executive advising with direct work on analysis and implementation. Initial priorities include completing the Global Job Architecture project and its pay and cost impact analysis; recommending the approach to the Executive Team and rolling it out to managers; building pay programs for engineers and other technical talent in key markets; improving the sales incentive plan; selecting and onboarding an international benefits consultant; guiding a Mexico payroll vendor conversion; and introducing AI and automation to HR processes. The role owns global pay philosophy, salary structures, job leveling, annual reward cycles, incentive plans, benefits, HR systems, and payroll oversight. It also leads pay equity and pay transparency readiness, advises senior leaders and the Board on rewards and workforce costs, supports acquisitions and expansion into new countries, and develops a high-performing Total Rewards team. Success includes a completed and adopted job architecture, improved incentive-plan alignment, effective benefits cost management, more efficient HR systems and payroll, and recognition of Total Rewards as a business partner.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in business, finance, human resources, or a related field.
- 15 or more years of total rewards experience, including global total rewards experience.
- At least 5 years of experience leading a team.
- Experience designing incentive plans and pay programs for engineering or other technical roles.
- Experience leading a job architecture or leveling project.
- Experience with oversight of global payroll and HR systems such as Dayforce, Workday, SAP SuccessFactors, or Oracle.
- Experience selecting and managing benefits brokers, consultants, and vendors across multiple countries.
- Solid financial and analytical skills.
- Ability to explain complex topics plainly to executives and employees.
- Proven leadership skills, including the ability to lead, guide, motivate, and delegate to deliver results.
Nice To Haves
- CCP, GRP, or CBP certification, or an MBA.
- Experience in a global manufacturing or industrial technology company.
- Experience with pay transparency and pay equity programs in Europe, Asia, and North America.
- A track record of using AI or automation to improve HR processes.
Responsibilities
- Own and maintain Watlow’s global pay philosophy, salary structures, and job leveling using market data from survey providers.
- Run annual merit, bonus, and promotion cycles from planning through manager communications.
- Lead design of annual, production, and sales incentive plans across 30 countries.
- Oversee benefits plan design, renewals, vendor and broker management, and country-level compliance.
- Own HR systems and related tools, including data quality, reporting, and advancement of AI tools across the HR function.
- Oversee payroll compliance and integration across in-house, vendor, and employer-of-record arrangements.
- Lead pay equity reviews and prepare the organization for pay transparency requirements, including the EU Pay Transparency Directive and U.S. state laws.
- Advise the CHRO, executive team, and Board on pay decisions, workforce costs, and rewards strategy.
- Handle Total Rewards work related to acquisitions, integrations, and entry into new countries.
- Lead, inspire, and develop a team of four and build the function’s talent bench.
- Complete the Global Job Architecture project, including pay and cost impact analysis, executive recommendations, and manager rollout.
- Develop pay programs to attract and retain engineering and other technical talent in key labor markets, including the U.S., Mexico, India, and Malaysia.
- Implement sales incentive plan changes in partnership with Sales leadership and Finance.
- Select and onboard an international benefits consultant and use the relationship to manage benefits costs across more than 30 countries.
- Guide the team delivering payroll conversion and implementation of a new payroll vendor in Mexico.
- Apply AI and automation to HR, beginning with compensation, payroll, and employee self-service.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
