Sr. Director, Total Rewards & HR Technology

2U•Crystal City, TX

1d•$231,000 - $263,000•Hybrid

About The Position

At 2U, we are all in on purpose. We are motivated by our mission – to make learning limitless– and connected by our shared passion to deliver world-class higher education at scale. As the parent company of edX, a leading online learning platform, 2U powers thousands of higher education offerings – from free courses to full degrees. Together with our college, university, and corporate partners, we are helping accelerate careers and transform lives. We are looking for a Sr. Director, Total Rewards and HR Technology to drive the execution and modernization of the foundational operational pillars of our People organization. This role is designed for a forward-thinking HR leader who embraces AI and has a keen eye for efficiency, scalability, and operational excellence. As a key contributor to executive leadership, you will balance strategic implementation with a hands-on approach, leading critical compensation, benefits, and HR technology initiatives that support the company’s global workforce.

Requirements

7–10+ years of progressive leadership experience in Total Rewards, HR Operations, or HR Technology.
Extensive experience managing global compensation strategies, benefits programs, and company-wide merit cycles.
Significant experience with Workday, HR systems optimization, and HR process automation.
Proven success managing and developing teams.
Demonstrated experience partnering with executive-level People leaders and cross-functional stakeholders.
Strong analytical and operational mindset with experience leveraging workforce and compensation data to support decision-making.

Responsibilities

Drive the implementation and ongoing management of the global compensation and benefits strategy, ensuring total rewards programs are competitive, equitable, and aligned to business objectives.
Lead execution of the company’s annual merit, bonus, and compensation planning cycles, streamlining processes for efficiency and clarity.
Develop and maintain scalable compensation frameworks, pay practices, and rewards governance processes.
Provide strategic counsel to senior leaders on compensation, benefits, and workforce planning considerations.
Drive key initiatives on the HR Technology roadmap, with a focus on maximizing Workday capabilities and exploring AI-driven HR solutions and automation opportunities.
Lead HR systems optimization and process improvement initiatives to enhance operational efficiency and employee experience.
Partner cross-functionally to improve data integrity, workflows, reporting capabilities, and system scalability across People operations.
Manage and mentor a team of professionals, fostering a high-performance and development-oriented environment.
Establish team priorities, drive accountability, and support career development and succession planning within the function.
Lead through organizational change and evolving business priorities with a collaborative and solutions-oriented mindset.
Provide strategic counsel and insights to the Chief People Officer’s team and other senior leaders on all matters related to human capital investment and organizational health.
Partner with Payroll, Finance, Talent Acquisition, HRBPs, Legal, and other business stakeholders to ensure operational alignment and compliance across rewards and HR systems.
Support enterprise initiatives related to workforce planning, organizational effectiveness, compliance, and process transformation.
Act as a hands-on leader capable of solving complex operational and process challenges in fast-paced environments.
Leverage compensation, workforce, and HR systems data to support business decision-making and operational effectiveness.
Develop reporting and insights that inform compensation planning, workforce trends, and HR operational priorities.