Total Rewards Analyst

Cohen & Co • Chicago, IL

8d

About The Position

The Total Rewards Analyst supports the design, administration, analysis, and continuous improvement of Cohen & Co’s compensation, benefits, recognition, and wellness programs. As a member of the People & Culture team, this role helps ensure programs are competitive, equitable, compliant, and aligned with the organization’s talent and business strategies. The analyst provides operational support and contributes to strategic initiatives involving total rewards and employee experience, working with employee data, HR systems, and cross-functional stakeholders.

The role supports compensation administration, including market pricing, job evaluation, compensation analysis, reporting, annual planning, salary structures, and inquiries from leaders and People Business Partners. It also supports employee benefit programs, employee questions, open enrollment, vendor relationships, renewals, reporting, and program effectiveness analysis.

The analyst generates compensation, benefits, and workforce reports; analyzes trends; supports dashboards and workforce planning; maintains HRIS data integrity; and prepares materials for leadership. The role also assists with compliance, audits, documentation, and coordination with payroll, finance, and legal teams. It contributes to the design and improvement of Total Rewards processes and programs for a growing international workforce across the United States, Cohen India, Ireland, and future global locations, and supports HR technology such as Workday.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Finance, Accounting, or a related field preferred.
• 3–5 years of experience in compensation, benefits, HR operations, total rewards, or related HR functions.
• Understanding of compensation and benefits principles and practices.
• Strong analytical and quantitative skills.
• Advanced Excel skills, including pivot tables, lookups, and data analysis.
• Experience creating reports, dashboards, and presentations.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to data accuracy.
• Excellent organizational and project management skills.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with discretion.
• Strong customer service mindset and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Nice To Haves

• Experience administering compensation and benefits programs within Workday, including Workday Advanced Compensation functionality.
• Experience utilizing compensation surveys and market data.
• Certified Compensation Professional (CCP), Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS), or related certification in progress.
• Experience supporting annual compensation review processes.
• Experience with benefits renewals and vendor management.
• Knowledge of FLSA, pay equity, and compensation compliance requirements.
• Experience with reporting and analytics tools such as Power BI.

Responsibilities

• Support the administration of compensation programs, policies, and processes.
• Conduct market pricing and benchmarking using salary surveys and compensation data.
• Assist with job evaluations, leveling, and compensation analyses.
• Prepare compensation reports, salary recommendations, and workforce analytics.
• Support annual compensation planning, including merit, bonus, and promotion cycles.
• Maintain salary structures, compensation guidelines, and job documentation.
• Partner with leaders and People Business Partners on compensation-related inquiries.
• Support day-to-day administration of health, welfare, retirement, leave, and wellness benefits.
• Respond to employee benefits questions and escalations.
• Coordinate annual open enrollment and employee communications.
• Manage vendor relationships and assist with benefits reconciliation and reporting.
• Monitor benefits program effectiveness and utilization trends.
• Assist with benefits renewals, benchmarking, and plan design projects.
• Generate regular and ad hoc compensation, benefits, and workforce reports.
• Analyze employee participation, costs, market competitiveness, and program effectiveness trends.
• Support dashboard development and workforce planning initiatives.
• Maintain data integrity within HRIS and related systems.
• Create presentations and materials for leadership reviews and decision-making.
• Support compliance with federal, state, and local compensation and benefits regulations.
• Assist with audits and reporting requirements, and help maintain policies, procedures, and documentation.
• Partner with payroll, finance, and legal teams to ensure program compliance and accuracy.
• Help design, implement, and scale Total Rewards processes, programs, and policies while identifying opportunities to improve employee experience and administrative efficiency.
• Support Total Rewards programs for a growing international workforce across the United States, Cohen India, Ireland, and future global locations.
• Support implementation, optimization, and continuous improvement of HR technology, including Workday and related systems.
• Assist with employee recognition, wellness, and engagement programs.
• Support annual compensation and open enrollment processes and contribute to continuous improvement of Total Rewards programs and processes.

Benefits

• Comprehensive and competitive Total Rewards package with options suited to employees’ needs.
• Time off outside standard PTO to recharge and give back to the community.
• Annual discretionary merit increases and bonuses.
• Talent development resources and growth opportunities.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level