Total Rewards Strategy Lead - Compensation

Wellmark, Inc.•Des Moines, IA

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Total Rewards Strategy Lead - Compensation is a senior-level individual contributor who partners closely with the Director, Total Rewards and the Compensation team to execute and evolve enterprise compensation frameworks, programs, and governance practices. The role aligns compensation with Wellmark’s business strategy, compensation philosophy, and desired culture, with a focus on consistent, appropriately transparent, future-focused, and operationally effective practices in a regulated and changing environment. The position spans enterprise compensation design, pay-for-performance practices, executive compensation, and strategic incentive programs. It connects compensation strategy to organizational design, talent strategy, operating models, leadership expectations, and the broader employee value proposition. The ideal candidate is consultative and comfortable with complexity, ambiguity, and transformation, bringing expertise in compensation strategy, governance, incentive design, and regulatory considerations. They translate complex concepts into practical frameworks, guidance, and decision-making tools for leaders and HR partners, and use analytical capability, judgment, and influence to support enterprise change through collaboration and thoughtful execution.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business, or a related discipline, or equivalent work experience.
At least 6 years of progressive compensation or Total Rewards experience, with demonstrated depth in enterprise compensation program design, governance, market pricing, job evaluation, and pay structure development.
Experience serving as a strategic advisor to HR partners and business leaders and influencing decisions on complex or high-impact compensation topics.
Strong knowledge of compensation principles, including base pay, incentive design, pay-for-performance practices, job architecture, and internal equity and external competitiveness.
Strong communication and relationship-building skills, including the ability to explain complex compensation concepts and conduct critical conversations clearly and practically.
Experience consulting and influencing decisions through sound judgment and data analysis to drive positive business outcomes, and supporting change management through effective planning and collaboration.
Critical thinking skills, including reviewing and synthesizing business information to develop relevant insights and recommendations; ability to think strategically and work cross-functionally.
Experience leading and delivering compensation-related change initiatives and programs, with organizational skills for program delivery and sustainability.
Analytical capability, including translating market data, benchmarking, and compensation analytics into clear, decision-ready insights and recommendations.
Experience interpreting and applying compensation-related regulatory and compliance requirements, with strong judgment and discretion.
Experience partnering across HR functions such as HR Business Partners, Talent Management, and HR Operations/HRIS, and with cross-functional stakeholders such as Finance and Legal.
Working knowledge of HR technology platforms, such as Workday, and their use in supporting compensation programs, processes, and reporting.
Experience supporting executive or officer compensation programs, including incentive plans and governance processes.

Nice To Haves

CCP (Certified Compensation Professional) or similar professional certification.
Broad-based Total Rewards experience, such as benefits or wellness.
Experience working in a complex, regulated, or transformation-oriented organization where compensation strategy must balance market competitiveness, internal fairness, and financial sustainability.

Responsibilities

Partner with the Director, Total Rewards as a consultative thought partner, connecting compensation strategy and program design to business strategy and operating priorities.
Translate compensation strategy and philosophy into frameworks, guardrails, and shared practices, including job architecture, pay-for-performance and talent management integration, incentive design principles, and leader education.
Strengthen consistency and decision quality across compensation practices by clarifying guardrails, decision logic, and shared approaches; advise HR partners and leaders on informed, consistent decisions.
Ensure compensation philosophy, guardrails, and policies are consistently applied and periodically reviewed for competitiveness, compliance, and fitness for purpose.
Work with the Director, Total Rewards and HR partners to shape, prioritize, and advance compensation-related change initiatives, including sequencing, frameworks, communication, understanding, adoption, and consistent application.
Elevate the Compensation team’s collective capability by reinforcing shared frameworks, analytical standards, and ways of thinking, and by strengthening work products so insights are clear, consistent, and decision-ready.
Serve as an escalation point for high-impact or high-risk compensation topics, applying judgment, market insight, enterprise perspective, and consultative partnership.
Collaborate with Finance, Talent, HR Operations, Communications, and other partners to integrate compensation strategy into planning, performance, talent, and operational processes.
Build cross-functional working relationships and consultative routines that connect compensation practices to business priorities and support effective implementation and a cohesive Total Rewards experience.
Perform other duties as assigned.