Total Rewards Strategy Lead - Compensation

Wellmark, Inc.•Des Moines, IA

6d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Total Rewards Strategy Lead - Compensation plays a critical role in shaping how compensation strategy comes to life across the enterprise. This senior-level individual contributor partners closely with the Director, Total Rewards and Compensation team to execute and evolve compensation frameworks, programs, and governance practices that align with Wellmark’s business strategy, compensation philosophy, and desired culture. From enterprise compensation design and pay-for-performance practices to executive compensation and strategic incentive programs, this role helps ensure compensation practices are consistent, appropriately transparent, future-focused, and operationally effective within a highly regulated and ever-changing environment. The work spans far beyond traditional compensation administration: connecting compensation strategy to organizational design, talent strategy, operating models, leadership expectations, and the broader employee value proposition to help enable Wellmark’s mission and long-term business priorities. The ideal candidate is a highly consultative compensation professional who thrives in complexity, ambiguity, and transformation. They bring deep expertise in enterprise compensation strategy, governance, incentive design, and regulatory considerations, paired with the ability to translate sophisticated concepts into practical frameworks, guidance, and decision-making tools for leaders and HR partners. You see compensation not as a standalone function, but as part of a broader story that influences culture, performance, growth, and organizational effectiveness. You are naturally curious, enterprise-minded, and skilled at connecting dots across business strategy, talent practices, financial considerations, and employee experience. Lastly, you combine strong analytical capability and sound judgment with the credibility and influence needed to navigate sensitive, high-impact work, lead through gray space, and drive meaningful enterprise change through collaboration, consultation, and thoughtful execution.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business, or related discipline, or equivalent work experience.
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.
Demonstrated experience serving as a strategic advisor to HR partners and business leaders, with the ability to influence decision on complex or high-impact compensation topics.
Strong depth of knowledge in compensation principles, including base pay, incentive design, pay-for-performance practices, job architecture, and internal equity/external competitiveness considerations.
Strong communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to explain complex compensation concepts and conduct critical conversations in a clear and practical manner.
Demonstrated experience providing effective consulting and influencing decisions through sound judgement and data analysis to effectively drive positive business outcomes; experience supporting change management efforts through effective planning and collaboration.
Critical thinking skills with the ability to review and synthesize business information for the purpose of deriving and delivering relevant insights and recommendations. Demonstrated ability to think strategically, see connections between initiatives and to think and work cross functionally.
Experience leading and delivering compensation-related change initiative and programs leveraging effective organizational skills for both program delivery and sustainability.
Proven analytical capability, including the ability to translate 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 (e.g., HR Business Partners, Talent Management, HR Operations/HRIS) and with cross-functional stakeholders (e.g., Finance, Legal) to deliver aligned outcomes.
Working knowledge of HR technology platforms (e.g., 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, wellness, etc.
Experience working in a complex, regulated, or transformation-oriented organization, where compensation strategy must balance market competitiveness, internal fairness, and financial sustainability.

Responsibilities

Serve as a consultative thought partner deeply in tune with business strategy, connecting compensation strategy and program design choices to broader enterprise strategy and operating priorities.
Translate compensation strategy and philosophy into clear frameworks, guardrails, and shared ways of working (e.g., job architecture, pay-for-performance and talent management integration, incentive design principles, and leader education) aligned with Wellmark’s business strategy, operating model, and external market context.
Strengthen consistency and decision quality across compensation practices by clarifying guardrails, decision logic, and shared approaches.
Provide consultative guidance to HR partners and leaders to enable informed, consistent decisions, ensuring compensation philosophy, guardrails, and policies are consistently applied and periodically reviewed.
Help shape, prioritize, and advance compensation-related change work, ensuring compensation change initiatives are intentional, appropriately sequenced, and supported by clear frameworks and communication.
Connect changes to business strategy and enable understanding, adoption, and consistent application.
Elevate collective capability by reinforcing shared frameworks, analytical standards, and ways of thinking, strengthening work products so insights are clear, consistent, and decision-ready.
Serve as an escalation point for high-impact or high-risk compensation topics, bringing strong judgment, market insight, enterprise perspective, and consultative partnership to decision-making.
Collaborate with Finance, Talent, HR Operations, Communications and other partners in the effective application and integration of compensation strategy into planning, performance, talent, and operational processes.
Build strong working relationships and consultative routines that connect compensation practices to business priorities.
Ensure programs and changes are implemented effectively and reinforce a cohesive Total Rewards experience.
Other duties as assigned.