Vice President, Total Rewards & People Operations

Flexential•Denver, CO

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

We’re looking for a strategic, business-minded People leader who thrives at the intersection of rewards, systems, data, and operational excellence—and who brings a strong point of view on how people infrastructure enables growth. You will be a trusted partner to the Chief People Officer and executive leadership, guiding decisions that shape how we attract talent, manage labor cost, scale systems, and deliver a consistent employee experience across a growing, multi state organization of approximately 900 employees. This role is responsible for building and evolving compensation, benefits, HR systems (Workday), HR data & analytics, with payroll accountability possibly transitioning into scope over time. You’ll build influence across functions such as Finance, Legal, IT, and Payroll, and ensure our people programs are thoughtfully designed, well governed, and ready to scale. If you’re someone who can zoom out to set strategy, zoom in to strengthen execution, and communicate with clarity and credibility at the executive and Board level, this role offers the opportunity to make a lasting impact. You’ll help shape a people infrastructure that supports growth, builds trust with leaders and employees, and reflects a culture grounded in transparency, accountability, and care for the employee experience.

Requirements

10–15+ years of progressive experience in Total Rewards, Compensation, Benefits, or HR Operations.
Proven leadership across compensation, benefits, HRIS (Workday), and people analytics.
Experience working in a multi‑state U.S. environment with strong regulatory awareness.
Strong business and financial acumen, with a collaborative approach to partnering with Finance and executive leadership.
Demonstrated ability to lead both strategically and operationally in a growing organization.
Demonstrated ability to coach and lead a high performing team of HR professionals.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience overseeing or partnering closely with payroll functions; direct payroll ownership a plus but not required initially.
Experience in a mid‑sized organization (500–2,000 employees) during periods of growth, systems evolution, or operational transformation.
Exposure to pay transparency initiatives, pay equity analysis, or HR technology optimization.
Relevant certifications (e.g., CCP, CEBS) or advanced degree.

Responsibilities

Develop and own a total rewards strategy that supports business growth, workforce needs, and financial sustainability for a multi‑state workforce.
Serve as a trusted advisor to the Chief People Officer, and people leaders across the business on compensation, benefits, job architecture, HR operations and HRIS.
Provide analysis and insights to support executive and Board‑level discussions related to rewards and workforce strategy.
Lead, coach, and develop a team across compensation, benefits, HR operations, analytics, and (over time) payroll.
Design, maintain, and evolve compensation programs that are competitive, internally equitable, and compliant with federal and state requirements.
Oversee job architecture, leveling frameworks, and market pricing across roles and geographies.
Partner with Finance on annual compensation cycles, incentive programs, and labor cost planning.
Proactively review current compensation programs and recommend changes or modification to base, bonus, and short and long term incentive programs to drive effective talent attraction and retention.
Own the strategy, design, and administration of health, welfare, retirement, wellness, and leave programs.
Balance employee experience, cost management, and consistency across a geographically distributed workforce.
Manage broker and vendor relationships, including renewals, negotiations, and performance oversight.
Provide executive oversight for Workday as the core HRIS, ensuring data integrity, usability, and scalability.
Partner with People Operations, IT, and Finance to optimize system configuration, reporting, integrations, and governance.
Define the HR technology roadmap in alignment with organizational growth and operational needs.
Establish strong data ownership, controls, and process discipline across HR systems.
Bring prior payroll leadership experience to inform governance, risk management, and system integration.
Partner closely with Finance and existing payroll leaders to ensure accurate, timely, and compliant payroll operations across multiple states.
Assume expanded accountability for payroll over time, as the organization continues to mature its people infrastructure and operating model.
Strengthen controls, vendor partnerships, and audit readiness in preparation for full ownership.
Build practical and scalable people analytics capabilities that support compensation decisions, workforce planning, and executive reporting.
Establish standard dashboards and metrics focused on headcount, labor cost, and trends.
Translate complex data into clear, actionable insights for senior leaders.
Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local employment, benefits, and payroll‑related regulations.
Partner with Legal and Finance to proactively identify and mitigate people‑related risk.
Design programs, systems, and governance models that scale beyond 900 employees without unnecessary complexity.