Director, Total Rewards – Payroll

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in Maryland, +1 more state.

📋 Description

• Oversee and update the grade structure, market reference points, and salary bands.

• Execute the annual compensation calendar, ensuring alignment with strategy, scorecards, objectives, calibration, merit loading, bonus determination, and employee discussions.

• Implement merit and promotion guidelines effectively.

• Manage the short-term incentive framework, including pool funding rules, proration, and tracking of individual objectives.

• Conduct internal equity reviews and make decisions related to pay transparency.

• Keep the exception and approval log updated, preparing materials for the Compensation Advisory Group.

• Administer the two-track retention framework while enforcing exception conditions and reporting requirements.

• Provide coaching to supervisors, managers, and plant leaders on compensation philosophy, objectives, calibration standards, and effective communication.

• Ensure that calibration sessions are completed prior to accepting ratings.

• Collaborate with Finance on merit and bonus pool modeling, scenario planning, and governance of workforce costs.

• Convert plant-level compensation principles into a uniform plant standard.

• Manage participation in industrial/manufacturing salary surveys and update bands and entry rates accordingly.

• Maintain the inventory of surveys, peer-set definitions, and market-data expenditures.

• Monitor markets for critical roles and scarce skills.

• Supervise payroll operations, focusing on accuracy, compliance across multiple states, and minimizing visible defects for employees.

• Drive process improvements that support the annual calendar and exception reporting.

• Prepare materials for the three annual Compensation Advisory Group meetings.

• Ensure the Advisory Group is informed of executive and management outcomes and exceptions while safeguarding the confidentiality of lower-level individual data.

⛳️ Requirements

• Minimum of 10 years of progressive experience in compensation and total rewards.

• Direct involvement in job architecture, band maintenance, annual merit/incentive cycles, and exception governance.

• Experience in a mid-sized, multi-site industrial or manufacturing setting; a mix of hourly and salaried experience is preferred.

• Capability to implement a written compensation philosophy rather than creating one from the ground up.

• Proficient in managing a systematic annual calendar and calibration process.

• Ability to function independently while collaborating with a CPO, Finance, and plant leaders.

• Strong analytical abilities, including proficiency in Excel modeling, HRIS reporting, and survey data analysis.

• Experience in maintaining confidential band books and exception logs.

• Excellent coaching and influencing skills with managers and plant leaders.

• Preferred experience in overseeing payroll accuracy and driving process enhancements.

• Bachelor’s degree in HR, Business, Finance, or a related field.

• CCP or equivalent certification is advantageous.

• Experience in a private-equity portfolio company or a similar industrial turnaround setting is a plus.

🏝️ Benefits

• Competitive salary, incentives, and comprehensive benefit programs.

• Most benefits commence on the first day of employment.

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage.

• Flexible Spending Accounts available.

• Company-paid life insurance.

• Company-paid long-term disability coverage.

• Company-paid short-term disability coverage.

• 401(k) plan with a strong company match.

• 120 hours of paid time off, pro-rated based on the hire date.

• 11 paid holidays annually.