Compensation and Benefits Manager

Position Summary
Reporting to the Director of Human Resources for HR Shared Services, the Compensation and Benefits Manager is responsible for overseeing the strategy, compliance, and day-to-day administration of compensation, benefits, and incentive programs. This role plays a vital part in ensuring the organization’s offerings remain competitive, cost-effective, and clearly communicated across all departments. The ideal candidate will bring strong analytical capabilities and a deep understanding of health, welfare, and retirement plans to support design decisions, cost analysis, and performance evaluations. This position collaborates closely with payroll, finance, and other stakeholders, and requires a high level of discretion, professionalism, and cross-functional communication.

Key Responsibilities

Benefits Administration

• Manage all aspects of health, welfare, retirement, and wellness benefits programs.

• Lead annual open enrollment processes, working with brokers, vendors, and internal teams.

• Ensure full compliance with ERISA, ACA, HIPAA, COBRA, and other applicable laws and regulations.

• Monitor benefit utilization trends and develop actionable insights and recommendations.

• Administer leave programs (FMLA, ADA, STD/LTD) and partner with HRBPs on accommodations.

• Act as the primary expert for employee benefit and compensation inquiries and escalations.

• Recommend improvements to benefit programs by benchmarking industry best practices, tracking trends, and assessing legal impacts.

• Conduct benefit interest surveys, evaluate vendor contracts, and present proposals to leadership.

• Collaborate with finance to reconcile benefits invoices and manage eligibility assessments.

• Ensure vendors and third-party administrators meet service level expectations through regular performance reviews.

• Oversee COBRA compliance and coordinate all related communications and actions.

• Provide data and documentation for internal and external audits and compliance testing (e.g., ACA 1095s, 5500 filings).

• Manage the benefits enrollment platform, reviewing and approving weekly updates and syncing data to Workday.

• Coordinate communications for open enrollment, new hire benefits, SPDs, and other benefit documentation.

• Liaise between employees and insurance providers to resolve claims and benefits issues.

• Manage benefits payments for employees on approved leave and track ongoing eligibility.

• Partner with the HRIS Manager to maintain Workday benefits modules and ensure accurate vendor integrations.

• Oversee 401(k) plan administration including daily activities, audits, compliance testing, and quarterly committee meetings.

• Work with ERISA counsel to implement retirement plan changes or updates.

• Lead the design and execution of employee wellness initiatives.

Compensation Management

• Support the Director of HR and CAO in managing executive compensation, including maintaining participant rosters, validating EBITDA and safety metrics, and preparing formal communications.

• Participate in compensation benchmarking and analysis to ensure competitive and equitable pay practices.

• Assist with developing new executive compensation offers, employment agreements, merit increases, and bonus structures.

• Administer and monitor global compensation plans and related documentation.

• Conduct pay equity reviews and model financial impacts of annual budgets and compensation changes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field required.

• Minimum of 7 years’ experience in compensation and benefits management, with strong knowledge of regulatory reporting.

• Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) a plus; Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS) preferred.

• Deep understanding of benefit laws, regulations, and compliance standards.

• Strong analytical and data interpretation skills, with high attention to detail.

• Proven ability to resolve complex issues and provide actionable, data-backed solutions.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with experience in vendor management and cross-functional collaboration.

• Customer-service orientation with a proactive and solution-driven mindset.

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel for data analysis and reporting.

• Comfortable working both independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment.