Senior Director, Benefits and Total Rewards

Summary

The Sr. Director, Benefits and Total Rewards is responsible for shaping and leading the reward strategy of the organization to attract, retain, engage, and motivate employees, as well as advising business leaders on the best practices for the total rewards processes. This includes compensation, benefits, recognition and absence management programs.This role will also help bring thought leadership around creating a Total Rewards perspective and approach that provides meaningful programs to employees at all levels and locations across the U.S. and Canada. The Sr. Director will liaise with numerous key stakeholders internally including employees, legal, finance, IT, communications, as well as forge strong relationships externally with our consultants and vendor partners to ensure a seamless realization of our plans.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Develop and lead the Company's comprehensive strategy for Total Rewards using compelling and equitable compensation and benefits programs aimed at attracting and retaining world-class talent in a competitive environment, across multi-disciplines, and across distinctly different business organizations/industries throughout the U.S. and Canada.
• Provide strategic direction, planning, and requirements to execute the design, implementation, communication, and administration of the company's compensation programs; including short- and long-term incentives and for all levels and specialties of employees within the organization.
• Continuously evaluate the effectiveness of our rewards programs to ensure they are aligned with our business and talent strategies and monitor market trends to make recommendations for changes or improvements. Ensures that appropriate decisions consider a wide range of factors and constituents such as compliance, company culture, organizational goals and administrative support best practices. Work closely with HR business partners, business leaders, and other key stakeholders to ensure that total rewards programs are integrated into broader HR and business strategies.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of current total rewards programs and make recommendations for improvements. Responsible for creating a compelling vision and plan for our next generation of compensation and benefits programs that supports the business and talent strategies and ensures our programs align.
• Collaborate with key stakeholders in the writing, design and facilitation of commission and other incentive plans supporting operations financial goals and appropriate rewards motivation for eligible participants.
• Ensure that the total rewards programs comply with all relevant laws, regulations, and company policies.
• Manages vendor relationships leveraging existing and new technology and capabilities that align with our vision and roadmap. This includes our brokers, plan vendors, consultants and systems.
• Creates metrics of success and effectiveness for our programs and our vendors to uphold a high standard of quality, understanding and ROI.
• Participates in contract negotiations to secure best in class programs.
• Develops and manages the budget for benefits and compensation programs in partnership with finance.
• Supports the company's merger and acquisition efforts by being involved in due diligence to assess risk, ensure regulatory compliance. Will be responsible for developing an integration plan that minimizes identified risks and compliance opportunities while balancing the communication needs of the newly acquired company employees and management.
• Oversees staff who are responsible for administering the company's Leave of Absence (LOA) matters, including partnering with our leave third-party administrator as assigned, providing required paperwork, tracking requests/approvals/return-to-work, and case management. Direct report staff who are also responsible for managing requests for employee workplace accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) (and other regulatory requirements), including conducting the interactive process with the employee and manager/business division.
• Establish and continually review administration and human resources benefits administration processes and practices to ensure ongoing and continued process improvement, compliance with federal, state, and local regulations, in the U.S., Puerto Rico, and Canada.
• Develop and deliver communications and training on total rewards programs to employees, managers, HR team members and other stakeholders.
• Develop and implement recognition programs to drive employee engagement and retention.
• Additional duties and responsibilities may be assigned by supervisor as business needs dictate.
• All Willdan employees are expected to follow company policies and procedures, whether those policies and procedures are established in writing or in practice. All Willdan employees must adhere to the highest ethical standards, respect and cooperation in the workplace and focus on delivering a world-class experience to internal customers and all Willdan clients and business partners. All employees are required to fulfill their job duties and responsibilities with focused dedication to safety awareness to ensure that they operate in a manner that ensures the safe and healthy environment for themselves, other employees, and business associates.

Job Requirements / Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in HR, business, or related field; advanced degree preferred.
• 10+ years of experience in compensation and benefits, with at least 5 years of experience in a leadership role.
• Deep knowledge of compensation and benefits best practices, trends, and regulations in the U.S. Experience with Canadian regulatory knowledge a plus.
• Industry experience within consulting, engineering and energy preferred.
• Technical Skills: Proficiency with HRIS and compensation analysis tools.
• Demonstrated experience in designing and implementing total rewards strategies and technology systems.
• Proven track record in leading total rewards initiatives that support business transformation and growth.
• Strong project management skills, with the ability to lead cross-functional teams and prioritize competing demands.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to communicate complex ideas clearly and influence stakeholders at all levels.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to use data to drive decisions
• Professional certifications such as Certified Compensation Professional (CCP), Certified Benefits Professional (CBP), Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR or SHRM-SCP) preferred.
• Experience managing Canadian and international compensation and benefits programs.
• In-depth experience with a multi-state/multi-site organization; professional services, consulting, or engineering/software development industries.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office suite and one or more human resources information systems, including benefits and compensation technology solutions.
• Broad knowledge of legal requirements in labor and human resources in both U.S. and Canada.
• Ability to travel up to 15% of the time. Travel may include one or more overnight stays and various means of transportation including automobile, public transportation, rail, and airplane.

Skills & Competencies

• Strategic Total Rewards Leadership: Serve as a strategic thought partner to senior leadership by developing and executing compensation and benefits strategies that align with organizational goals, business objectives, and workforce needs. Demonstrates the ability to think long-term while adapting to evolving business priorities.
• Compensation & Benefits Expertise: Possesses deep knowledge of compensation and benefits practices, market trends, and regulatory requirements. Expertise includes base pay, incentive programs, health and welfare benefits, retirement plans, recognition programs, and executive or broad-based rewards strategies.
• Analytical & Data-Driven Decision Making: Utilizes strong analytical capabilities to evaluate compensation, benefits, workforce, and cost data. Leverages insights to develop competitive, equitable, and financially sustainable programs that support talent attraction, retention, and engagement.
• Influence, Communication & Stakeholder Partnership: Excels at communicating complex compensation and benefits concepts to executives, managers, employees, and external partners. Builds strong relationships across the organization and influences decision-making through collaboration, credibility, and effective consultation.
• Leadership & Team Development: Leads and develops high-performing compensation and benefits teams by setting clear objectives, fostering collaboration, providing coaching and guidance, and promoting a culture of accountability and service excellence.
• Change Management & Program Implementation: Successfully leads the design, implementation, revision, and adoption of new compensation and benefits programs. Anticipates organizational impacts, manages change effectively, and develops strategies to ensure successful execution and stakeholder acceptance.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partners closely with Finance, HR, Legal, Payroll, IT, and business leaders to ensure compensation and benefits programs are compliant, operationally effective, and aligned with organizational objectives.
• Execution Excellence & Technical Proficiency: Demonstrates the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, evolving environment while delivering high-quality results. Proficient in compensation and benefits systems, HR technologies, spreadsheets, databases, and reporting tools to support informed decision-making and program administration.

Direct Reports:

Department staff of 4 professionals which may expand to meet needs of future business growth.

EEO Non-Discrimination and ADA Reasonable Accommodation Statement:
Applicants are considered for all positions without regard to race, religious creed, color, age marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, citizenship status, national origin, ancestry, religion, military service or veteran status, disability, medical condition, childbirth and related medical conditions, genetic testing, reproductive status or any other classification protected by federal, state or local laws and ordinances. Willdan does not discriminate on the basis of physical or mental disability where the essential functions of the job can be reasonably accommodated. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. If you need reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify us.

Willdan Group, Inc. participates in E-Verify.