Director of Total Rewards

About the Role

The Director of Total Rewards provides leadership for a comprehensive, mission-aligned total rewards strategy for Spelman College. The role oversees compensation, benefits, retirement, wellbeing, leave management, and recognition programs, partnering with senior leadership to ensure programs are competitive, equitable, and fiscally responsible. What You'll Do

• Design, implement, and evolve compensation frameworks, including job architecture, market benchmarking, salary structures, incentive programs, and pay equity analyses.

• Use data, benchmarking, and analytics to guide complex compensation decisions, advise senior leaders, and translate strategy into actionable, scalable programs across the College.

• Partner with senior leaders to align compensation strategy with institutional goals, workforce planning, and budgetary priorities.

• Serve as a trusted advisor to campus stakeholders on complex compensation and total rewards matters.

• Develop and execute the College’s total compensation strategy, including compensation philosophy, governance, salary administration, and pay practices aligned with institutional priorities.

• Lead the design, implementation, and maintenance of compensation frameworks, including job architecture, career levels, salary structures, market pricing methodologies, and position classification.

• Oversee market benchmarking, salary survey participation, and compensation analytics to ensure competitive, equitable, and fiscally responsible pay programs.

• Direct the job evaluation and position classification process, ensuring consistent application of compensation policies and governance standards.

• Lead pay equity analyses, compensation audits, and market assessments to identify trends, evaluate competitiveness, and support equitable pay decisions.

• Serve as the College's subject matter expert on compensation, advising executive leadership on complex compensation matters, workforce planning, organizational design, and strategic compensation initiatives.

• Develop executive reports, compensation dashboards, and workforce analytics to support institutional planning, budgeting, and decision-making.

• Partner with Finance, Talent Acquisition, Employee Relations, Organizational Development, and HR leadership to implement compensation programs that support recruitment, retention, and organizational effectiveness.

• Benefits and Wellbeing

• In partnership with the VP for Human Resources and Culture, develop and implement a forward-looking benefits strategy that supports the academic mission, institutional goals, and the needs of the College’s employee population.

• Oversee all aspects of faculty and staff benefits programs, including health, retirement, wellness, tuition, leave management, time-off policies, and workers compensation.

• Manage broker, consultant, legal counsel, and vendor relationships as well as contracts, invoices, and statements of work to ensure service excellence and compliance.

• Lead the full-cycle, company-wide open enrollment process, including planning, employee education, vendor coordination, health fair and execution.

• Ensure delivery of optimal employee experience for benefits-related processes and events such as Open enrollment, life events, onboarding, to ensure employee understanding of benefits plan offerings, policies, and key dates.

• Partner with HR Leadership Team in promoting wellness initiatives and innovative programs that anticipate employee needs and optimizing the employee experience.

• Maintain expert knowledge of group medical/dental plan policies and practices to optimize benefits offerings for employees and ensure compliance with benefits-related regulations and college policies; stay informed on industry trends and legislative changes.

• Design and execute employee wellbeing initiatives that support physical, mental, and financial wellness such as Employee Assistance Programs, wellness challenges, financial planning resources, and health screenings.

• Oversee the administration of 403(b) remittances, ensuring compliance, accuracy, and seamless coordination with ERISA, IRS regulations, and internal policies for 403(b)/457(b) contributions. Lead initiatives to educate employees on 403(b) options, contribution strategies, and retirement planning.

• Manage annual Form 5500 filings, audits and retirement plans. Support internal audits by maintaining compliance documentation, and prepare reports for key stakeholders and maintain detailed records of remittances, enrollments, and contribution adjustments.

• Partner with Payroll to ensure seamless processing of contributions and compliance with financial regulation; ensure accurate deduction and timely transmission of employee contributions to the retirement plan provider.

• Oversee the college’s leave management programs to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local laws. What We're Looking For

• Deep expertise in compensation strategy and governance, with ability to develop compensation philosophies, structures, and practices aligned to institutional priorities.

• Strong data analytics, benchmarking, market pricing, and pay equity capabilities to support decision-making and budgeting.

• Experience advising executive leadership and partnering with Finance, Talent Acquisition, and HR functions to shape workforce planning and organizational design.

• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with a track record of delivering executive-level reporting and dashboards.

• Knowledge of benefits, retirement programs, wellness initiatives, and leave management within higher education or complex organizations.

• Commitment to fairness, transparency, and inclusion in total rewards practices.

• Ability to leverage technology and HR platforms to improve processes and employee experience. Nice to Have

• Experience with HR technology platforms, analytics tools, and system integrations to support total rewards initiatives. Compensation & Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits programs including health, retirement, wellness, tuition assistance, leave management, and workers compensation.

• 403(b)/457(b) retirement plan administration and associated compliance activities, Form 5500 filings, and annual audits.

• Open enrollment management and employee education to maximize understanding and participation.

• Focus on employee wellbeing programs, including EAP, wellness challenges, and financial planning resources.

• Collaboration with Payroll and Finance to ensure accurate deductions, timely remittance, and regulatory compliance.