Job Description
Are you open to relocating to Massachusetts for this opportunity?
The Vice President of Total Rewards and HR Operations will lead and significantly elevate the strategy, design, implementation, and communication of our client’s compensation, benefits, and HR operations functions. This role is key in ensuring these programs reinforce and reflect the company’s culture while supporting the attraction, retention, and motivation of a growing employee base.
Partnering closely with the Chief People Officer, executive leadership team, and the Compensation Committee Chair and members of the Board of Directors, this VP will oversee a team of 12. The ideal candidate is a strategic yet hands-on leader who is collaborative, innovative, and highly communicative. They will bring energy and passion for both the business and its people, leveraging deep compensation and benefits expertise alongside strong people leadership to help drive performance and cultural alignment.
This leader will focus on simplifying processes and developing high-impact, business-aligned solutions. They will be empowered to challenge the status quo and introduce thoughtful, business-relevant change.
A strong business orientation is essential, along with experience in the biopharma sector at a public company. Expertise should include base pay design, short- and long-term equity incentive programs, executive compensation and disclosures, sales compensation, executive benefits (including non-qualified and equity plans), and health and welfare benefits. Experience with Workday systems is highly preferred.
This individual will serve as a key strategic partner to both the Chief People Officer and the Compensation Committee Chair.
Key Responsibilities:
- Enhance and administer a comprehensive total rewards strategy that aligns employee rewards with our client’s corporate values and enables the organization to attract, reward, and retain talent while elevating the culture.
- Work closely with the Chief People Officer on compensation analyses, program design, and preparation of materials for the Compensation Committee.
- Collaborate directly with the Compensation Committee Chair.
- Set and oversee our client’s annual compensation cycle, including design of review templates, manager/employee communication, training, and end-to-end process management.
- Partner closely with the Talent Acquisition team to develop market-competitive compensation packages that attract high-caliber talent while maintaining internal equity.
- Enhance the company’s job architecture by defining consistent criteria to level roles across the organization using robust survey data and market insights.
- Provide strategic direction and oversight for the benefits function.
- Reassess and refine benefit offerings to ensure they are valued by employees while being cost-effective.
- Ensure efficient and effective management of programs and partners, including negotiating favorable renewals, overseeing open enrollment, managing employee communication plans, and supporting wellness and health education initiatives.
- Collaborate with external benefits and compensation advisors to stay informed of emerging trends and proactively recommend strategies to keep our client competitive and resourceful in its total rewards investments.
- Ensure compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local legal and regulatory requirements, staying ahead of legislative and regulatory changes that may impact HR programs.
- Develop and deliver clear communications that help employees understand and appreciate the full value of their total compensation, including base, bonus, equity, benefits, and holistic well-being programs.
- Manage and execute all aspects of the 401(k) plan, including compliance and fiduciary responsibilities.
- Work closely with Payroll and IT to ensure seamless integration of compensation and benefits with company systems.
- Assess and refine HR operations processes to increase employee engagement and streamline administration.
Professional Experience:
- Bachelor’s degree with 14+ years of progressive experience in compensation, benefits, and HR systems/applications.
- Experience in Biotech, Pharma, or Life Sciences is required.
- Strong background in compensation, including executive and broad-based programs, equity plans, and preparation of Compensation Committee materials.
- Deep expertise in executive compensation is required.
- Prior leadership experience in Total Rewards and/or Compensation is required.
- Proven success leading HR projects, such as system implementations and compensation/benefits cycles, with strong organizational and execution skills.
- Demonstrated ability to lead and elevate a team’s performance and impact.
- Solid understanding of SEC, SOX, tax requirements, and other regulatory standards impacting compensation and incentive programs.
- Strong analytical skills and a high attention to detail.
Personal Characteristics:
- Highly motivated, engaging, and detail-oriented individual with excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
- Comfortable rolling up their sleeves and pivoting between strategic and tactical work.
- Executive presence with the ability to simplify and clearly present complex data.
- Adaptable and thrives in a fast-paced, agile environment.
- Strong business orientation and curiosity.
- Willingness to explore and experiment with innovative strategies.
- Exceptional interpersonal skills to foster collaboration across HR, leadership, external partners, and Compensation Committee members.
- High energy and influential leader with the ability to manage across a range of business areas and leadership styles.
- Effective coach with strong leadership capabilities.
- Positive mindset and “can-do” attitude.
- Able to work effectively with diverse and potentially remote teams.
- Strong decision-making and problem-solving abilities with sound judgment.
- Professional, trustworthy, and able to handle confidential information with discretion.
- Strong customer service orientation.
- High level of personal integrity and commitment to ethics.
- Emotionally intelligent and eager to learn continuously.