Employee Experience & Total Rewards Manager

Position Summary

The Manager, Employee Experience & Total Rewards is responsible for the analytics, strategy, administration, and continuous improvement of the organization’s employee experience and total rewards programs. This role leverages workforce data, program utilization metrics, cost analysis, and employee feedback to evaluate the effectiveness and value of HR initiatives while supporting strategic business and investment decisions.

The Manager serves as the enterprise owner for benefits, total rewards, onboarding, employee experience, and employee programs, while partnering closely with Payroll, HRIS, Finance, HR Business Partners, and external vendors to ensure data integrity, operational excellence, financial stewardship, and measurable organizational impact. This position also provides critical backup support for payroll operations.

Key Responsibilities

Total Rewards & Benefits Analytics

• Own the day-to-day administration and analytics associated with benefits and total rewards.
• Analyze benefits utilization, participation, cost trends and employee demographics to inform plan strategy.
• Manage benefits vendors and evaluate vendor performance, service levels and cost effectiveness.
• Lead annual open enrollment and benefits communications in partnership with the Manager, Talent & Communications.
• Partner with Payroll & HRIS to ensure accurate benefits eligibility, deductions,interfaces and system data.
• Support compensation and merit processes through data analysis, reporting,timelines and employee-facing materials.
• Monitor total rewards trends and recommend changes based on cost, competitiveness,utilization and employee value.
• Partner with Finance and HR leadership on total rewards budgeting,forecasting and investment decisions.

Employee Experience & Analytics

• Own the enterprise employee experience strategy and key programs, using data to evaluate effectiveness and guide priorities.
• Develop and maintain employee experience metrics,dashboards,and recurring reporting.
• Analyze employee listening data, survey results, participation trends and feedback to identify opportunities and risks.
• Measure onboarding effectiveness, new-hire experience,and early-tenure trends.
• Analyze employee program participation,utilization and outcomes to inform investment decisions.
• Develop and manage recognition and engagement initiatives with defined measures of participation and effectiveness.
• Coordinate employee events and enterprise HR programming while tracking participation,cost and outcomes.
• Partner with HR Business Partners to translate enterprise programs and insights into business-specific actions.

Compliance & Risk

• Support required employee communications and compliance activities related to benefits and employee programs.
• Assist with audits,documentation,and data requests.
• Monitor program and vendor compliance and escalate identified risks.
• Maintain appropriate documentation,controls,and program records.

Workforce Analytics & Reporting

• Develop recurring workforce dashboards and reporting for HR leadership and business leaders.
• Analyze headcount, turnover, retention, tenure,demographics and other workforce trends.
• Identify trends by business, function and employee population and translate findings into actionable insights.
• Support workforce planning through data analysis and trend identification.
• Partner with Payroll & HRIS to ensure data integrity and consistent definitions across HR reporting.
• Establish metrics that measure the effectiveness and value of employee programs.

Payroll Backup & HR Controls

• Serve as the designated backup to the Manager,Payroll,& HRIS.
• Maintain sufficient knowledge of payroll processes, calendars,controls,and critical procedures to provide coverage when needed.
• Support periodic payroll audits,reconciliation,and variance analysis.
• Review benefits/payroll interfaces for accuracy and assist with resolving data discrepancies.
• Maintain documented controls and procedures supporting payroll and benefits continuity.
• Partner closely with Payroll & HRIS to reduce operational risk and ensure continuity between benefits,payroll and employee data.

Program Effectiveness & ROI

• Establish measures for major employee experience and total rewards programs.
• Evaluate program participation, cost,utilization and outcomes.
• Track vendor performance against agreed service levels and business expectations.
• Identify opportunities to automate,simplify,or improve employee-facing processes.
• Develop business cases for new or expanded employee programs.
• Conduct post-implementation reviews and recommend continuation,modification,or elimination based on data.

Success Measures

• Benefits cost per employee
• Benefits spend versus budget
• Benefits participation and utilization trends
• Employee program participation and effectiveness
• Employee listening and onboarding insights
• Turnover,retention and workforce trend reporting
• Payroll backup readiness and control effectiveness
• Benefits/payroll data accuracy
• Audit results and compliance
• Vendor performance and service levels
• Program ROI and cost-saving opportunities identified
• Quality,timeliness and actionability of HR analytics

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• SHRM or HRCI certification preferred.
• 5+ years of progressive HR experience.
• Experience with benefits, total rewards, HR analytics, employee experience or HR operations.
• Experience in a variety of HRIS tools, ADP preferred.
• Strong analytical,financial and problem-solving capability.
• Experience developing dashboards, metrics,reportsor business cases preferred.
• Strong project management and organizational skills.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to manage confidential information and sensitive employee data.
• Demonstrated ability to work across multiple businesses and competing priorities.