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Inside Higher Ed · 2 weeks ago

Assistant Vice President, Total Rewards

Stanford, CA

Full-time

Hybrid

Director/Executive

$280K/yr - $315K/yr

10+ years exp

Stanford University is one of the world’s premier academic and research institutions, and they are seeking an Assistant Vice President for Total Rewards to oversee compensation and benefits strategies. This role involves managing a team and leading initiatives to ensure competitive total rewards programs that align with the university's values and strategic goals.

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Responsibilities

Successfully manage ongoing total rewards operations while leading a multi-year evolution of the compensation function, rebuilding both the service delivery model and the total rewards team through oversight of job architecture, formalization of job evaluation and leveling processes, and the creation of clear, user-friendly guidelines and communication tools

Drive strategic and operational excellence in total rewards by navigating incremental change while championing initiatives that build structure, consistency, and clarity

Ensure total rewards programs, processes, and communications evolve into effective, scalable, and well-adopted tools that support the organization’s long-term success

Design and implement market-based compensation and benefits programs aligned with university values and strategic goals that are competitive within the higher education market

Oversee current state assessments, model ideal future state, and recommend pay structure movement, job structure modification, revisions, or redesign

Develop total rewards philosophy, strategy, policy, and programs that support the university’s Employee Value Proposition (EVP)

Influence positive change and outcomes by creating and nurturing connections and partnerships with senior leaders throughout the university, including senior HR leaders, finance directors, and other key stakeholders

Oversee and support the redesign, growth, and development of the total rewards team, ensuring their skillsets, performance, goals, and objectives are in alignment with the strategic, operational, and service goals of University Human Resources

Ensure superior delivery of benefits services to existing and former staff, retirees, and other university customers

Oversee executive compensation, including the design and delivery of executive rewards; proactively identify concerns and develop solutions and recommendations

Review and analyze market data and other relevant factors for accuracy and recommend pay structures and market-competitive solutions

Manage total rewards program costs and annual spend against budget while maintaining engaging and rewarding programs to motivate and inspire

Support the annual university budget process by analyzing and communicating financial implications and cost/benefits

Develop special programs, including rewards and recognition programs

Nurture and evaluate relationships with Stanford’s total rewards consulting partners, claims payors, insurers, and other vendors in compliance with Stanford’s procurement process and practices

Ensure compliance with state and federal regulations governing tax-qualified benefit programs, including but not limited to annual audits, accurate, timely filing of annual plan forms and schedules, and timely distribution of required participant communications

Oversee compensation and benefit survey participation and provide analysis of survey responses, market competitiveness, and guidance on compensation and benefits policies and programs. Keep abreast of compensation and benefits trends, external benchmark best practices, regulatory requirements, and labor laws to gain insights and provide strategy, vision, and direction for university-wide compensation and benefits programs

Oversee university-wide standards and strategy for compliance with Fair Labors Standards Act (FLSA) and applicable federal and state pay equity and pay transparency regulations and reporting, including but not limited to: developing and implementing plans to assess university risk and liability; creating teams or task forces to address policy changes, compliance, or to mitigate potential risks; and developing education and communication strategy plans to support implementation of changes to policy or programs

Develop, manage, and implement the annual staff salary program; perform market analysis, job pricing, and forecast modeling and costing

Provide operational program and process oversight to ensure effective delivery of executive compensation, staff compensation, and benefits programs through our vendors and partners

Consult with Employee and Labor Relations and General Counsel on compensation strategy and market analysis related to collective bargaining and managing specialized market studies for union classifications

Lead and guide compensation team members to effectively support HR, key stakeholders, and line managers on alternative rewards and compensation options, including providing assessments, guidelines, evaluations, and recommendations

Qualification

Total rewards strategyCompensation managementBenefits program designMarket analysisBudget managementHRIS implementationRegulatory complianceTeam leadershipGoogle WorkplaceMS OfficeRelationship buildingCommunication skillsOrganizational skillsTime managementDiscretion with confidential information

Required

Master's degree or Bachelor's degree, and at least 10 years of relevant experience

Strong relationship-building acumen in a highly matrixed environment with multiple constituencies (HR, finance, legal, unions, leadership); ability to navigate and influence change and recommend flexible solutions

Prior experience ideating, setting, articulating, and overseeing a total rewards vision and long-term projects in a decentralized and dynamically changing work environment aligned with institutional values and operational service expectations

Proven experience managing a team of compensation and benefits specialists and establishing and reinforcing standards for exceptional customer service

Prior experience developing and managing large-scale budgets for compensation and benefits programs, and the ability to assess ROI on total rewards investments

Subject matter knowledge of best practices in compensation and benefits philosophy, theory, market-based pay structures, FLSA, pay equity, market pricing methodologies, and higher education governance

Knowledge of federal, state, and local regulations governing compensation and benefits (FLSA, ACA, ERISA, HIPAA, FMLA, IRS, etc.)

Experience working in the Human Resources function in large, complex, and decentralized organizations

Knowledge of the unique compensation and benefits issues and needs applicable to populations at a variety of career levels, including job evaluation, career frameworks, salary bands, and pay equity audits

Strong understanding and experience deploying market-based pay strategies and best practices

Expertise in pay transparency laws and regulations

Background in implementing HRIS compensation modules

Excellent and effective written and verbal communication skills

Proven planning and organizational skills and effective time management abilities

Ability to exercise discretion with confidential information

Proficiency with Google Workplace applications (Google Docs, Google Slides, etc.) and MS Office Suite, including advanced Excel and data visualization

Demonstrated excellence in leveraging Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS)