Executive Director, Total Rewards

About this role

Reporting to the Chief Human Resource Officer, the Executive Director, Total Rewards is a strategic people leader who owns the enterprise-wide total rewards philosophy, strategy, and governance for a complex, global healthcare technology organization. This role sits on the extended HR leadership team and is a primary advisor to the CHRO, executive leadership, and the Compensation Committee on all matters of pay, benefits, and workforce investment.

This role sets the multi-year direction for compensation, benefits, wellbeing, HR systems, and payroll strategy, and builds the organizational capability to execute that direction at scale. The Executive Director translates business strategy including growth, M&A, transformation, and market positioning into total rewards programs that differentiate GHX as an employer, protects the company's financial and regulatory position, and enables a high-performance culture.

The ideal candidate combines executive presence and strategic vision with the analytical depth and hands-on judgment to guide high-stakes decisions from Board compensation materials to plan design trade-offs in a dynamic, data-driven environment.

Key Responsibilities:

Total Rewards Strategy & Enterprise Ownership

• Own and evolve the enterprise total rewards philosophy, strategy, and multi-year roadmap in direct partnership with the CHRO and executive leadership team

• Ensure programs support retention of critical talent, scalability, and performance differentiation at an enterprise level, including through periods of growth, restructuring, and M&A

• Partner with the CEO, CFO, and Finance leadership to align total rewards investment with company financial strategy, workforce planning, and long-range business plans

• Serve as the senior-most subject matter expert and escalation point for HR leadership and business executives on compensation, benefits, and total rewards governance

• Represent total rewards strategy and recommendations directly to the Board and Compensation Committee, including preparation of executive and Board-level materials

Compensation Strategy & Design

• Set enterprise compensation architecture, including job architecture, global salary structures, incentive plan design, and philosophy

• Own the design, governance, and Board reporting of executive compensation programs, including equity, in partnership with the CPO and outside compensation counsel/consultants

• Direct annual compensation planning cycles enterprise-wide, including merit, bonus, and equity processes, ensuring consistency, compliance, and cost discipline

• Direct ongoing market analyses and benchmarking strategy to ensure internal equity and external competitiveness across all geographies

• Provide executive counsel on organizational design, workforce planning, and retention strategy at the enterprise level

Benefits & Wellbeing Strategy

• Own the enterprise strategy and governance for health, wellness, retirement, and absence programs, balancing employee experience, cost management, and compliance across a growing global footprint

• Set benefits governance strategy, including plan design philosophy, vendor strategy, funding approach, and program performance standards

• Own the enterprise wellbeing strategy, including mental health and workforce sustainability initiatives, as a driver of engagement and retention

• Direct open enrollment strategy and execution, ensuring a seamless, high-quality employee experience at scale

Operational Excellence & Vendor Management

• Own end-to-end governance of total rewards operations, including annual cycles, audits, renewals, and open enrollment, with accountability to the CPO and executive leadership for outcomes

• Direct strategic relationships with external partners, consultants, and vendors, negotiating enterprise agreements that optimize service delivery, risk, and cost efficiency

• Drive enterprise-wide process transformation and scalable infrastructure across total rewards operations

• Ensure data integrity and process governance across HRIS platforms and vendor integrations, setting standards for the broader team

• Own payroll governance, ensuring accurate, timely, and compliant processing across all jurisdictions and alignment with total rewards strategy

Data, Insights & Technology Enablement

• Set the strategic agenda for how HRIS data, analytics, and modern tools are used to drive total rewards decision-making and transparency enterprise-wide

• Champion the adoption of automation and AI in compensation benchmarking, pay equity analysis, and workforce insights, evaluating build/buy/partner decisions

• Establish enterprise metrics and executive dashboards to evaluate program effectiveness, cost, and engagement, translating insights into executive-ready recommendations

• Ensure use of technology aligns with data privacy, regulatory requirements, and ethical standards

Stakeholder Engagement & Communication

• Serve as a trusted strategic partner to the CEO, CFO, General Counsel, and business unit leaders on total rewards matters

• Own the enterprise communication strategy for total rewards, ensuring employees and managers understand and value the full offering

• Build manager and HR Business Partner capability enterprise-wide in understanding and applying compensation and benefits programs

Team Leadership

• Build, lead, and develop a global total rewards organization spanning compensation, benefits, systems, and payroll functions

• Develop the next generation of total rewards leadership through coaching, succession planning, and structured development

• Foster a culture of collaboration, continuous improvement, and data-driven decision-making across the function

Required Qualifications:

• 15+ years of progressive experience in total rewards, including 8+ years in a senior leadership role directing compensation, benefits, and/or HRIS/payroll functions

• Demonstrated experience owning total rewards strategy at an…