Douglas Dynamics, Inc.

Director, Total Rewards

Douglas Dynamics, Inc.$150K — $180K *
Business Services
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 10+ years of progressive Total Rewards leadership experience
  • Proven success building and scaling compensation and benefits strategies globally
  • Experience operating in U.S. and China environments
  • Strong track record in M&A and integration strategies
  • Deep expertise in compliance and rewards design
  • Exceptional analytical skills for data-driven decision making
  • Strong executive presence to influence senior leaders
  • Experience managing vendor relationships and cross-functional projects
  • Proficient in HR systems, Excel, and executive presentations
  • Bachelor's degree required; CCP, CBP, or advanced degree preferred

Responsibilities

  • Design and execute a Total Rewards strategy aligned to business growth
  • Build competitive compensation frameworks and benefits programs
  • Continuously evolve programs using market and workforce insights
  • Act as a strategic advisor on pay and workforce investments
  • Turn complex data into actionable insights for executives
  • Lead due diligence for M&A compensation and benefits
  • Rapidly harmonize reward programs across acquired businesses
  • Optimize rewards delivery systems and infrastructure
  • Enhance analytics capabilities for decision-making
  • Negotiate and optimize vendor relationships for cost-effectiveness

Benefits

  • Opportunities for continuous learning and professional development
  • Collaborative and innovative work environment
  • Impactful role directly influencing employee satisfaction and engagement
  • Access to cutting-edge industry data and analytics tools
  • Flexible work arrangements and potential for remote work options
Full Job Description
JOB SUMMARY:

As Director of Total Rewards, you'll architect and lead a bold, globally scalable compensation and benefits strategy that powers our growth and keeps us fiercely competitive. From Milwaukee to Beijing, you'll shape an employee value proposition that stands out and stands up to a rapidly evolving market.

As a core member of the HR leadership team, you'll push boundaries, challenge the status quo, and design data-driven compensation and benefit strategies that fuel performance, engagement, and business success.

WHAT YOU'LL LEAD:

Strategy & Innovation
  • Design and execute a forward-thinking Total Rewards strategy tightly aligned to business growth and talent priorities
  • Build modern, competitive compensation frameworks (base, incentives, equity) and benefits programs that people value
  • Continuously evolve programs using market intelligence, workforce insights, and emerging trends

Executive Influence
  • Act as the go-to strategic advisor for leaders on pay, benefits, and workforce investment decisions
  • Turn complex data into clear, actionable insights that influence executive decisions
  • Partner with Finance to balance cost discipline with talent competitiveness

M&A, Change & Transformation
  • Lead compensation and benefits due diligence for M&A activity
  • Rapidly integrate and harmonize reward programs across newly acquired businesses
  • Drive change strategies that bring people along and keep them engaged

Operations, Data & Scale
  • Optimize the systems and infrastructure powering rewards delivery
  • Elevate analytics capabilities to enable smarter, faster decision-making
  • Streamline processes through automation and continuous improvement

Vendor & Partnerships
  • Own and optimize relationships with brokers, consultants, and providers
  • Negotiate aggressively to deliver high-impact, cost-effective programs
  • Hold partners accountable for performance and innovation

Governance & Compliance
  • Ensure compliance across U.S. and global regulations (ERISA, ACA, EEO-1, Form 5500, etc.)
  • Build governance frameworks that scale with the business
  • Stay ahead of regulatory shifts by never being reactive, always proactive

Team Leadership
  • Build and mentor a high-impact Total Rewards team
  • Raise the bar for expertise, execution, and strategic thinking
  • Foster a culture of innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement

Programs That Matter
  • Lead recognition and service award programs that reinforce culture and performance
  • Own job architecture, salary benchmarking, and market positioning
  • Drive initiatives that measurably improve engagement, retention, and employee experience

WHAT YOU'LL BRING:
  • 10+ years of progressive Total Rewards leadership experience
  • Proven success building and scaling enterprise-wide compensation and benefits strategies
  • Experience operating in global environments (U.S. + China)
  • Strong track record in M&A, integration, and transformation
  • Deep expertise in compliance, market benchmarking, and rewards design
  • Exceptional analytical skillset and comfortable turning data into decisions
  • Executive presence with the ability to influence and challenge senior leaders
  • Experience leading vendors and cross-functional initiatives
  • Strong command of HR systems, Excel, and executive-level presentations
  • Bachelor's degree required; CCP, CBP, or advanced degree a strong plus
  • Ability to travel up to 25%

About Douglas Dynamics, Inc.

Douglas Dynamics, Inc. operates as a manufacturer and upfitter of commercial work truck attachments and equipment primarily in North America. It operates in two segments, Work Truck Attachments and Work Truck Solutions. The Work Truck Attachments segment manufactures and sells snow and ice control attachments, including snowplows, and sand and salt spreaders for light and heavy duty trucks, as well as various related parts and accessories. The Work Truck Solutions segment provides truck and vehicle upfitting services. The company sells its products under the WESTERN, FISHER, and BLIZZARD brands through a distributor network primarily to professional snowplowers who are contracted to remove snow and ice from commercial, municipal, and residential areas. Douglas Dynamics, Inc. was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Learn more about Douglas Dynamics, Inc.
Size
1,436 employees
Market Cap
$831 million
Industry
Net Income
-$86.5 million
5 Year Trend
+5.4%
Revenue
$480.1 million
NASDAQ

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