Qualifications
Responsibilities
Benefits
ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS (include the following):
Strategic Total Rewards Leadership Develop, implement, and continuously evolve an enterprise-wide Total Rewards strategy aligned with Guardian’s business objectives, talent priorities, and financial goals.
Serve as the senior subject matter expert and strategic advisor to executive leadership, HR leadership, and business leaders on compensation, benefits, wellness, and broader Total Rewards matters.
Maintain awareness of market practices, workforce dynamics, and legislative and regulatory developments to keep programs competitive, equitable, compliant, and financially sustainable.
Establish governance frameworks, policies, processes, and internal controls across Compensation, Benefits, and HRIS, including effective documentation, testing, and remediation in support of public-company control requirements.
Oversee vendor and other external partner relationships; establish performance expectations, evaluate service quality and value, manage escalated issues, and support contract and renewal decisions.
Deliver executive-level reporting and insights on Total Rewards spend, market position, program effectiveness, employee outcomes, risk, and return on investment. Develop clear communication strategies that articulate the value of Guardian’s Total Rewards offerings and support employee understanding.
Lead Total Rewards due diligence and integration planning for acquisitions and other strategic transactions, as applicable
Benefits Strategy & Innovation: Develop and execute a multi-year benefits strategy that improves program value, effectiveness, and employee experience while maintaining appropriate financial and risk controls.
Define Guardian’s employee benefits proposition based on competitive practices, cost, liabilities, workforce needs, and business priorities.
Oversee health and welfare plan compliance and retirement-plan governance, including fiduciary processes, required filings, audits, and coordination with Legal, Finance, Payroll, and external advisors.
Compensation Strategy & Design Administration Develop and lead a unified compensation strategy aligned with Guardian’s business, talent, and financial objectives.
Maintain job architecture, career levels, salary structures, market-pricing methodology, and compensation governance across the enterprise.
Partner with senior leaders to align base pay, incentive, and equity programs with business performance, career growth, and workforce planning objectives.
Lead the annual compensation planning process, including merit, bonus, and equity cycles, with responsibility for program governance, budgeting, data integrity, system administration, approvals, controls, executive reviews, and employee communications.
Oversee pay-equity analyses and compliance with applicable pay-transparency and compensation disclosure requirements.
Design and govern sales, field, or other variable incentive programs, as applicable, in partnership with Finance and business leadership.
Executive Compensation
Partner with executive leadership, external compensation advisors, Legal, Finance, and the Compensation Committee to align executive compensation programs with business performance, shareholder interests, and sound governance practices.
Prepare and present Compensation Committee and Board materials, including market analyses, peer-group assessments, pay-for-performance reviews, equity recommendations, incentive plan updates, and governance matters.
Lead Total Rewards support for the annual proxy statement and Compensation Discussion and Analysis, coordinating with Legal, Finance, Investor Relations, and external advisors to ensure accurate and timely executive compensation disclosures.
Oversee equity compensation administration and governance, including award processes, plan compliance, and coordination of Section 16 reporting and insider-related requirements with Legal and stock administration partners.
HRIS
Serve as the strategic HR technology partner to HR, Payroll, Finance, IT, and Security, and develop a multi-year roadmap aligned with growth, workforce, employee experience, and compliance priorities.
Provide executive oversight for the administration, configuration, governance, and continuous enhancement of Workday, ensuring the platform effectively supports talent, payroll, compensation, benefits, reporting, compliance, and organizational growth initiatives.
Ensure the integrity, security, availability, approval workflows, and governance of HR and compensation data used in payroll, financial reporting, executive compensation, regulatory filings, and management decision-making.
Maintain appropriate system access, change-management, data-privacy, and control processes in coordination with IT, Security, Internal Audit, and Finance.
Drive continuous improvement through automation, process simplification, system optimization, and the disciplined evaluation of emerging technologies.
Team Leadership & Collaboration:
Lead and develop the Total Rewards team (Benefits, HR Technology/HRIS, and compensation) with an expectation of both strategic leadership and strong operational execution.
Build organizational capability within the function and ensure the team can effectively support the day-to-day needs of employees and leaders while continuing to strengthen programs for the future.
Partner closely with HR Business Partners, Finance, Legal, Payroll, IT, business leaders, and other stakeholders to seamlessly integrate Total Rewards programs into broader HR and organizational strategies.
Education and/or Certifications:
Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Finance, or related field required.
Master's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field. Professional certifications such as CCP (Certified Compensation Professional) or CEBS (Certified Employee Benefit Specialist) a plus.
Skills and Quallifications:
15+ years of progressive experience across Total Rewards and HR technology, including at least 6 years leading multidisciplinary teams; public-company experience strongly preferred.
Demonstrated expertise in compensation, benefits, executive compensation, equity programs, and HR technology strategy and delivery.
Experience supporting a public-company Board and Compensation Committee, including proxy and CD&A processes, executive compensation disclosures, and governance requirements.
Working knowledge of applicable compensation, benefits, equity, pay-transparency, data-privacy, and public-company compliance requirements.
Strong executive presence and communication skills, with the ability to influence senior leaders and the Board.
Strong preference for Workday HCM experience.
Strategic and analytical mindset with the ability to translate business objectives into scalable, financially disciplined Total Rewards solutions.
Attributes Required:
Work Ethic/Integrity – must possess intrinsic drive to excel coupled with values in line with company philosophy
Leadership – ability to lead project teams to deadlines, while maintaining strong team orientation
Relational – ability to build relationships with business unit management and become “trusted advisor”
Strategy and Planning – ability to think ahead, plan and manage time efficiently
Problem Solving – ability to analyze causes and solve problems at both a strategic and functional level
Team Oriented – ability to work effectively and collaboratively with all team members
What We Offer:
Guardian provides employees with a comprehensive Total Rewards package, supporting our core value of, “Treat others as you would like to be treated.”
Compensation & Financial
Family, Health & Insurance Benefits (Full-Time employees working 30+ hours/week only)
Wellbeing
Time Off
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