Penn Medicine has an exciting opportunity for an experienced leader to join as our Vice President of Total Rewards. This is a unique opportunity to lead and shape the Total Rewards strategy for one of the nation's premier academic medical centers, influencing the experience, well-being and engagement of 50,000+ employees who power world-class patient care, research and innovation.

Reporting to the System Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO), the VP, Total Rewards owns the design, implementation and administration of all Compensation, Benefits, Retirement, Health & Wellness, and Absence Management programs. As a strategic HR leader, you will partner with the CHRO, HR Leadership Team and executive stakeholders to ensure Total Rewards frameworks are competitive, compliant, integrated and aligned with business objectives. This role blends strategic vision with operational oversight to drive outcomes and employee value.

As VP of Total Rewards, you will architect Penn Medicine's rewards ecosystem - ensuring it attracts, retains and supports total workforce wellness. From compensation to retirement to leave management, your strategic leadership will enhance workforce experience, drive employee engagement and align investments with system goals.

Program Assessment & Strategy:

Conduct a comprehensive review of compensation, benefits, retirement, health, wellness, and absence management programs-including disability coverage and leave administration-to benchmark competitiveness, ensure alignment and optimize operational delivery.

Lead industry-informed innovation in wellness, health offerings, retirement benefits, and leave programs to keep the rewards portfolio modern and effective that adapts to evolving workforce needs

Compensation, Benefits & Retirement Administration:

Enhance annual increase cycle planning, incentive payouts, and benefits enrollment processes for greater transparency and improved experience.

Design and oversee retirement plans (e.g., 401(k), 403(b), 457(b)) retirement education, and strategic planning to secure future employee financial well-being.

Partner with HRIS and other key stakeholders to evaluate, select and optimize systems and administration that support scalability, automation and data integrity.

Health, Wellness & Absence Management:

Champion holistic health & wellness strategy-including benefits, wellness programs, EAP, coaching, preventive care incentives.

Oversee leave and absence administration: FMLA, STD/LTD, paid time off, workers' compensation, return-to work, and disability programs-ensuring regulatory compliance and consistent application and efficiency across the system.

Employee Value Proposition & Communication:

Translate the Total Rewards philosophy into a compelling employee value proposition that reinforces the organization's values and talent strategy

Lead clear, effective communication to employees and leadership highlighting the full value of total reward offerings.

Partner with HR Business Partners, Talent Acquisition, Employee Relations, Finance, Legal, and Treasury to ensure aligned policy and messaging.

Operational Excellence & Metrics:

Establish SLAs, KPIs, and dashboards to measure program impact and drive continuous improvement.

Leverage benchmarking data, analytics and internal feedback loops to inform decisions and optimize cost.

Oversee vendor relationships, RFPs, and contracts for benefit and retirement vendors to ensure cost-efficiency and service quality.

Leadership & Team Development:

Build and mentor a high-performing team covering compensation, benefits, wellness, retirement, and absence management, fostering a culture of innovation, operational excellence and cross-functional collaboration

Lead programs during M&A or functional transitions, ensuring seamless integration of legacy plans and systems.

Location: Remote/Hybrid. In person meetings as needed. Based out of Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine, 3400 Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia

Requirements:

Bachelor's Degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Finance or related field (required)

Master's Degree (preferred)

10+ years of experience of Total Rewards leadership - including Compensation, Benefits, Retirement, Health/Wellness and Leave Administration (required - complex healthcare environment (preferred).

HR Certification such as SHRM-SCP, CEBS, CCP, etc. (preferred)

Deep knowledge of ERISA, FMLA, ADA, FLSA, COBRA, ACA, HIPAA, GINA and collective bargaining compliance. (Required)

Strong operational and financial acumen, with experience managing budgets, vendor negotiations, and cross- functional partnerships (Finance, Tax, Legal, IT).

Demonstrated ability to partner across HR functions and influence executive audiences with data-driven insights.

We believe that the best care for our patients starts with the best care for our employees. Our employee benefits programs help our employees get healthy and stay healthy. We offer a comprehensive compensation and benefits program that includes one of the finest prepaid tuition assistance programs in the region. Penn Medicine employees are actively engaged and committed to our mission. Together we will continue to make medical advances that help people live longer, healthier lives.

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