Director – Total Rewards

Overview

Empower AI is AI for government. Empower AI gives federal agency leaders the tools to elevate the potential of their workforce with a direct path for meaningful transformation. Headquartered in Reston, Va., Empower AI leverages three decades of experience solving complex challenges in Health, Defense, and Civilian missions. Our proven Empower AI Platform® provides a practical, sustainable path for clients to achieve transformation that is true to who they are, what they do, how they work, with the resources they have. The result is a government workforce that is exponentially more creative and productive. For more information, visit www.Empower.ai.

Empower AI is proud to be recognized as a 2024 Military Friendly Employer by Viqtory, the publisher of G.I. Jobs. This designation reflects the company’s commitment to hiring and supporting active-duty and veteran employees.

Responsibilities

The Total Rewards Director is responsible for the end-to-end strategy, design, administration, and governance of the organization’s compensation, benefits, and leave programs, with a strong emphasis on federal contracting environments, including Service Contract Act (SCA) compliance.This is a highly hands-on role that requires a strategic thinker who is also willing and able to personally own and execute day-to-day total rewards processes while building structure, documentation, and scalable procedures. The ideal candidate is comfortable operating in ambiguity, multitasking across priorities, and transitioning seamlessly between tactical execution and strategic design.This role is expected to assess current-state total rewards operations and design and implement a scalable, future-state operating model that clearly defines ownership between the Total Rewards Manager, HR Generalist, HR Business Partners, the Vice President of Human Resources, Payroll, and external vendors.This role serves as the primary owner of medical accommodation processes and partners with HR Business Partners and the Vice President of Human Resources on all other employee relations matters.

Key Responsibilities:

Total Rewards Strategy & Governance

• Develop, implement, and continuously improve the organization’s total rewards strategy, including developing and managing compensation and benefits that retain talent.
• Ensure alignment with business objectives, workforce needs, and federal contracting requirements.
• Serve as the primary subject-matter expert on SCA, and federal contracting compensation and benefits requirements.
• Partner with HR Business Partners and the Vice President of Human Resources to align total rewards strategy with broader people and business objectives.

Hands-On Execution & Process Ownership

• Personally own and execute compensation, benefits, leave, and accommodation processes as needed while the function is being stabilized and scaled.
• Build, document, and continuously improve total rewards policies, procedures, workflows, and controls.
• Balance competing priorities across strategy, execution, and stakeholder support in a fast-paced environment.
• Step in to support or backfill day-to-day work performed by the HR Generalist when necessary.

Compensation Management (Including SCA)

• Own all aspects of compensation program design and administration.
• Conduct research and analysis to ensure competitive total rewards offerings, including salary benchmarking and market surveys.
• Manage salary structures, market pricing, geographic differentials, and internal equity.
• Administer SCA wage determinations, Health & Welfare calculations, and fringe benefit compliance.
• Manage wage schedules and contractual pay requirements.
• Partner with Pricing and Proposal teams to support compliant labor pricing and cost modeling.
• Partner with HR Business Partners and the Vice President of Human Resources to evaluate and implement compensation and pay impacts related to offers, promotions, job changes, accommodations, and retention actions.
• Retain final authority for compensation strategy, approvals, and exceptions.
• Ensure compliance with FLSA, SCA, pay equity laws, and federal contracting obligations.
• Oversee and manage all bonus programs.
• Responsible for maintaining and updating UKG Compensation portal, maintaining job descriptions.
• Responsible for approving requisitions in ICIMS.

Benefits Administration (Including SCA H&W)

• The Total Rewards Manager is responsible for designing and implementing compensation and benefits programs that attract and retain employees, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and compliance with regulations.
• Direct responsibility for all employee benefits programs.
• Manage SCA Health & Welfare programs and compliance.
• Lead annual open enrollment planning and employee communications.
• Manage broker, carrier, and third-party administrator relationships.
• Partner with HR Business Partner and the Vice President of Human Resources on benefits strategy, design, and changes.
• Direct responsibility for all benefit related audits including H&W, 401K, Trust, FSA,HSA,etc.
• Communicate total rewards programs effectively to employees and ensure understanding of benefits and compensation structures.

Leave & Medical Accommodation Management

• Own and manage the medical accommodation process from intake through resolution.
• Evaluate compensation, classification, benefits, leave, and pay impacts of medical accommodations in partnership with HR Business Partners and the Vice President of Human Resources.
• Serve as the final decision-maker for compensation and benefits outcomes related to medical accommodations.
• Oversee all leave programs and partner with third-party leave administrators.

Total Rewards Operating Model & Transformation

• Assess current-state total rewards processes, roles, and pain points.
• Design and implement a future-state operating model defining clear roles, intake processes, escalation paths, and approvals.
• Establish consistent frameworks, tools, and governance standards.
• Serve as both architect and operator of the total rewards function, owning near-term execution while designing long-term scalability.
• Lead change management, training, and stakeholder alignment efforts in partnership with HR Business Partners and the Vice President of Human Resources.

Leadership, Operations & Vendor Management

• Manage relationships with vendors for benefits administration and negotiate contracts for benefit programs.
• Directly manage and develop the HR Generalist, who serves as the primary point of contact for day-to-day benefit inquiries.
• Serve as the escalation point for complex or high-risk total rewards matters.
• Oversee vendor relationships and ensure audit readiness.
• Partner with HRIS, Payroll, HR Business Partners, and the Vice President of Human Resources to ensure accurate system configuration and governance.

Data, Reporting & Compliance

• Conduct audits and reviews of total rewards programs to ensure compliance with laws and regulations.
• Monitor regulatory and contractual changes.
• Prepare executive-level reporting for HR leadership.
• Support internal and external audits.

Qualifications

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business, Finance, or related field.
• 7+ years of progressive total rewards experience, including direct responsibility for SCA and union-represented populations.
• Demonstrated ability to operate in both strategic and hands-on execution roles.
• Experience supporting federal contracts and labor pricing.
• Strong knowledge of SCA wage determinations.
• People and vendor management experience.
• Experience with HRIS platforms such as Workday, ICIMS, ADP, UKG(must).

Preferred:

• Government contracting experience.
• CCP, CBP, SHRM-CP/SCP, or PHR/SPHR certification.

Physical Requirements:

• Sitting for long periods
• Ambulate throughout an office

About Empower AI

All hiring and promotion decisions at Empower AI are based on merit to bring the best talent available to contribute to our firm’s overall success. It is the policy of Empower AI not to discriminate against any applicant for employment, or employee because of age, color, sex, disability, national origin, race, religion, or veteran status. Empower AI is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor.