Total Rewards Manager

Job description

**Description**

Schnabel is an employee-owned, professional engineering and consulting firm that focuses on solving problems related to the earth and environment through specialization in geotechnical, geostructural, tunnel, and dam engineering.

Schnabel’s high standards for quality, business ethics, and concern for the communities in which we live are a vital part of who we are.

Schnabel is an ENR Top 500 Design Firm with 650+ employees in 30 offices throughout the United States.

Recognized by CE News as one of the Best Engineering Firms to Work for, Schnabel provides employees with a competitive benefits package including maternity leave, tuition reimbursement for continuing education, health, dental, life and disability insurance and a wellness program.

As an employee-owned company, through the Employee Stock Ownership Plan, Schnabel employees directly benefit from the success of our growing firm.

**Benefit options include:**

+ Medical insurance
+ Dental insurance
+ Flexible spending accounts
+ Employee life & ADD insurance (100% company-paid)
+ Short-term disability (100% company-paid)
+ Long-term disability
+ Supplemental life insurance
+ 401(k) and profit-sharing plan
+ Employee stock ownership plan (ESOP)
+ Bonus program
+ Paid time off
+ 9 Paid Holidays
+ Wellness program
+ Professional development and tuition reimbursement

**Position Summary:**

The **Total Rewards Manager** leads the design, execution, and continuous improvement of our compensation, benefits, and total rewards programs.

This role is critical in shaping the firm’s approach to attracting, retaining, and rewarding top talent in a competitive industry.

The Total Rewards Manager is responsible for aligning total rewards strategy with our core values—especially integrity, accountability, and stewardship.

This role partners closely with other HR functional leaders, internal clients, and external vendors to ensure our total rewards offerings are ethical, competitive and aligned with our business goals.

**Position is not eligible for visa sponsorship.**

**Key Responsibilities:**

**Strategic Leadership**

+ Serve as the firm’s lead expert on total rewards strategy, collaborating and advising with leadership on compensation, benefits, and wellness trends and best practices that drive desired goals and support a “One Schnabel” mindset.
+ Develop and implement a comprehensive total rewards philosophy that supports business objectives and enhances employee experience.
+ Lead cross-functional initiatives to evolve total rewards strategy and offerings in a geographically distributed, professional services environment.
+ Partner closely with other HR functional leaders, including Talent Strategy and HR Operations, to ensure strategic alignment and seamless administration of compensation and benefits programs.

**Compensation Strategy**

+ Design and manage base salary structures and variable pay incentive plans that integrate with job architecture frameworks.
+ Drive end-to-end annual compensation strategy execution, including salary increase cycles, market benchmarking, and pay equity analysis.
+ Conduct FLSA job evaluations and ensure compliance with federal and state wage and hour laws.

**Benefits & Wellness Strategy**

+ Oversee the strategic direction of employee benefits and wellness programs, including vendor selection and management, plan design, and cost optimization.
+ Evaluate and recommend enhancements to ensure offerings remain competitive and aligned with employee needs.
+ Manage strategic vendor relationships and performance.

**Data & Analytics**

+ Provide actionable insights through compensation and benefits analytics, dashboards, and reporting.
+ Monitor market trends and conduct regular benchmarking to inform program design and decision-making.
+ Identify and execute opportunities to digitize/optimize total rewards technical infrastructure

**Collaboration & Communication**

+ Partner with HR leadership, Finance, and executive stakeholders to align total rewards with organizational goals.
+ Partner with the ESOP Committee, ESOP Committee Chair, and HR Operations team to support effective communication and administration of the ESOP.
+ Communicate complex compensation and benefits concepts clearly and effectively to diverse audiences.
+ Support change management and communication strategies related to total rewards initiatives.
+ Other duties as assigned.

**Qualifications**

+ Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business, Finance, related field, or commensurate experience.
+ 10+ years of progressive experience in compensation and benefits management, with at least 3 years in a strategic or leadership capacity.
+ Deep knowledge of compensation design, benefits strategy, and regulatory compliance (FLSA, ACA, prevailing wages, etc.).
+ Experience in a firm that includes fully onsite, hybrid, and fully remote teams.
+ Experience in an engineering or professional services environment is strongly preferred.
+ Experience in an employee-owned (ESOP) firm is strongly preferred.
+ Experience with health captive programs is strongly preferred.
+ Strong analytical and statistical skills and proficiency with compensation tools and HRIS platforms.
+ Proven ability to influence and collaborate with senior leaders and cross-functional teams.
+ Proven ability to lead and manage change.

**Preferred Competencies**

+ Master’s degree, GRP or CCP (WorldatWork) certification, or other compensation/benefits credentials a plus
+ Strategic thinker with the ability to align total rewards with business goals.
+ Strong executive presence and communication skills.
+ High level of integrity and discretion in handling confidential information.
+ Proven relationship-builder and change manager.
+ Advanced Excel and data modeling capabilities.
+ Experience with compensation and benefits platforms (e.g., MarketPay, Mercer, Payfactors).
+ Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, distributed environment.
+ Strong vendor management and negotiation skills.
+ Commitment to ethical compensation practices.

**Other Requirements:**

+ Ability to pass a background check which may include criminal history, motor vehicle record and credit check
+ Ability to pass a pre-employment screening

The compensation range for this position is between $134,000 to $160,000.

Compensation for this position may vary based on geographic location and other factors.

We remain committed to providing competitive and equitable compensation to all employees, regardless of their location.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws.
For further information, please review the Know Your Rights (https://www.eeoc.gov/poster) notice from the Department of Labor.

Required Skill Profession

Other General