What if you could walk into a 1,000-employee industrial company and build the compensation function from the ground up, with full ownership of an existing salary structure that no one currently owns?
This is a true department-builder seat. The comp work has lived across the VP, the HR Director, and a senior HRBP. They want one Total Rewards owner to consolidate it. You're that person.
𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗣𝗔𝗡𝗬
Pave Talent is hiring on behalf of our client, an established industrial manufacturer headquartered in St. Louis with 1,000+ employees across roughly 10 US production sites. The largest plant sits about an hour south of St. Louis with ~650 employees; the rest are smaller and scattered. 24/7 production environment, US-only operations, ADP for HRIS and payroll.
This is a stable, growing business with a long operating history, recent acquisitions expanding the footprint, and a workforce that includes salaried corporate employees, plant workers, and unionized populations.
𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗥 𝗔𝗖𝗖𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡
This isn't a "Manager" seat in the traditional sense. You'll report directly to the VP of Human Resources, manage two direct reports, and own a 50/50 split between benefits and compensation for a 1,000+ employee workforce. The salary structure exists but currently has no single owner. You become that owner.
The hiring manager said it directly: "The bones are there, but we really want someone to come in, create it, and own it."
If you've been a Senior Analyst doing 50/50 work without the title, a Comp Manager looking to round out into true Total Rewards, or a Benefits Manager ready to take on the comp side as the department's anchor, this is the seat.
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𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗢𝗣𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗧𝗬
You'll report to the VP of Human Resources and lead a two-person team:
• An HR Assistant based in the St. Louis corporate office who supports the benefits function across the company
• A Benefits Administrator based at the largest plant site, dedicated to that population (~650 employees)
Your peer group includes the HR Director and a senior HRBP who currently carry pieces of the compensation work. They stay involved as collaborators; you become the owner.
The first 6 to 12 months are about consolidation. Expect to be hands-on at first, with delegation evolving over time as you build the function. The hiring manager described the early phase this way: "Very action-oriented, data-driven, number-savvy. Rolling up sleeves and applying all those things to get the ball rolling."
𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗬𝗢𝗨'𝗟𝗟 𝗢𝗪𝗡
• Run open enrollment across multiple plant sites in October and November (the heaviest stretch of the year, and a non-negotiable part of the role)
• Take ownership of the existing salary structure: market pricing, job architecture, internal equity, merit and bonus cycles, incentive plan administration
• Manage all benefits programs: medical, dental, vision (UnitedHealthcare carrier), 401(k), wellness programming, leave administration, and broker/vendor relationships
• Lead employee communications and education around total rewards across a workforce that includes corporate, plant, and unionized populations
• Ensure compliance with ERISA, ACA, COBRA, FMLA, and federal/state pay regulations
• Partner with Finance, Legal, and HR leadership on planning, budgeting, and executive compensation work as needed
• Analyze market data, program utilization, and KPIs to drive recommendations and maintain competitive positioning
• Become the in-house subject matter expert that the VP, HR Director, and HRBPs route comp and benefits questions to
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𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗟 𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗞
A few things worth saying directly so the right candidates lean in and the wrong ones self-select out:
𝗢𝗻 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗹. The role is ~20% travel. The predecessor goes to the largest plant one day per week. October and November are heavy because of open enrollment across plants; a second benefits person tag-teams that travel, so you're not gone for a month straight, but the cadence is real. Occasional quarterly travel for wellness meetings.
𝗢𝗻 𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗽𝗲. This is for a true Total Rewards subject matter expert. HR Directors and HR Generalists who've touched comp and benefits at a surface level will not be a fit and have already been screened out by the VP.
𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦
𝗥𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱:
• Bachelor's degree in HR, Finance, Business Administration, or related field
• 8+ years of progressive experience across both benefits AND compensation (50/50 expected; pure benefits or pure comp candidates need meaningful exposure to the other side)
• Hands-on open enrollment ownership in a prior role (non-negotiable, set by the VP HR)
• Experience with salary structures, market pricing, merit cycles, and incentive plan administration
• Compliance fluency across ERISA, ACA, COBRA, and FMLA
• Advanced Excel
• Comfortable being hands-on first, delegating later, in a function you're actively building
𝗕𝗼𝗻𝘂𝘀 𝗣𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀:
• Experience in a 24/7 industrial environment (manufacturing, mining, chemical, or similar)
• Union exposure
• CCP (Certified Compensation Professional) certification; CEBS, CBP, or SHRM also welcomed
• ADP HRIS experience
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𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗣𝗘𝗡𝗦𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗕𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗙𝗜𝗧𝗦
𝗕𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗿𝘆: $105,000 to $150,000 depending on experience
𝗕𝗼𝗻𝘂𝘀: 10% target annual incentive
𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Lump-sum sign-on available for the right out-of-area candidate
𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲: Hybrid. Monday and Friday work-from-home; Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday in the St. Louis corporate office. Flexibility expected during open enrollment and travel weeks
𝗧𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗹: ~20% (weekly day trip to the largest plant; heavy October/November for open enrollment; occasional quarterly wellness travel)
𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Based at the St. Louis corporate HQ
𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲: Medical, dental, vision (UnitedHealthcare)
𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: 401(k) with employer match
𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: Tuition reimbursement available to all full-time employees, plus annual professional development support (a real plus for candidates pursuing CCP or CEBS)
𝗔𝗻𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄: Yearly merit increases in July
𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲: Stable, century-plus operating history; recently expanded through acquisition; strong commitment to safety, sustainability, and community service
Apply via LinkedIn and we'll reach out to schedule a conversation. Confidential search; your application is fully private and never shared with the client without your permission.
𝗣𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 | 𝗛𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗲𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱