Senior HR Specialist - Total Rewards

Under the general supervision of the Human Resources Manager, the Senior HR Specialist – Total Rewards will serve as a strategic architect of our employee value proposition. In this role, the Senior HR Specialist will be responsible for the research, design, and execution of a holistic rewards strategy that balances fiscal responsibility with a best-in-class employee experience. This position will ensure employees understand, utilize, and feel valued by our comprehensive compensation and benefits ecosystem at Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District (the “District”). 

This position will also act as a bridge between Human Resources and Finance, by providing the data-driven insights necessary to keep the District competitive in the talent market. This position will become a consultant for the business, identifying pay trends, mitigating compliance risks, and optimizing our benefits spend and will foster a culture of transparency and equity by ensuring our pay practices are fair, consistent, and reflective of our core values. The successful candidate must demonstrate a growth mindset in navigating a dynamic, mission-driven operation, while remaining committed to fostering a positive and inclusive workplace culture.

The successful Senior HR Specialist – Total Rewards will have the following qualities:

• Pay Equity & Transparency: Success is proactively identifying and closing pay gaps (gender, race, or tenure) before they become legal or cultural issues. Must have the ability to clearly explain "the why" behind pay decisions to employees.
• Planning and Organization:  Manages complex to-do lists based on District priorities. Forecasts future requirements consistent with District goals. Ensure systems, materials, and documents are clearly and consistently organized.
• Self-Starter: Takes initiative to analyze and resolve issues with little direction to no direction.
• Collaborative and Flexible:  Works with multiple departments and staff at various levels within the organization;  involves others to identify needs and solve problems. Thinks outside the box to solve one-off commissioning situations.
• Confidentiality & Trust: Maintaining absolute confidentiality and becoming a "safe harbor" for employees and their concerns.

• Ensure every role is accurately documented and correctly classified (Exempt vs. Non-Exempt, FLSA, etc.)
• Build, refine, and maintain a comprehensive compensation philosophy along with job leveling framework (Grades, Levels, and Families) to provide clear career progression, organizational scalability, and pay transparency along with corresponding classification specifications.
• Research and compare incentive compensation plans offered by demographically comparable organizations; assesses competitors’ plans and makes recommendations for enhancements or improvements required to keep the organization’s plans competitive and effective.
• Determines the proper classification title and level for the full range of filled and vacant positions.
• Maintains knowledge of economic conditions, labor market, and other factors related to ensuring the organization provides competitive and reasonable benefits and compensation scales and structures.
• Maintains knowledge of trends, developments, and best practices in compensation and benefits administration.
• Conduct annual market pricing for all roles to ensure external competitiveness.
• Perform regular audits to identify and resolve internal pay compression or equity gaps.
• Lead the end-to-end administration of the salary increase process(es), including progressions and reclassifications.
• Reviews and maintains job descriptions for each position in the organization and ensure descriptions accurately reflect the work being performed by incumbents.
• Conduct interviews and survey employees and managers to gather and document job, organizational, and occupational information including duties, responsibilities, and skills required by each job.
• Assesses jobs and their respective duties to determine classification as exempt or nonexempt and appropriate salary range.
• Lead any surveys to abolish, modify, or create additional classifications.
• Defend the organization on classification and compensation decisions.
• Design and execute recurring pay equity audits to proactively identify and resolve compression issues or systemic gaps.

• Administers all employee insurance programs and enrollments at the District (e.g. life, health, EAP, etc.)
• Advise and inform employees of changes and developments related to benefits including eligibility, coverage, and provisions.
• Facilitates accurate and timely delivery of employer contributions and employee benefit information regarding payroll deductions to both payroll and carriers, plan administrators, or other appropriate service providers.
• Monitor benefits utilization trends and recommend program adjustments based on employee demographics and cost-benefit analysis.
• Project manage the annual open enrollment period, from vendor selection and system setup to employee communication.
• Ensures the organization’s and plans’ compliance with the applicable provisions of FLSA, COBRA, and HIPAA.
• Act as the primary liaison for insurance brokers and providers to ensure high service levels.
• Advise employees on changes to eligibility, coverage, and provisions; educate prospective employees on the holistic value of the rewards package.

• Support HR with data and support requests regarding total rewards.
• Completes records, reporting, and other documentation required by federal, state, and provider rules, regulations, and policies.
• Benchmarks jobs against survey data and other market intelligence to determine competitive compensation ranges for each position.
• Gathers data from market-based compensation surveys; uses spreadsheet and data analysis techniques to assess results and market trends.
• Advises management on applicable state and federal employment regulations, benefits and compensation policies, human resource procedures, and collective agreements.
• Help with total rewards data conversion necessary for successful ERP implementation and stabilization
• Prepare and present data and analytics to organization and leaders including total reward statements and calculators for labor costs, turnover by pay grade, and benefit spend.

• Develop clear, accessible communications that educate others on our compensation model and foster a culture of trust.
• Create guides, documents, and/or materials to help managers discuss pay, promotions, and total rewards confidently during performance cycles.
• Design internal branding and campaigns to ensure employees understand and maximize the value of their fringe benefits and retirement options.
• Conduct surveys or focus groups to understand employee sentiment regarding total rewards and integrate findings into future model iterations.
• Provide the narrative and data necessary to defend the integrity of the compensation model and foster a culture of pay transparency.
• Present total rewards information to both small and large groups, including new hire orientations, manager training sessions, and leadership briefings.

• Provide backup support for daily and weekly HR operations as needed to ensure seamless department service.
• Build and maintain positive relationships with internal and external stakeholders through clear communication, collaboration, and responsive engagement.
• Help implement and maintain ERP and total rewards data as needed.

Required:

• 3+ years of experience as a subject matter expert (SME) on classification and compensation strategies.
• Experience translating data into strategic recommendations and insights to leadership.
• Experience leading and successfully completing large-scale Total Reward initiatives impacting 100+ employees (or enterprise-wide) of at least two of the following types of projects: salary structure/frameworks designs or redesigns, pay equity/compression audits, market alignment analysis and benchmarking, and/or benefit utilization and optimization studies.
• Experience leading the end-to-end lifecycle of large-scale initiatives including technical analysis, change management communications, and successful delivery.

• Experience creating or refining compensation practices and/or philosophy and developing the long-term methodologies used to sustain it.
• Experience working within an enterprise-level ERP or HRIS (e.g., Workday, Oracle, etc.), specifically regarding the integrity, reporting, and auditing of Total Rewards data.
• Experience working in public sector and government standards/regulations (e.g., FLSA, etc.).

Work is primarily performed in a standard office environment with occasional visits to field or plant locations. The position requires one to be able to sit or stand for extended periods of time. This role involves extended use of standard office equipment including computers. Noise levels may vary depending on the work location. This position will require work hours based on organizational needs. 
A hybrid schedule, including both remote and in-office work, may be available based on operational needs and job responsibilities.