Vice President, Total Awards

Job Summary

The Vice President of Total Rewards provides enterprise‑wide strategic leadership and executive oversight for Total Rewards and Occupational Health across Care New England. This role is responsible for setting the vision, priorities, governance, and decision‑making frameworks that ensure programs are market‑competitive, equitable, compliant, and financially sustainable. Reporting to the Executive Vice‑President & Chief People Officer, the Vice President oversees Benefits, Compensation & Retirement, and Occupational Health, operating through a strong leadership team. The role focuses on strategic direction, enterprise alignment, and executive partnership, while empowering Directors and Senior Directors to lead day‑to‑day operations and major Total Rewards and Occupational Health initiatives.

Duties And Responsibilities

Rewards Strategy

• Establish and articulate the enterprise Total Rewards strategy, philosophy, and guiding principles to support workforce attraction, retention, engagement, equity, and financial sustainability.
• Set system‑wide priorities, sequencing, and success measures for Total Rewards initiatives across benefits, compensation, retirement, HRIS, and occupational health.
• Ensure Total Rewards strategies are aligned with organizational goals, operating unit needs, labor environments, and long‑term workforce planning.
• Monitor external market trends, healthcare labor dynamics, and regulatory developments to inform strategic direction and executive decision‑making.

Benefits Oversight

• Provide executive direction, prioritization, and governance oversight for health, welfare, retirement, wellness, leave, and related benefit programs.
• Sponsor and guide strategic benefit initiatives led by the Director of Benefits, including plan design optimization, vendor alignment, affordability strategies, and simplification efforts.
• Partner with Finance, Legal, clinical and executive leadership to evaluate benefit strategy and ensure decisions balance cost effectiveness with employee experience.
• Serve as escalation point for complex or system‑wide benefit issues, vendor performance concerns, and enterprise‑level risks.

Compensation & Retirement Oversight

• Set the enterprise strategy and governance framework for compensation and retirement programs, including market competitiveness, internal equity, compliance, and transparency.
• Provide strategic direction and executive sponsorship for the System Job Architecture, ensuring alignment across job families, career pathways, compensation structures, HRIS configuration, and labor considerations.
• Enable and support the Senior Director of Compensation & Retirement in leading execution of compensation programs, market benchmarking, retirement plan administration, and job architecture implementation.
• Serve as an escalation point for complex compensation, equity, or retirement matters and support executive‑ and Board‑level discussions as needed.

Occupational Health Oversight

• Provide executive oversight of Occupational Health, ensuring alignment with workforce safety, onboarding readiness, regulatory compliance, and operational and clinical priorities.
• Support the System Director of Occupational Health in addressing cross‑functional challenges, capacity planning, and service delivery improvements.
• Ensure Occupational Health programs integrate effectively with HR operations, credentialing, and workforce readiness processes.

Governance, Compliance & Enterprise Partnership

• Serve as a strategic advisor to the Chief People Officer and executive leadership on Total Rewards strategy, workforce cost dynamics, and organizational impact.
• Support fiduciary and governance committees related to benefits and retirement programs, including preparation of executive‑level materials and recommendations.
• Ensure enterprise‑level compliance with federal, state, and local employment and benefits regulations (e.g., ERISA, HIPAA, COBRA, FMLA, ACA, pay transparency laws), delegating operational execution while retaining accountability.
• Maintain strong cross‑functional partnerships with Finance, Legal, Operating Unit HR Leadership, Payroll, and HR Business Partners to ensure alignment, transparency, and coordinated execution.

People & Leadership

• Lead, coach, and develop a high‑performing leadership team across Benefits, Compensation & Retirement, and Occupational Health.
• Establish clear roles, accountability, and decision‑rights that empower Directors and Senior Directors to lead execution effectively.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, continuous improvement, and service excellence.
• Build leadership capability and succession pipelines within Total Rewards and Occupational Health.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree Required; Master’s Degree Preferred.
• Senior HR or Total Rewards certifications (e.g., SPHR, SHRM‑SCP, CCP, CEBS) preferred.
• Minimum 10 years of progressive leadership experience in Total Rewards within a complex, multi‑entity organization; healthcare experience strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience overseeing benefits strategy, compensation methodology, and retirement programs.
• Strong knowledge of employment and benefits‑related regulatory requirements.
• Experience supporting Board‑level committees and fiduciary governance.
• Deep understanding of healthcare labor markets and unionized environments.