Head of Total Rewards

Head of Total Rewards – Investment Firm (New York, NY)

Full-Time | Executive Leadership | 11+ Years Experience Required

About the Role

We are seeking a strategic and execution-focused Head of Total Rewards to lead the design, governance, and delivery of our global compensation and benefits programs. This leader will shape how we attract, motivate, and retain exceptional talent across the firm, with a particular focus on compensation strategy, carried interest, equity programs, benefits, payroll, mobility, HR operations, and HR technology .

This is a highly visible role partnering closely with the executive team, investment leadership, and HR. The ideal candidate brings deep expertise from private equity, asset management, or a related investment environment , where compensation structures are complex and performance-driven.

Key Responsibilities

Compensation & Incentives

• Lead the strategy, design, and administration of all compensation programs, including base salary, annual incentives, long-term incentives, and carried interest plans.
• Partner with senior leadership to develop competitive compensation frameworks aligned with firm performance and market trends.
• Oversee compensation benchmarking, market analysis, and regulatory compliance.

Carried Interest & Equity

• Manage the full lifecycle of carried interest and equity programs, including modeling, allocations, vesting, and participant communication.
• Ensure accurate documentation, governance, and reporting in partnership with Legal, Finance, and external advisors.
• Oversee the design and administration of health, retirement, wellness, and ancillary benefit programs.
• Evaluate benefit offerings to ensure competitiveness in the investment management sector.

Payroll, Mobility & Operations

• Lead global payroll strategy and ensure accurate, compliant execution across jurisdictions.
• Oversee mobility programs, including expatriate assignments, tax considerations, and relocation policies.
• Drive operational excellence across HR processes, ensuring accuracy, scalability, and a strong employee experience.
• Own the HR tech ecosystem, including system selection, implementation, optimization, and governance.
• Leverage data and analytics to inform decision-making and enhance transparency across compensation and rewards.

Qualifications

• 11+ years of progressive experience in Total Rewards, Compensation, or related HR disciplines.
• Strong preference for candidates from private equity, asset management, hedge funds, with exposure to carried interest and complex incentive structures.
• Deep expertise across compensation, carried interest, equity, benefits, payroll, mobility, HR operations, and HR technology .
• Proven ability to partner with senior executives and influence decision-making in a high-performance environment.
• Strong analytical, financial modeling, and communication skills.
• Experience leading teams and scaling programs in a fast-paced, evolving organization.

Location

This role is based in New York City with an expectation of in-office presence aligned with firm norms.