Director of Compensation and Benefits

Summary

The Director of Benefits/Wellness and Compensation provides strategic leadership, oversight, and administration of the University's employee benefits, wellness, retirement, leave, and compensation programs. The position partners closely with the Associate Vice President of Human Resources to develop, implement, and continuously improve HR policies, programs, and initiatives that support employee well‑being, market competitiveness, internal equity, and regulatory compliance. The Director collaborates with University leadership and key stakeholders to evaluate positions, analyze compensation data, maintain salary structures, oversee salary surveys and IPEDS reporting, and recommend compensation strategies that align with the University's strategic goals and workforce objectives.

Essential Functions

Benefits and Wellness Program Leadership

• Establishes the strategic direction of the University’s benefits, wellness, retirement, leave, and insurance programs, including group health, dental, vision, life, LTD, workers’ compensation, retirement plans, tuition assistance, FMLA, leave plans, and 403(b)/401(k) hardship, loan, and withdrawal processes.
• Evaluates and compares existing benefits and wellness programs with those of other institutions by analyzing plan design, benefit surveys, claims data, market trends, and other sources of information to recommend improvements or changes.
• Develops annual goals, long‑term objectives, annual action plans, policies, and procedures related to benefits, wellness, retirement, and leave programs.
• Ensures University compliance with applicable federal and state laws and regulatory requirements related to benefits and wellness programs, including ERISA, health care reform requirements, COBRA, HIPAA, FMLA, IRS, Department of Labor, insurance commissioner, and other regulatory agency requirements.
• Oversees required regulatory mailings, communications, reports, filings, and applications; serves as primary contact with third‑party administrators, benefit providers, General Counsel, and external counsel regarding plan administration and compliance.
• Analyzes aggregate health claims data to recommend and implement wellness initiatives designed to support employee wellbeing, lifestyle and behavior change, and long‑term cost management.

Compensation Program Administration

• Administers the compensation program for faculty and staff and works collaboratively with Talent Acquisition to determine offers for new employees that promote internal equity while remaining competitive with the external market.
• Provides recommendations and guidance to managers on wages and salaries using the University’s Pay and Titling Guidelines, salary structures, external market surveys, and internal equity reviews.
• Benchmarks positions against market surveys to determine appropriate market pricing and placement within salary ranges; completes exempt and non‑exempt salary surveys, including AAUP and CUPA‑HR, and develops techniques for compiling, preparing, validating, and presenting compensation data.
• Approves compensation‑related actions in Workday HCM; utilizes Workday reports to conduct analytics on wages and salaries; works with the HRIS Administrator to ensure compensation tables in Workday are updated to reflect minimum wage requirements, salary structure changes, and FLSA standards.
• Keeps current on Workday compensation releases and uses Workday Community resources to stay informed on compensation functionality, best practices, and system implementation considerations.
• Keeps apprised of federal, state, and local compensation laws and regulations to help ensure University compliance with wage and hour, minimum wage, salary basis, and related compensation requirements.

Position Description, Job Evaluation, Classification, and Reporting

• Evaluates Position Description Questionnaires (PDQs) for new and existing positions to ensure duties and responsibilities, reporting structure, work experience, education, knowledge, skills, physical and working conditions, and University mission expectations are clearly defined.
• Makes recommendations for PDQ revisions to support uniformity of job descriptions, job titles, and titling guidelines.
• Investigates and analyzes position duties and responsibilities to determine appropriate FLSA classification, exemption status, job title, and salary range.
• Conducts job analysis and desk audits; develops or revises PDQs/job descriptions when needed and determines appropriate salary grade levels.
• Provides data to Institutional Research for the annual HR portion of the IPEDS report, including reviewing reports, conducting data validation, updating information, and serving as the Human Resources point of contact for the Institutional Research team.

Compensation Projects, Salary Structures, and Policy Support

• Works collaboratively with the Associate Vice President of Human Resources on compensation‑related projects, policies, procedures, and recommendations.
• Conducts market research to monitor competitiveness of the University’s salary structures and recommends continuous improvement to compensation procedures and practices.
• Proposes updates to salary structures that align with compensation trends and University objectives; assesses the associated costs of pay grade changes and reviews salary ranges/structures on a recurring cycle to support continued competitiveness.
• Prepares compensation data reports, HR metrics, and analyses related to wages and salaries, including data needed for merit increases, cost‑of‑living adjustments, minimum wage adjustments, internal equity reviews, promotional adjustments, and other compensation actions.
• Performs compensation project work including benchmarking pay practices, incentive pay, bonuses, and other wage and salary initiatives as assigned.

Leadership, Committees, and Other Duties

• Provides oversight and direction for Benefits and Compensation staff by establishing goals, assigning work, reviewing work quality, supporting productivity, conducting performance appraisals, and coaching when appropriate.
• Develops, manages, and forecasts HR budgets related to benefits, wellness, and compensation. Prepares quarterly and annual reports relating to benefits, wellness, and compensation initiatives.
• Serves on University and external committees as appropriate, including committees related to benefits, wellness, retirement, compensation, and HR advisory responsibilities.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Qualifications / Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in business, Human Resource Management, or related field is required.
• Master's degree in human resources management, or MBA preferred.
• Certifications in CEbS, PHR, SPHR, SHRM‑CP is preferred.
• 5‑8 years of previous compensation and benefits experience is required.
• Advanced Analytical skills required.
• Advanced written and oral communications skills required.
• Must be able to analyze statistical data for claims, spend analysis for all benefit and wellness related programs.
• Must be able to multitask and manage projects effectively.
• Ability to utilize Microsoft Office applications (e.g., Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint) and HRIS software (e.g., Ellucian, Workday, Softdocs etc.).
• Must have excellent interpersonal skills both written and verbal.
• High customer service skills in relationship to consulting with supervisors and communicating with employees of Barry University.
• Must have excellent proofreading and editing skills.
• Must be able to communicate effectively as a presenter for benefit related meetings, workshops and training.
• Must possess excellent listening skills.

Benefits

Barry University offers a comprehensive benefits package to full‑time employees that includes health, dental, vision, life insurance, retirement, tuition assistance, paid time off and work/life balance initiatives such as wellness programs, spirituality in the workplace, and training and development.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Barry University is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to a diverse and inclusive work environment.

Barry University does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, familial status, marital status, pregnancy, age, disability status or veteran status.

This policy applies to students, employees, applicants and trustees with respect to participation in any program, benefit, activity or student/employment opportunity offered by the University.

Every member of the University community is expected to uphold this policy as a matter of mutual respect and fundamental fairness in human relations.

Every student of this institution has a responsibility to conduct himself/herself in accordance with this policy as a condition of enrollment.

Further, every University employee has an obligation to observe Barry University policies and implementation of federal and state law as a term of employment.

No person shall be retaliated against for reporting violations or concerns about prohibited discrimination or bias through appropriate University channels.