Senior Total Rewards Manager

Total Rewards Manager

The Total Rewards Manager drives ND Paper's ability to attract, retain, and motivate top talent by designing and executing competitive, scalable, and cost-effective compensation, benefits, and wellness programs. This role strengthens organizational performance by ensuring pay equity, optimizing reward structures, and delivering data-driven insights that support workforce planning and leadership decision-making. By leading annual compensation cycles, enhancing benefits offerings, and ensuring regulatory compliance, the Total Rewards Manager directly contributes to employee engagement, operational excellence, and ND Paper's long-term growth.

ND Paper is a leading manufacturer of high-quality pulp, paper, and packaging products in the United States, generating over half a billion dollars in annual sales. As a wholly owned subsidiary of Nine Dragons Paper (Holdings) Limited – the largest containerboard producer in the world – ND Paper is part of a global network committed to excellence and innovation. With two integrated pulp and paper mills in Rumford, Maine and Biron, Wisconsin, a packaging plant in Sturtevant, Wisconsin, and two sheeting facilities in Langhorne, Pennsylvania and Fairmont, West Virginia, the ND Paper family produces nearly one million tons of products annually. Our 1,100 dedicated employees are the heart of our operations, and we are committed to fostering positive work environments where individuals can advance and thrive. At ND Paper, we are investing in our future, and that starts with our staff.

Key Responsibilities & Expected Results:

• Demonstrate safety as a core value and establish a safe work environment by actively leading the safe execution of work.
• Develop and execute a comprehensive total rewards strategy aligned with organizational goals and talent strategy.
• Lead the evolution of compensation and benefits programs to ensure competitiveness, cost-effectiveness, and scalability.
• Provide strategic guidance to senior leadership on market trends, pay positioning, and workforce planning.
• Oversee base salary structures, incentive plans (STIP/LTIP), and executive compensation frameworks.
• Conduct market benchmarking using salary surveys and external data sources.
• Ensure internal equity through job architecture, leveling frameworks, and pay analysis.
• Lead annual compensation cycles (merit, bonus, promotions), including modeling and budget management.
• Manage design and administration of health, welfare, retirement, and wellness programs.
• Evaluate vendor performance, negotiate contracts, and manage broker relationships.
• Ensure compliance with applicable regulations (e.g., ERISA, ACA, COBRA, HIPAA).
• Lead the annual open enrollment process, including strategy, planning, system configuration, vendor coordination, and execution.
• Develop and implement comprehensive employee communication strategies to drive engagement and informed benefit elections.
• Partner with HRIS and Payroll teams to ensure accurate system setup, data integrity, and seamless enrollment processing.
• Deliver insights through compensation and benefits analytics, dashboards, and reporting.
• Perform cost analysis and forecasting for total rewards programs.
• Support audits and compliance reporting requirements.
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local regulations related to compensation and benefits.
• Maintain and update policies, procedures, and documentation.
• Manage and develop total rewards team members, total of 2 direct reports.
• Serve as a subject matter expert to HR Business Partners and leadership teams.
• Lead cross-functional projects including HRIS implementations and process improvements.
• All other duties as assigned.

Key Performance Indicators (KPI's)

• Timely and accurate bi-weekly payroll cycles
• Successful open – enrollment with minimal errors
• Forecasting and data accuracy
• Employee benefits engagement
• Internal equity variance
• Annual compensation cycle accuracy

Qualifications and Skills

• BA/BS in a business focused major, or related.
• 7+ years of progressive compensation experience, or related; experience in a manufacturing industry required.
• Experience working in a unionized environment is strongly preferred.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Able to package and present complex analyses and recommendations clearly and comfortably and for different audiences.
• Knowledge of reward vendors, consultants, and solution providers.
• Able to create processes and practices from the ground up in collaboration with all stakeholders.
• Flexibility, developing partnerships, critical thinking, multi-tasking in a fast-paced environment, ability to look from different angles and work collaboratively, delivering results.
• Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) and/or CBP (Certified Benefits Professional) is a plus.

Technical Skills

• Market pricing and benchmarking tools
• HRIS expertise, familiarity with ADP is mandatory
• Data integrity and audit skills
• Multi-site payroll collaboration
• Regulatory compliance knowledge
• Data modeling, trend analysis and forecasting

Core Competencies

• Strategic alignment with organizational goals, talent strategy and workforce planning
• Accountability for results
• Problem solving/root cause analysis
• Process discipline by holding all stakeholders to company policies and SOPs
• Data driven decision making in all applicable scenarios
• Rigorous adherence to all local, state and federal regulations to proactively mitigate compliance risk
• Ability to cross-functionally collaborate with multiple sites, departments and teams to provide seamless compensation and benefits operations.

Success Profile

• Consistently meets or exceeds KPI's
• Data guided decisions
• Adaptability with change management skills
• Proactive problem solving

Working Conditions

• Sturtevant, WI: office in a manufacturing facility

Attributes for Success

• Hard work – tackle each task with determination, passion and creativity; the willingness to put in whatever effort is required to successfully complete the job at hand.
• Pursuit of Excellence – strive to consistently exceed expectations in our day-to-day work and outperform our competitors in the marketplace, regarding work and company achievements as a collaborative goal with the desire to go above and beyond.
• Integrity - treat the company and teammates with upmost respect, operating on strong moral codes to drive company values and culture.
• Sense of Urgency – drive forward each day with speed, agility, and flexibility to capture unrealized opportunities and avoid potential risks for the business.
• Entrepreneurial Spirit – act like an owner, challenging the status quo, asking the right questions, and actively seeking ways to innovate and improve.
• Adaptability – be fluid with ND Paper's continuous evolution while driving change in a fast-paced environment, equipped with the ability to acclimate quickly.
• Servant Leadership – set an example by implementing meaningful leadership with heart, empathy, foresight and stewardship.

ND Paper Benefits

We offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance as well as voluntary benefits such as accident insurance, hospital indemnity, and critical illness for you and your family.
• Financial protection benefits, including life insurance, disability insurance, and business travel accident insurance.
• Tax advantaged accounts such as Healthcare and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA).
• Paid holidays, personal days, and vacation days to support work-life balance.
• A 401K retirement plan with a company match and annual fixed contribution
• Wellness programs with incentives and an on-site clinic available at our Rumford and Biron location.

Enjoy competitive salaries, comprehensive health benefits, and paid time off. Discover more about our benefits and how we support our team by visiting 2026 Benefits. Come be a part of our team and grow with us!