Director of Total Rewards

Chainguard; New York (NY); Remote; USD 180,000 - 320,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity options

Unlimited PTO

Remote work

Home office stipend

Health insurance

Job summary

Chainguard is seeking a Director of Total Rewards to own compensation and benefits strategy as it scales from startup to growth-stage. You will lead the Total Rewards team, set strategy across pay and benefits, and partner with the business to extend programs internationally, including new markets in the UK, Canada, and Germany.

You will manage compensation cycles, market pricing, and plan design while ensuring cost efficiency and an employee-first culture.

Qualifications

• Strong command of market pricing and benchmarking tools (Radford, Pave, Mercer, or similar)
• Proven experience setting total rewards strategy, with a strong background in either compensation or benefits (and working knowledge of the other)
• This is a people-manager role reporting into the VP overseeing PeopleExperience with equity program design and administration, including cap table fluency (Carta, Shareworks, or similar)
• Working knowledge of pay equity and compliance considerations across multi-state and international jurisdictions
• Experience scaling total rewards programs at a high-growth SaaS or startup company, ideally through a growth stage comparable to scaling from roughly 1,000 to 3,000+ employees
• 8-10 years of progressive compensation and benefits experience, including 3+ years in a management capacity
• Experience partnering with or managing an Employer of Record (EOR) for international employees
• Strong track record managing and developing a team
• End-to-end experience running compensation cycles — job architecture, market pricing, merit/promotion planning, and bonus design
• Relevant experience is valued over certifications
• International experience required, particularly across EMEA; experience in Japan, Singapore, or South America is a strong plus
• Comfort operating with some ambiguity and building process where it doesn’t yet exist

Responsibilities

• Own compensation and benefits strategy for Chainguard during growth
• Lead the Total Rewards team (Compensation Manager and Benefits team)
• Shape global compensation and benefits strategy as we expand into new international markets
• Balance employee experience with cost efficiency and redesign underutilized benefits
• Stay ahead of market trends to remain competitive for talent
• Oversee banding, market pricing, and merit cycles with the Compensation Manager
• Advise leadership on comp and benefits strategy tied to headcount growth and cost management
• Build scalable total rewards processes as the team and company grow

Skills

Market pricing tools

Total rewards strategy

Equity program design

Cap table fluency

Pay equity & compliance

Global compensation

EOR coordination

Team leadership

End-to-end comp cycles

International experience (EMEA)

Tools

Radford

Pave

Mercer

Job description

• We’re looking for a Director of Total Rewards to own compensation and benefits strategy as Chainguard scales from a startup into its next phase of growth
• This role will lead our Total Rewards team, managing our Compensation Manager and Benefits team, and will be responsible for setting the strategy that keeps us competitive as we compete for talent against some of the biggest names in tech
• You’ll partner closely with the business to build a total rewards approach that’s both employee-first and cost-effective, while helping us extend our compensation and benefits programs into new countries as we expand internationally
• This is a role with real ownership and runway
• You’ll shape how we think about pay, benefits, and rewards as the company roughly doubles in size over the next several years
• Own and set Chainguard’s total rewards strategy across compensation and benefits
• Manage and develop the Total Rewards team
• Lead our approach to global compensation and benefits strategy as we expand into new international markets, including the UK, Canada, and Germany, with more countries to follow
• Partner with the business to balance employee experience with cost efficiency, identifying legacy programs or underutilized benefits that can be redesigned or retired without eroding our benefits-rich culture
• Stay ahead of market trends in compensation and benefits, helping Chainguard remain competitive for talent against major players in the market
• Oversee banding, market pricing, and merit cycles, in partnership with the Compensation Manager
• Advise leadership on comp and benefits strategy tied to headcount growth and cost management as the company scales
• Build scalable total rewards processes as the team and company grow
• Why This Role: Chainguard is scaling quickly, both domestically and internationally, and our total rewards strategy needs to scale with it. This role sits at the center of that work — helping us stay a benefits-rich, employee-first company while making smart, sustainable decisions about where and how we invest
• You’ll have the opportunity to shape compensation and benefits strategy across a rapidly growing, increasingly global organization, with real support to build the team and programs needed to get there

Benefits

• Equity/stock options
• Unlimited PTO
• Remote work with flexible coworking and team meetup opportunities
• Home office and internet stipend
• 100% health/dental/vision insurance coverage for you and your family

• Strong command of market pricing and benchmarking tools (Radford, Pave, Mercer, or similar)
• Proven experience setting total rewards strategy, with a strong background in either compensation or benefits (and working knowledge of the other)
• This is a people-manager role reporting into the VP overseeing PeopleExperience with equity program design and administration, including cap table fluency (Carta, Shareworks, or similar)
• Working knowledge of pay equity and compliance considerations across multi-state and international jurisdictions
• Experience scaling total rewards programs at a high-growth SaaS or startup company, ideally through a growth stage comparable to scaling from roughly 1,000 to 3,000+ employees
• 8-10 years of progressive compensation and benefits experience, including 3+ years in a management capacity
• Experience partnering with or managing an Employer of Record (EOR) for international employees
• Strong track record managing and developing a team
• End-to-end experience running compensation cycles — job architecture, market pricing, merit/promotion planning, and bonus design
• Relevant experience is valued over certifications
• International experience required, particularly across EMEA; experience in Japan, Singapore, or South America is a strong plus
• Comfort operating with some ambiguity and building process where it doesn’t yet exist