Director of Total Rewards New Irving, TX

Meriton; Irving (TX); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

Meriton, headquartered in Irving, TX, seeks a strategic Director of Total Rewards to lead enterprise programs across benefits, compensation, retirement, leave, and wellbeing. You will shape governance, stakeholder alignment, and data-driven decisions to support growth, retention, and compliant operations across operating companies.

You will partner with HR, Finance, Legal, and external vendors to optimize plans, drive benchmarking, and manage risk while delivering an exceptional employee

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, HR, Accounting, or related field; equivalent experience considered.
• 10+ years of progressive Total Rewards leadership ownership of benefits, compensation, retirement, leave, wellbeing, and governance.
• Experience advising executives, presenting executive-ready recommendations, and leading Total Rewards teams.
• Certified Benefits Professional (CBP) or similar designation preferred.
• Experience managing health & welfare and retirement plans across multi-state operations.
• Experience with Workday, ADP, UKG, Oracle, Dayforce or similar platforms.

Responsibilities

• Establish and execute enterprise Total Rewards strategy, governance, and service standards across all programs.
• Direct design, administration, and optimization of health, retirement, disability, life, and wellbeing programs for multi-state workforce.
• Own enterprise vendor ecosystem; lead negotiations, RFPs, renewals, and cost containment.
• Direct enterprise compliance strategy for benefits, compensation, retirement, and leave; monitor regulatory developments.
• Lead enterprise compensation strategy including job architecture, leveling, benchmarking, and analytics.
• Oversee Total Rewards technology, reporting, and analytics across platforms with cross-functional partners.
• Lead due diligence and integration strategy for mergers, acquisitions, and onboarding of new OpCos.
• Partner with Finance and leadership to provide financial stewardship and long-range planning for Total Rewards.
• Align cross-functional stakeholders to ensure consistent employee experience and regulatory compliance.

Skills

Leadership

HR strategy

Compensation governance

Vendor management

Regulatory compliance

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent in Business/Human Resources/Accounting

10+ years Total Rewards leadership

Executive advisory experience

CBP or equivalent designation

Experience with multi-state operations

Experience with major HCM platforms

Job description

Meriton is a national team of experts driving HVAC innovation through a network of high-performing companies. From strategy and support to systems and solutions, we work behind the scenes to strengthen operations and build value-for our partners and our people.

If you're looking to make an impact, we're glad you're here. At Meriton, you'll join a team that believes in big ideas, doing great work, and building careers that matter-every step of the way.

The Director of Total Rewards leads the enterprise Total Rewards function and is accountable for the strategy, design, governance, compliance, financial stewardship, and employee experience of Meriton's benefits, compensation, retirement, leave, and wellbeing programs across all operating companies. This role ensures Total Rewards programs are competitive, scalable, compliant, cost-effective, and aligned with business growth, talent retention, M&A integration, and organizational performance priorities.

The Director of Total Rewards serves as the enterprise subject matter leader and strategic advisor to executive leadership, operating company leaders, HR, Payroll, HRIS, Finance, Legal, and external partners. The role drives a mature, data-informed rewards strategy through executive-ready recommendations, disciplined governance, vendor performance management, regulatory oversight, cross-functional alignment, and leadership of the Total Rewards team.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Establish and execute the enterprise Total Rewards strategy, roadmap, governance model, and service delivery standards across benefits, compensation, retirement, leave, wellbeing, and related rewards programs for all operating companies.
• Direct the design, administration, governance, and optimization of health & welfare, retirement, disability, life, voluntary, wellbeing, and leave programs for a multi-state, multi-OpCo workforce. Lead annual open enrollment strategy, plan design decisions, communications, system readiness, vendor coordination, funding recommendations, and executive reporting.
• Own the enterprise vendor ecosystem, including brokers, carriers, TPAs, recordkeepers, retirement advisors, consultants, and equity partners. Lead high-impact negotiations, RFP strategy, renewal decisions, performance scorecards, service escalations, contract governance, and cost containment initiatives to ensure service quality, financial discipline, and alignment with enterprise standards.
• Direct enterprise compliance strategy for benefits, compensation, retirement, leave, and related Total Rewards programs in a multi-state environment. Monitor federal, state, and local regulatory developments; sponsor timely implementation; and maintain governance routines, documentation, policies, procedures, controls, audits, Form 5500 filings, ACA reporting, participant notices, and regulatory inquiry responses to ensure audit readiness and risk mitigation.
• Lead enterprise compensation strategy, including job architecture, leveling, salary structures, incentive plan governance, market benchmarking, pay equity practices, offer guidance, and executive-ready compensation analytics. Partner with HR, Talent Acquisition, Finance, and business leaders to ensure compensation decisions support internal equity, market competitiveness, compliance, retention, and business affordability.
• Serve as business owner for Total Rewards technology, reporting, and analytics across HCM, benefits administration, retirement, compensation, and related platforms. Partner with HRIS, IT, Payroll, Finance, and vendors to improve integrations, controls, workflows, data quality, automation dashboards, employee self-service, and decision-ready insights.
• Lead Total Rewards due diligence, risk assessment, executive recommendations, and integration strategy for mergers, acquisitions, and new operating company onboarding. Establish scalable integration playbooks, transition approaches, benefit harmonization recommendations, compensation alignment frameworks, and post-close service delivery models that protect compliance, continuity of coverage, and employee experience.
• Partner with Finance, Payroll, Accounting, and executive leadership to provide financial stewardship for enterprise Total Rewards programs, including funding, reconciliation, forecasting, budgeting, cost modeling, liability analysis, premium strategy, retirement contributions, and long-range planning. Use analytics to inform recommendations, manage risk, and support sustainable rewards investments.
• Influence and align cross-functional stakeholders across HR, Finance, Accounting, Legal, Payroll, HRIS, Talent Acquisition, OpCo leadership, and external partners to ensure Total Rewards strategies, policies, processes, and communications support enterprise priorities, operating company needs, regulatory requirements, and a consistent employee experience.

Director of Total Rewards Competencies

• Strategic Total Rewards leader who connects rewards design, governance, compliance, and financial stewardship to enterprise growth, workforce retention, talent attraction, and operating company integration.
• Deep subject matter expertise across broad-based compensation, executive and incentive compensation governance, health & welfare, retirement, leave, wellbeing, ERISA, ACA, fiduciary oversight, audits, and multi-state compliance.
• Executive communicator who converts complex compensation, benefits, retirement, compliance, financial, and employee experience considerations into clear recommendations, decision points, risk assessments, and implementation plans.
• Trusted advisor who builds credibility with executives, operating company leaders, HR, Finance, Payroll, Legal, vendors, and employees through sound judgment, collaboration, discretion, and follow-through.
• Operational leader with strong command of controls, data integrity, confidentiality, audit readiness, service delivery, documentation, and measurable continuous improvement.
• Change leader who can prioritize competing enterprise initiatives, manage ambiguity, anticipate risk, and guide teams through transformation in a fast-paced, acquisition-oriented environment.

Education/Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Human Resources, Accounting, or related field; equivalent professional experience also considered
• Minimum 10+ years of progressive Total Rewards leadership experience, including enterprise-level ownership of benefits, compensation, retirement, leave, wellbeing, compliance, vendor governance, and rewards strategy in a multi-state, multi-unit, or shared services environment
• Demonstrated experience advising executive leaders, presenting Board- or executive-ready recommendations, leading Total Rewards teams, managing enterprise vendor partnerships, overseeing fiduciary and regulatory governance, and driving scalable rewards transformation
• Certified Benefits Professional (CBP) or similar designation preferred
• Demonstrated experience managing & supporting health & welfare benefits and retirement plans in multi-state, multi-unit operations
• Experience with major HCM/benefit administration platforms (e.g., Workday, ADP, UKG, Oracle, Dayforce, or similar).

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essentials functions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. The workplace is in a corporate office environment and the temperature in the work environment is usually moderate. The position's primary office is the Shared Services, Irving, TX office; however, telework or work at home, on the road, or in a satellite location for portions of the workweek may occur, depending upon project needs and requirements in coordination with your direct supervisor and/or most senior leader of your department.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable the individuals with disabilities to perform the essentials functions. Must be able to walk, bend, stand, and reach constantly during a workday. May be required to lift items such as document boxes at a maximum of 10 to 15 pounds.

Employment practices will not be influenced or affected by an applicant’s or employee’s race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status or any other legally protected status. Reasonable accommodations will be made for qualified individuals with disabilities unless doing so would result in an undue hardship.

Salary ranges listed are dependent upon a candidate's qualifications, experience, internal equity, and the budgeted amount for the specific role and location.

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in Meriton's Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.