Global Total Rewards Strategy Leader

Stout Risius Ross, LLC; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Benefits package

Wellness options

Job summary

Stout is seeking a seasoned Total Rewards leader to shape and execute the firm’s compensation, benefits, and incentives strategy. You will drive job architecture, market benchmarking, and cost modeling while partnering with executive leadership and HRIS to scale programs across a multi-entity environment.

You will lead governance, reporting, and communications for Total Rewards, ensuring competitive, compliant, and financially aligned programs that support growth and talent attraction.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of leadership in Total Rewards, Compensation, Benefits, or HR.
• Experience leading Total Rewards programs in high-growth professional services or similarly complex organizations.
• Expertise in compensation strategy, job architecture, market benchmarking, and incentive plan design.

Responsibilities

• Define, evolve, and communicate the firm’s Total Rewards philosophy and strategy.
• Lead compensation strategy, including job architecture, leveling frameworks, salary structures, market benchmarking, and annual compensation planning processes.
• Design and oversee incentive and bonus programs aligned with business objectives and performance outcomes.
• Partner with executive leadership on compensation cost modeling, workforce planning, budgeting, and investment decisions.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to senior leaders on rewards strategy and organizational growth initiatives.
• Define and oversee benefits strategy, ensuring programs remain competitive, cost-effective, compliant, and scalable.
• Manage benefits vendors and evaluate program effectiveness through ongoing performance monitoring.
• Support M&A activity, organizational growth initiatives, and integration efforts through scalable rewards strategies.
• Establish key metrics and reporting frameworks to evaluate the effectiveness of Total Rewards programs and provide actionable insights to leadership.
• Develop and execute communication strategies related to compensation, benefits, and rewards programs.
• Lead and develop the Total Rewards function, including defining operating models, governance structures, and decision rights across Total Rewards, People Operations, and HRIS.
• Partner with HRIS teams to support system enablement and optimization of rewards-related processes and reporting.

Skills

Total Rewards leadership

Compensation strategy

Job architecture

Market benchmarking

Incentive design

HRIS collaboration

Workday optimization

Financial planning

Executive advising

Communication skills

Tools

Workday

Job description

Stout is seeking a seasoned Total Rewards leader to shape and execute the firm’s compensation, benefits, and incentives strategy. You will drive job architecture, market benchmarking, and cost modeling while partnering with executive leadership and HRIS to scale programs across a multi-entity environment.

You will lead governance, reporting, and communications for Total Rewards, ensuring competitive, compliant, and financially aligned programs that support growth and talent attraction.