Senior Director, Compensation, Benefits & Payroll

Ironclad Powered by Mersino; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 190,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

IRONCLAD Powered by Mersino seeks a Senior Director of Compensation, Benefits & Payroll to lead enterprise Total Rewards. This role drives compensation philosophy, benefits design, and payroll governance across 1,100+ employees at 70+ locations.

The candidate will partner with Finance, Operations, HRBP, Payroll, and executives to build scalable programs, ensure compliance, and deliver analytics-driven insights that attract and retain top talent.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive Total Rewards, Compensation, Benefits, or Payroll leadership experience.
• Experience supporting 1,000+ employees across multiple locations.
• Industrial services, construction, manufacturing, equipment rental, logistics, or field services experience preferred.
• CCP, CEBS, SHRM-SCP, SPHR, or CPP certifications preferred.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the enterprise compensation philosophy and total rewards strategy.
• Lead annual compensation planning including merit, promotions, market adjustments, and incentive programs.
• Design salary structures, job grades, pay bands, and market pricing methodology.
• Conduct pay equity analyses and recommend corrective actions.
• Partner with Finance on labor budgeting and workforce planning.
• Lead all health and welfare benefit programs including medical, dental, vision, disability, life insurance, FSA/HSA, and 401(k).
• Manage brokers, consultants, insurance carriers, and third-party administrators.
• Lead annual renewals and Open Enrollment.
• Develop employee communications and education materials.
• Provide strategic oversight of multi-state payroll operations.
• Partner with Payroll leadership to ensure timely, accurate payroll processing.
• Strengthen payroll controls, audits, and compliance.
• Maintain enterprise job architecture, career frameworks, and salary grades.
• Ensure compliance with ACA, ERISA, COBRA, HIPAA, IRS reporting, and applicable federal and state laws.
• Develop executive dashboards and KPIs.
• Analyze compensation, benefits, and labor cost trends.
• Present recommendations to executive leadership.
• Partner with HRIS to optimize Paycom compensation and benefits modules.

Skills

Compensation strategy

Total Rewards

Payroll governance

HRIS administration

HR analytics

Executive communication

Change leadership

Budgeting

Project management

Leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree preferred

Tools

Paycom

HRIS

Job description

Position SummaryThe Senior Director, Compensation, Benefits & Payroll leads the enterprise Total Rewards function for IRONCLAD Powered by Mersino. This role is responsible for compensation strategy, benefits design, payroll governance, HRIS compensation administration, compliance, and continuous improvement across a growing industrial services organization with more than 1,100 employees operating from over 70 locations across the United States.The Director partners closely with Finance, Operations, HR Business Partners, Payroll, and executive leadership to build scalable programs that attract, retain, and reward talent while ensuring compliance, operational excellence, and financial discipline.Essential Duties and ResponsibilitiesCompensation Strategy and Total Rewards Leadership - 25%Develop and execute the enterprise compensation philosophy and total rewards strategy.Lead annual compensation planning including merit, promotions, market adjustments, and incentive programs.Design salary structures, job grades, pay bands, and market pricing methodology.Conduct pay equity analyses and recommend corrective actions.Partner with Finance on labor budgeting and workforce planning.Support acquisitions and compensation harmonization.Benefits Strategy and Vendor Management - 20%Lead all health and welfare benefit programs including medical, dental, vision, disability, life insurance, FSA/HSA, and 401(k).Manage brokers, consultants, insurance carriers, and third-party administrators.Lead annual renewals and Open Enrollment.Develop employee communications and education materials.Monitor utilization, costs, and vendor performance.Payroll Governance and Compliance - 15%Provide strategic oversight of multi-state payroll operations.Partner with Payroll leadership to ensure timely, accurate payroll processing.Strengthen payroll controls, audits, and compliance.Ensure compliance with FLSA, wage and hour laws, and payroll regulations.Job Architecture and Organizational Design - 10%Maintain enterprise job architecture, career frameworks, and salary grades.Support organizational design and workforce planning initiatives.Compliance and Risk Management - 10%Ensure compliance with ACA, ERISA, COBRA, HIPAA, IRS reporting, and applicable federal and state laws.Maintain policies and documentation supporting regulatory compliance.Analytics and Financial Reporting - 8%Develop executive dashboards and KPIs.Analyze compensation, benefits, and labor cost trends.Present recommendations to executive leadership.HR Technology and Process Improvement - 5%Partner with HRIS to optimize Paycom compensation and benefits modules.Improve automation, reporting, and data integrity.Strategic Projects and M&A Integration - 5%Lead compensation and benefits integration for acquisitions.Standardize programs across legacy organizations.Leadership and Employee Communications - 2%Lead and develop the Total Rewards team.Develop manager and employee education related to compensation, payroll, and benefits.Measures of PerformanceCompensation harmonization milestones achievedPayroll accuracy above 99.5%Benefits costs within budgetACA reporting completed with zero penaltiesPay equity variance below 3%Open Enrollment participation above 95%Employee satisfaction with Total RewardsVendor performance and renewal savingsExecutive dashboard accuracy and timelinessCompliance audit resultsKey Competencies, Knowledge, and SkillsEnterprise compensation strategyBenefits plan designPayroll governanceJob architectureMarket pricing and salary surveysVendor negotiationsFinancial acumenHR analyticsPaycom or comparable HRISMulti-state complianceExecutive communicationProject managementContinuous improvementChange leadershipQualificationsBachelor's degree in human resources, Business, Finance, Accounting, or related field. Master's degree preferred.10+ years of progressive Total Rewards, Compensation, Benefits, or Payroll leadership experience.Experience supporting 1,000+ employees across multiple locations.Industrial services, construction, manufacturing, equipment rental, logistics, or field services experience preferred.Experience leading compensation strategy, benefits administration, and payroll governance.CCP, CEBS, SHRM-SCP, SPHR, or CPP certifications preferred.Leadership ExpectationsThe Director is expected to operate as the enterprise leader for Compensation, Benefits, and Payroll. Success is measured by building scalable Total Rewards programs that support growth, improve employee experience, maintain compliance, strengthen financial stewardship, and provide executive leaders with actionable workforce insights.