Senior Director, Compensation, Benefits & Payroll (3358)

IRONCLAD Powered by Mersino; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

IRONCLAD Powered by Mersino seeks a Senior Director, Compensation, Benefits & Payroll to lead enterprise Total Rewards. You will shape compensation strategy, benefits design, payroll governance, and HRIS administration for 1,100+ employees across 70+ locations.

You will partner with Finance, Operations, HRBPs, Payroll, and executives to build scalable programs that attract, retain, and reward talent while ensuring compliance, financial discipline, and operational excellence.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; Master's 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.
• Certifications such as CCP, CEBS, SHRM-SCP, SPHR, or CPP preferred.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute enterprise compensation philosophy and total rewards strategy.
• Lead annual compensation planning including merit, promotions, market adjustments, and incentives.
• 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.
• Lead 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.
• Provide strategic oversight of multi-state payroll operations.
• Ensure timely, accurate payroll processing.
• Strengthen payroll controls, audits, and compliance.
• Ensure compliance with ACA, ERISA, COBRA, HIPAA, IRS reporting, and applicable laws.
• Maintain enterprise job architecture, career frameworks, and salary grades.
• Support organizational design and workforce planning initiatives.
• 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.
• Improve automation, reporting, and data integrity.
• Lead compensation and benefits integration for acquisitions.
• Standardize programs across legacy organizations.
• Lead and develop the Total Rewards team.
• Develop manager and employee education related to compensation, payroll, and benefits.

Skills

Enterprise compensation strategy

Benefits plan design

Payroll governance

Job architecture

Market pricing

Vendor negotiations

Financial acumen

HR analytics

Paycom or HRIS

Multi-state compliance

Executive communication

Project management

Continuous improvement

Change leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR, Business, Finance, Accounting, or related field

Master's degree preferred

Tools

Paycom or comparable HRIS

Job description

The 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 Responsibilities

Compensation 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 Performance

• Compensation harmonization milestones achieved
• Payroll accuracy above 99.5%
• Benefits costs within budget
• ACA reporting completed with zero penalties
• Pay equity variance below 3%
• Open Enrollment participation above 95%
• Employee satisfaction with Total Rewards
• Vendor performance and renewal savings
• Executive dashboard accuracy and timeliness
• Compliance audit results

Key Competencies, Knowledge, and Skills

• Enterprise compensation strategy
• Benefits plan design
• Payroll governance
• Job architecture
• Market pricing and salary surveys
• Vendor negotiations
• Financial acumen
• HR analytics
• Paycom or comparable HRIS
• Multi-state compliance
• Executive communication
• Project management
• Continuous improvement
• Change leadership

Qualifications

• Bachelor'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 Expectations

The 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.