Total Reward Manager

Crucial Hire; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 160,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

A national professional services firm is seeking a Director of Total Rewards & People Operations based in Illinois or Indiana. This hybrid role involves leading Total Rewards strategy, overseeing compensation and payroll processes, and collaborating with senior leadership. The ideal candidate has over 10 years of experience in Total Rewards, a strong understanding of compensation dynamics, and the ability to navigate complex decision-making environments. This position offers competitive compensation and direct influence in a growing organization.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in Total Rewards or People Operations.
• Experience in professional services or partner-driven environments.
• Ability to manage compensation decisions and hold discussions with strong personalities.

Responsibilities

• Architect and lead a firm-wide Total Rewards strategy.
• Oversee benefits strategy focusing on compliance and costs.
• Lead payroll and people operations with a focus on accuracy.

Skills

Total Rewards Strategy Development

Compensation Design

Multi-state Payroll Management

Workday Implementation

Interpersonal Skills

Tools

Workday HCM

Job description

Director of Total Rewards & People Operations

Professional Services | Partner Environment | Workday in Motion

📍 Open to senior leaders based in Illinois or Indiana – 🏢 Hybrid | Core leadership team anchored in Towson, MD – 💰 $160K–$180K base + meaningful complexity

Let’s be clear: this is not a maintenance role.

This is a build-it-right, scale-it-once leadership seat inside a national professional services firm with a true partner model.

The firm is growing. The economics are evolving. Workday is live (or going live).

And Total Rewards can no longer be “good enough.”

They’re looking for a leader who has been inside the machine — who understands how compensation decisions ripple through partners, performance, culture, and trust.

If you’ve never had to defend comp logic to strong personalities with strong opinions, this won’t be your role.

What You’ll Own (And Be Accountable For)

Total Rewards — the center of gravity

• Architect and lead a firm-wide Total Rewards strategy aligned to partner economics and growth goals
• Own base pay, bonus design, incentives, and partner-aligned compensation
• Lead annual comp cycles end-to-end: benchmarking, job architecture, budgeting, incentive planning
• Oversee benefits strategy with discipline around experience, compliance, and cost
• Partner deeply with Finance, Legal, and senior leadership on complex, high-stakes comp decisions

People Operations & Payroll

• Lead multi-state payroll and people operations with zero tolerance for sloppiness
• Ensure consistency, compliance, and credibility across jurisdictions
• Be the calm, steady presence when things get messy — because sometimes they will

Systems, Data & Workday

• Own Workday HCM post-implementation and ongoing optimization
• Build people analytics leaders can actually use (not just admire)
• Establish data governance that holds up under scrutiny — internally and externally

Leadership & Influence

• Trusted advisor to the CPO, COO, Finance, and partner groups
• Translate numbers into narratives partners understand — and respect
• Lead and develop a high-performing Total Rewards / People Ops team
• Hands-on when needed; strategic always

Who This Role Is Actually For

You’re likely a fit if you:

• Have 10+ years in Total Rewards / People Operations
• Have owned comp, incentives, benefits, payroll, and HR systems
• Have operated in professional services or partner-driven environments
• Understand how compensation decisions shape behavior, not just budgets
• Can sit with strong personalities and hold the line without burning bridges
• Have led or owned a Workday implementation
• Prefer clarity, accountability, and substance over buzzwords

This is not an enterprise observer role. This is a decision seat.

Location Reality (Read This Carefully)

• Core leadership team is based in Towson, MD
• Role is hybrid and highly visible
• The firm is open to exceptional candidates based in Illinois or Indiana
• Travel is part of the job — purposeful, not performative

If you’re Midwest-based and ready for a national-scope leadership role, this is absolutely in play.

Why This Is Worth a Conversation

• Real authority — not window dressing
• Direct access to decision-makers
• Compensation complexity that actually uses your brain
• A leadership team ready to listen — and invest
• A moment of change where the right leader leaves a real mark

If this sounds like the kind of problem you enjoy solving — or you know someone who fits this exactly — message me directly.

This is a career role, not a résumé refresh.