Total Rewards Manager

Rancho Health; Temecula (CA); On-site; USD 105,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

Rancho Health is seeking a Total Rewards Manager to lead benefits and compensation initiatives, with hands-on management of self-funded health plans and retirement programs. The role partners with HR leadership to optimize plan performance, cost management, and employee experience.

The position requires strong analytical skills, collaboration across HR, and the ability to navigate acquisitions and major projects while supporting peak workloads.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of progressive employee benefits or total rewards experience.
• Direct, hands-on experience administering self-funded employer medical plans.
• Experience with Open Enrollment, vendor relationships, benefits compliance, reconciliations.
• Experience with compensation analysis, market pricing, salary ranges, internal equity, merit/incentive administration.
• Healthcare industry experience is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Manage benefits programs including self-funded medical plans, dental, vision, life, disability, and retirement.
• Oversee Open Enrollment planning, communications, and post-enrollment auditing.
• Analyze claims experience, costs, and renewal options with HR leadership.
• Partner with brokers, TPAs, and carriers to optimize plan performance.
• Administer compensation programs and market analysis.
• Ensure ACA, COBRA, HIPAA, and ERISA compliance.

Skills

Self-funded health plans

Benefits administration

Data analysis

Vendor management

Open Enrollment

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR/Business

Tools

ADP Workforce Now

Excel

Job description

The Total Rewards Manager is responsible for the management and continuous improvement of Rancho Health’s employee benefits and compensation programs, with primary responsibility for self-funded medical plans, health and welfare benefits, retirement plans, compensation administration, and annual merit and incentive cycles.

This role requires direct, hands-on experience working with self-funded employer health plans and is ideal for an experienced total rewards professional who enjoys being both analytical and hands-on. Working closely with the Senior Director, Human Resources, the Total Rewards Manager serves as the organization’s subject matter expert for benefits and compensation and provides analysis and recommendations to support plan performance, cost management, compensation decisions, compliance, and employee experience.

The successful candidate will also bring a strong general HR foundation and a collaborative approach, with the ability to support HR colleagues during acquisitions, major projects, peak workloads, and team member absences.

Position Summary

The Total Rewards Manager is responsible for the management and continuous improvement of Rancho Health’s employee benefits and compensation programs, with primary responsibility for self-funded medical plans, health and welfare benefits, retirement plans, compensation administration, and annual merit and incentive cycles.

This role requires direct, hands-on experience working with self-funded employer health plans and is ideal for an experienced total rewards professional who enjoys being both analytical and hands-on. Working closely with the Senior Director, Human Resources, the Total Rewards Manager serves as the organization’s subject matter expert for benefits and compensation and provides analysis and recommendations to support plan performance, cost management, compensation decisions, compliance, and employee experience.

The successful candidate will also bring a strong general HR foundation and a collaborative approach, with the ability to support HR colleagues during acquisitions, major projects, peak workloads, and team member absences.

Essential Job Duties

Benefits & Self-Funded Health Plans

• Manage Rancho Health’s medical, dental, vision, life, disability, voluntary, and retirement benefit programs and serve as the primary escalation point for complex benefit issues.
• Serve as the internal subject matter expert for the organization’s self-funded medical plans.
• Partner with brokers, TPAs, stop-loss partners, carriers, network partners, Payroll, and HR leadership to support effective plan administration and performance.
• Monitor and analyze claims experience, utilization trends, large claims, plan costs, funding performance, stop-loss, and other plan-performance information and provide observations and recommendations to HR leadership.
• Partner with HR leadership and the benefits broker to analyze renewals, financial projections, plan design alternatives, stop-loss options, and vendor recommendations.
• Manage the annual Open Enrollment process, including planning, system configuration and testing, communications, employee education, vendor coordination, issue resolution, and post-enrollment auditing.
• Oversee benefit reconciliations, eligibility and enrollment audits, payroll deduction validation, data feeds, and benefit-related HRIS/vendor configuration.
• Manage day-to-day relationships with benefit and retirement plan vendors, including issue escalation and service performance.
• Identify emerging plan risks, administrative gaps, and opportunities for improvement and recommend practical solutions.

Compensation & Total Rewards

• Administer Rancho Health’s compensation programs and provide market analysis and recommendations to support compensation decisions.
• Conduct market pricing and compensation analysis for new and existing positions.
• Analyze starting salaries, promotions, market and equity adjustments, salary ranges, internal equity, and pay compression and provide recommendations to HR leadership.
• Manage annual merit increase and incentive/bonus administration cycles, including modeling, employee data, manager tools and guidance, submission tracking, approval workflows, data validation, Payroll coordination, implementation, and post-cycle auditing.
• Analyze merit and incentive recommendations for budget alignment, internal equity, compression, and guideline adherence.
• Maintain compensation-related job data, salary ranges, documentation, and reporting and support applicable pay transparency and equal-pay requirements.

Retirement, Compliance, Systems & Growth

• Manage operational administration of the company’s 401(k) plan in partnership with the recordkeeper, third-party administrator, Payroll, and HR leadership, including eligibility, reconciliations, census data, compliance testing, required notices, and recurring plan activities.
• Monitor benefits administration for compliance with applicable requirements, including ACA, COBRA, HIPAA, and ERISA.
• Manage the annual ACA reporting process and coordinate required benefits documentation and reporting.
• Serve as the benefits and compensation functional resource for acquisitions and employee transitions, partnering with the assigned HR Business Partner or HR project lead on due diligence, analysis, communications, enrollment, and implementation.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen processes, controls, technology, documentation, and the employee experience.

Team Collaboration & Cross-Functional Support

The Human Resources team operates with clear functional ownership and shared accountability. While Total Rewards will be this role’s primary area of ownership, the Total Rewards Manager is expected to maintain sufficient working knowledge of broader HR operations to provide cross-functional support during peak workloads, team member absences, acquisitions, integrations, audits, and special initiatives.

This may include HRIS and employee data processes, onboarding and employee lifecycle activities, compliance initiatives, reporting, and other HR projects. The Total Rewards Manager is not expected to own all HR disciplines but should be able to assess needs, provide appropriate support, engage the responsible HR owner, and recognize when escalation is necessary.

This role does not require direct reports at hire; people-management responsibilities may be added as the organization and Total Rewards function grow.

Confidentiality & Information Security

All HR team members must sign and comply with Rancho Health MSO’s HR Department Confidentiality Agreement. This role requires regular access to sensitive employee and company information. A high level of discretion, data protection, and adherence to privacy policies is required at all times, including after employment ends.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Finance, or a related field preferred; equivalent relevant professional experience will be considered.
• 5+ years of progressive employee benefits or total rewards experience, including significant hands‑on responsibility for health and welfare benefits.
• Direct, hands‑on experience administering and supporting self‑funded employer medical plans required.
• Working knowledge of self‑funded plan operations, including claims and utilization reporting, TPAs, stop‑loss coverage, plan funding, vendor management, and renewal processes required.
• Experience leading or independently managing Open Enrollment, vendor relationships, benefits compliance, reconciliations, and complex benefit issues required.
• Experience with compensation analysis, market pricing, salary ranges, internal equity, merit administration, or incentive administration preferred.
• Experience with 401(k) or other employer-sponsored retirement plan administration strongly preferred.
• Broader HR experience and/or experience supporting acquisitions, integrations, or employee transitions preferred.
• ADP Workforce Now experience strongly preferred.
• Experience within a mid‑size or large, multi‑location organization preferred; healthcare experience is a plus.

Knowledge & Skills

• Strong knowledge of self‑funded health plans and health, welfare, and retirement benefits.
• Ability to interpret claims, utilization, cost, compensation, and workforce data and translate findings into practical recommendations.
• Working knowledge of compensation practices, including market pricing, salary ranges, internal equity, pay compression, merit, and incentive administration.
• Strong analytical, reconciliation, project‑management, Excel, problem‑solving, and vendor‑management skills.
• Strong general HR foundation and willingness to provide cross‑functional support.
• Excellent judgment and communication skills with the ability to independently manage competing priorities and complex issues.

Compensation

Salary Range: $105,000–$125,000 annually

Compensation within the range will be based on relevant experience, depth of self‑funded health plan expertise, total rewards experience, and other job-related qualifications.