Director Total Rewards

When you join Sunrise Senior Living, you will be able to use your unique skills to empower residents to live longer, healthier, and happier lives. Not only will you build meaningful relationships with residents, their families, and team members alike, you will also gain joy in serving others and deep fulfillment in your work. Explore how you can follow your passions and shed light on meaningful ways to serve, grow, and shine together.

Sunrise Senior Living was again certified as a Great Place to Work® by Activated Insights. This is the 8th time Sunrise has received this top culture and workplace designation, highlighting the special place Sunrise is to be a part of.

The Director Total Rewards will lead the design, implementation and governance of the organization’s global compensation and benefits programs. This role serves as a strategic partner to HR Business Partners (HRBPs), Finance and executive leadership to ensure total rewards programs drive performance, enable talent attraction and retention and align with business objectives and Sunrise’s mission and values. This role will enable data-driven decisions to ensure competitive, equitable and cost-effective total rewards programs.

Essential Duties

As a part of the Sunrise team, supporting our Mission, Principles of Service and Core Values is a fundamental part of this job. Our foundational belief is the sacred value of human life. The unique responsibilities for this role include but are not limited to the essential functions listed as follows:

Compensation Strategy & Design

• Lead the development, execution and governance of global/base pay, variable/incentive pay and recognition programs.

• Design and manage annual compensation cycles (merit, bonus, long-term), including modeling budgets, scenario planning and executive reporting.

• Develop salary structures, pay ranges, job architecture frameworks and market pricing methodologies.

• Conduct complex compensation analysis, including internal equity reviews, pay compression analysis, cost modeling and workforce planning support.

• Provide strategic consultation to HRBPs and business leaders on compensation decisions, offers, promotions and retention strategies.

• Ensure compliance with all federal, state/province and international pay regulations (FLSA, pay transparency, pay equity, etc.).

• Prepare executive-level materials for Compensation Committee and senior leadership presentations.

Benefits and Wellness Strategy and Vendor Management

• Lead benefits and wellness strategy and design, ensuring alignment with company philosophy and financial objectives.

• Conduct annual benefits benchmarking and cost analysis to ensure market competitiveness.

• Lead Request for Proposal (RFP) processes for health, retirement, wellness and ancillary benefits programs.

• Manage relationships with brokers, consultants and third-party vendors; negotiate contracts and performance guarantees.

• Analyze benefits utilization, claims trends, and cost drivers; develop recommendations to optimize spend and employee experience.

• Oversee open enrollment strategy and communications in partnership with HR and Communications teams.

• Ensure compliance with ERISA, ACA, COBRA and other regulatory requirements.

Analytics and Reporting

• Build advanced financial and compensation models using expert-level Excel (macros, pivot tables, power queries, advanced formulas, scenario modeling).

• Develop dynamic dashboards and visualizations in Power BI to provide real-time workforce and compensation insights.

• Translate complex data into actionable insights for HR and executive leadership.

• Partner with HRIS and Finance teams to ensure data integrity and reporting accuracy.

• Leverage analytics to inform total rewards strategy and ROI assessments.

Additional Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a high-performing total rewards team.

• Partner with the HR Operations team to ensure proper administration and execution of Total Rewards programs.

• Serve as a trusted advisor to HRBPs and business leaders on all total rewards matters.

• Partner with Talent Acquisition on competitive offer strategies and market positioning.

• Collaborate with Finance on budgeting, accruals and forecasting related to compensation and benefits.

• Support organizational design initiatives with compensation modeling and leveling frameworks.

• Drive communication strategies that clearly articulate the value of total rewards programs.

• Establish policies, governance processes and controls to ensure program consistency and compliance.

• Identify automation opportunities and process improvements leveraging HR technology and analytics tools.

• Maintain compliance in assigned required training and all training required by state/province or other regulating authorities as applicable to this role to ensure that Sunrise standards are always met.

• Perform other duties as assigned.

Core Competencies

• Leadership Competencies

• Builds and develops a high-performing team with strong team member engagement and retention

• Establishes programs, policies controls and governance frameworks aligned to Sunrise’s mission and values

• Drives operational excellence and process improvement

• Develops and influences program design and administration through data-driven insights

• Partners cross-functionally and acts as a trusted advisor

• Technical Competencies

• Deep expertise in base pay, variable/bonus pay, sales incentives and job architecture

• Advanced knowledge of Health and Wellness plan design, cost analysis and benchmarking

• Expert level benchmarking and analytical skills

• Strong business and financial acumen – budgeting, P&L impact, forecasting, ROI analysis

Experience and Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed throughout this job description are representative of the knowledge, skills, and abilities required.

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Finance, Business or related field (Master’s preferred)

• Minimum 10 years of progressive compensation experience, including leadership of broad-based and incentive compensation programs ;Minimum of 5 years experience in benefits design and administration

• CCP, CEBS or similar certification strongly preferred

• Experience in multi-unit retail and/or luxury hospitality industry preferred

• Strong knowledge of state/province and federal regulations governing Total Rewards

• Demonstrated expertise in compensation design, modeling and executive-level reporting

• Strong knowledge of benefits design, vendor management and RFP processes.

• Expert-level proficiency in Microsoft Excel (advanced modeling required)

• Proficiency in Power BI (dashboard creation, data modeling)

• Strong business acumen and financial literacy

• Excellent communication skills with ability to influence senior stakeholders

Ready to take the next step and make a bigger impact than you ever imagined? As part of our team, you will help brighten the future for everyone at Sunrise and beyond. That is why we make it a priority to celebrate the unique ways you bring moments of togetherness and joy to everyone you serve. And when combined with the support, benefits, and growth opportunities we offer, the result is a career that PositivelyShines with everything you need to reach your goals – at work and in your life.

We also offer benefits and other compensation that include:

• Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, and Disability Plans
• Retirement Savings Plans
• Employee Assistant Program / Discount Program
• Paid time off (PTO), sick time, and holiday pay
• myFlexPay offered to get paid within hours of a shift
• Tuition Reimbursement
• In addition to base compensation, Sunrise may offer discretionary and/or non-discretionary bonuses. The eligibility to receive such a bonus will depend on the employee’s position, plan/program offered by Sunrise at the time, and required performance pursuant to the plan/program.
• Some benefits have eligibility requirements

Apply today to learn why Sunrise Senior Living is a certified Great Place to Work®

Sunrise considers the health and safety of its residents, family members, and team members among its highest priorities. Employment with Sunrise is contingent upon completing and passing a drug test (which does not include marijuana) and Tuberculosis Test, and a physical evaluation and a background check where required. Covid-19 and Influenza vaccination may be required if mandated by applicable federal, state, and local laws and authorities.

Selected candidates will be offered competitive compensation based on geographic location of community/office, skills, experience, qualifications, and certifications/licenses (where applicable).