Total Rewards Program Lead

The Total Rewards Program Lead is responsible for the operational delivery, compliance, and continuous improvement of Bonterra's benefits and leave programs across the United States and Canada.

This role is the program owner and functional subject matter expert for benefits operations, ensuring accurate administration, regulatory compliance, and a consistent employee experience.

They partner closely with HRIS, Payroll, Finance, Legal, and HR Business Partners to maintain system integrity, drive process improvements, and support business needs including M&A integration, retirement plan transitions, and globalization.

The position also supports compensation process and data governance, market survey participation, and Workday testing/auditing for Total Rewards processes, in alignment with the Total Rewards strategy set by the head of Total Rewards.

BENEFITS, LEAVE OF ABSENCE & EMPLOYEE SUPPORT

• Administers Bonterra's health, welfare, and retirement plans across the US and Canada (medical, dental, vision, life, disability, FSA/HSA, and retirement programs as applicable), ensuring accuracy and compliance.

• Serves as a primary point of contact for employee benefits and leave inquiries (and escalation point as needed), ensuring timely, professional resolution and a positive employee experience.

• Manages eligibility, enrollment, and life event transactions in Workday and vendor systems; monitors and resolves data discrepancies across platforms.

• Oversees leave of absence programs across the US and Canada, including paid parental leave, FMLA, ADA accommodations coordination, disability-related leaves, and state/provincial-specific leaves, in coordination with third-party administrators and HR Business Partners; supports globalization/country expansion as the benefits SME for leave operations, vendor coordination, and process readiness.

• Partners with Payroll to ensure leave-related pay and deductions are accurate, including auditing, corrections, and retro pay adjustments where required.

• Maintains operational procedures, documentation, and an annual cycle calendar for enrollments, open enrollment, leaves, and recurring benefits processes.

• Leads operational execution of benefits and leave programs and integrations; escalates strategy, policy, and exception decisions to the VP, Total Rewards & HR Operations.

COMPLIANCE, GOVERNANCE & RISK MANAGEMENT

• Ensures compliance with applicable benefits and leave regulations and requirements across the US and Canada, partnering with Legal/Payroll/HRIS to implement required changes.

• Prepares and submits required annual filings and reports (including Form 5500, ACA 1094/1095-C, and nondiscrimination testing as applicable) ensuring accuracy and timeliness.

• Maintains plan documentation (SPDs, SARs, plan amendments), compliance calendars, and supports audits, inquiries, and vendor/plan reviews as required.

• Monitors legislative and regulatory updates impacting benefits and leave administration (US federal/state and Canada federal/provincial) and supports program adjustments as needed.

VENDOR MANAGEMENT & ADMINISTRATION

• Manages monthly benefits billing, funding, and reconciliations; partners with Finance to research variances and resolve discrepancies.

• Audits 401(k) contributions and funding each payroll by reconciling payroll deductions to recordkeeper submissions and deposits; investigates and resolves variances with Payroll, HRIS, and the recordkeeper to ensure timely, accurate deposits and compliant corrections.

• Oversees vendor and broker relationships, evaluates performance against service expectations, and drives issue resolution and continuous improvement.

• Identifies opportunities to reduce cost and improve efficiency through vendor governance, process improvements, and operational controls aligned to Total Rewards strategy.

MERGERS, ACQUISITIONS & INTEGRATION SUPPORT

• Supports M&A and organizational changes byparticipatingin benefitsduediligence, analyzing integration requirements, and coordinating transitions across vendors and internal stakeholders.

• Leads employer-side coordination for retirement plan transitions and 401(k) mergers when applicable, partnering with recordkeepers, advisors, Payroll, Finance, Legal, and HRIS to support mapping, testing, communications, and implementation timelines.

HRIS & COMPENSATION SUPPORT

• Acts as a functional SME for Workday Benefits/Absence (and related Total Rewards processes), partnering with HRIS on requirements, testing, audits, and data integrity.

• Supports compensation process/data governance through audits, documentation, and readiness activities in partnership with Total Rewards leadership.

• Supports annual market survey participation and benchmarking activities, including data preparation, validation, and submissions in partnership with Total Rewards leadership.

PROGRAM COMMUNICATIONS & GLOBAL SUPOORT

• Develops and delivers clear benefits and leave communications (including onboarding and open enrollment materials) and serves as the benefits SME supporting globalization/country expansion through operational readiness, vendor/broker coordination, and employee communication support in partnership with cross-functional stakeholders (HR, Legal, Payroll, Finance).

• Coordinates with Finance/Legal on equity-related data needs impacting payroll/HRIS and employee communications as needed.

Required Minimum Qualifications

• Minimum of seven years of progressive experience in benefits administration, leave management, compliance, and HRIS partnership.

• Strong working knowledge of Workday Benefits and Compensation processes, related testing and auditing.

• Proven knowledge of relevant US benefits/leave compliance frameworks (e.g., ACA, ERISA, HIPAA, COBRA, FMLA) and ability to partner on Canada/Global requirements as applicable.

• Demonstrated success managing vendors, billing reconciliation, retirement plan operational controls, and compliance reporting.

Preferred Qualifications

• CEBS, CBP, PHR, or SPHR certification preferred.

• Experience supporting Canada benefits administration (vendor coordination, enrollment operations, employee support) preferred.

• Experience supporting M&A benefits integrations, including retirement plan transitions and/or 401(k) mergers, strongly preferred.

• Experience supporting globalization/country expansion (via brokers/EOR/PEO partners) preferred.

• Experience supporting compensation survey participation or compensation data governance.

• Experience in a multi-state or high-growth remote first organization preferred.

At Bonterra, we're building AI-powered tools to solve real human challenges and we want teammates who share that enthusiasm.We value people who will champion AI and bring diverse perspectives from different industries, backgrounds, and cultures. Together, we create AI that breaks down barriers, empowers communities, and delivers better outcomes.